Linda Christanty: The need for critical thinking

Sunday, October 24, 2004
Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Winning a prestigious literary prize provides more of a burden than pride and joy for writer Linda Christanty, who frets that her works still lack much in quality.
Her reticence is despite the praise of the jury of the 2004 Khatulistiwa Award, who said her short story collection, Kuda Terbang Maria Pinto (Maria Pinto's Flying Horse), was "unpredictable, multidimensional, meaningful and able to adhere to writing technique and theme".
Linda, 34, said she found it hard to turn her ideas into simple but meaningful sentences.
"By simple, it doesn't mean I don't pay attention to structure, syntax or semantics. But I want the flow and the language to work well, and readers can feel the emotion right away, even if they cannot relate to the story," said Linda, who shared the prize for works of fiction with author Seno Gumira Ajidarma.
"I still cannot do that."
It did not seem to be the insincere lament of a winner trying so hard to be humble. Instead, Linda really did feel that she did not deserve the prize.
She also showed concern that she would fall into the trap of some fellow writers, believing in their own hype and becoming smug.
The local literary scene has perked up in recent years with the emergence of young writers, many of them women, and more works published than a decade ago.
However, as Linda put it, it has become a tumultuous market.
Many people write but take the art lightly, barely paying attention to logic, structure and characterization, resulting in mediocre works lacking intricacy and depth.
It does not seem to dissuade the critics and literary experts from hailing the next great literary hope, and showering them with hyperbolic praise.
Women writers, a rarity at one time, have been singled out for particular attention, to such an extent that author and columnist Ayu Utami even thought she was overrated.
It may be part of the well-intentioned effort to encourage young writers, but it often misleads readers into buying the vaunted works, only to be disappointed.
There is also the danger of the rise of second-rate writers elevated by one or two literary figures.
"There are the flowery blurbs from noted authors, and then what? Does that mean everybody has to write like that? Critical readers with knowledge will know which one is good, but I'm afraid there will be people who think that 'Oh, so this is what good writing is like', and then they start to write like that," said Linda, who studied Indonesian literature at the University of Indonesia.
Young writers need to be encouraged, but there also must be fair criticism of the literary offerings.
"Some say that readers will learn how to be critical. But I don't think that's true. We need to create a scene where fair criticism is given, so that readers will be critical and writers learn how to write well," she said.
Unbiased criticism is not yet an accepted part of the culture of this country, especially in the close-knit community of writers and publishers.
In a rather embarrassing move, a book shop owner-cum-writer recently slammed a noted critic in a long-winded full page opinion piece in leading Kompas daily. He declared that writers should follow their artistic calling without paying attention to critics, nor heavyweight literary method and theory.
So, no place for literary criticism, but let's just flog some trite works by those with overblown literary pretensions?
"I don't agree with that," Linda said of the piece. "Writers need to learn their craft, the language and the theory. Because the language is the tool of expression."
Born in Bangka island in southern Sumatra, Linda has written short stories, her favorite medium, since she was a teenager.
Her breakthrough came when she was one of the 10 winners of the short story competition held by Kompas in 1990.
Titled Daun-daun Kering (Dried Leaves), the story tells of a young woman left at loose ends after her boyfriend dumped her.
Kuda Terbang, meanwhile, consists of 12 short stories published in various publications, from Kompas to Media Indonesia and a+ magazine, from 2002 to 2004.
The title story is the strongest, about the myth of a woman chief commander riding a flying horse, told by a military man to a stranger.
It was inspired by a similar tale of East Timor.
"I just want to tell the story of war from the point of view of a soldier. A soldier usually comes from a poor farming family, who would like to escape his fate by being in the army. But in the end, in war and violence, they have to face their family."
An activist during Soeharto's regime, Linda's writing often has political themes, such as telling of an activist traitor, bomber or war.
She is also interested in homosexuality, inspired by her friendship with a lesbian who is now out of the closet.
Linda's writing may still lack intricacy and insight, but it is unpretentious and earnest.
She is now working for the Indonesian representative of the Brussels-based European Center for Common Ground, writing a radio soap opera called Menteng Pangkalan.
"It is aimed at educating the public about how to resolve community conflicts through dialog rather than violence," Linda said.
She also would like to try writing a novel.
"The short story cannot always accommodate an idea as a whole, it only works as fragments. I figure the idea will be more thorough and more intricate in a novel," said Linda, crossing her fingers.

Labels: literary, profile

Posted by hera at 1:29 AM | Permalinks | Comments

Djenar's story collection naughty but not so nice

Sunday, February 08, 2004

---------------------------------------------------------------Jangan Main-main (Dengan Kelaminmu) By Djenar Maesa Ayu, PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama, Jakarta, 2004; 122 pp Rp 30,000; In Bahasa Indonesia ---------------------------------------------------------------
Do not blame Djenar for still harping on the sex theme, because it sells. Take note of the lucrative career of Britney Spears, for instance.
A sophomore effort after 2002's Mereka Bilang Saya Monyet (They Say I'm a Monkey), Jangan Main-main (Dengan Kelaminmu) (Don't Play (with Your Genitals)) is a compilation of 11 short stories, 10 of them previously printed in several local publications.
Like its forerunner, infidelity, fornication and sexual decadence pour out in gritty words and description, with Djenar saying she wanted to poke at the hypocrisy in society.
She also seeks to take the side of marginalized people (the prostitute in Ting!, for instance) and the betrayed (the wife in the title story).
Menyusu Ayah (Suckling Father), meanwhile, is about child abuse while Cermin (Mirror) tells about a dysfunctional mother/daughter relationship.
Unlike the previous book, there are barely any metaphorical words and strange creatures (four-legged people, men or women with any animal's tail or head you could think of) appearing here.
Instead, Djenar plays with repetition, working the same sentence or paragraph over and over again to emphasize the point.
Metaphors or repetition become tiring and irritating when overworked, rather than amusing, moving or shocking.
The only people who will be shocked, perhaps, are teenagers, so the publisher better get rid of the "for adults only" blurb on the cover.
If taking aim at morality or hypocrisy is the intention, this book fails in that department, too, as it lacks depth and delicacy, and force-feeding of sex renders it superficial and forced.
The "testimony" of a penthouse used for orgies, the poor girl who seeks refuge in cheap porn books her father sells, the revenge of a mistress -- even a romance novelist knows better than this, and the latter's works are more enjoyable.
In fact, Djenar shows more prowess when she does not try too hard to bring sex in. Examples are Waktu Nayla (Nayla Time), a contemplative story about a woman with cancer, which appeared on the first book, and Cermin, although the story needs more shaping.
But, hey, there is always a market for titillation. And if it leads to more hype than recognition of talent, then who can blame Britney, or Djenar?
-- Hera Diani

Labels: literary, review

Posted by hera at 2:15 AM | Permalinks | Comments

Clubs bring lovers of the written word together

Sunday, September 07, 2003
Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A muggy Tuesday night in the third week of August was time once again for the book club bacabaca (from the Indonesian for reading) to hold another meeting.
Nine people gathered in an apartment in Kuningan, South Jakarta, each clutching a copy of Of Love and Other Demons by Nobel Prize winner Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
Sitting cross-legged on the floor in the living room, circling a wooden table and munching snacks, the group discussed the tale of a love affair between a middle-aged priest and a teenage girl believed to be possessed by demons.
Everyone shared a nugget of their literary observations.
A.S. Laksana from akubaca publishing company said Marquez was always careful in selecting characters' names for his books.
Rizadini Haryanto, an employee of QB bookstore, commented on how Marquez's journalism background influenced the plot, while Hikmat Darmawan spoke about how the Colombian writer was skilled in spinning a romance.
All the opinions showed the members shared one definitive thing in common: a great love of the written word.
They are also bucking the established notion that Indonesians are loath to pick up a good book.
"We'd heard enough about the low reading habit among Indonesians. So, we thought we just start from ourselves as we all love books," said Hikmat, an editor and translator in a publishing company.
Along with fellow members Rani E. Ambyo and Rizadini, they recruited several friends -- mostly in their late 20s and early 30s and working in the publishing field -- to form the club about four months ago.
"We appointed one person to be the moderator in our monthly meeting. All books are in English," said Rani, adding that the readings were not limited to any one genre and that comic books were already on the agenda.
A former resident of Bandung, West Java, Rani had started a club there three years ago, as well as setting up a book shop called Tobucil, a name taken from the Indonesian for "small book shop".
"I often got annoyed, however, because many of the members there hadn't read the book like they were supposed to. They came to the meeting because they wanted to know what kind of book it was. So, it would end up with only one person doing the talking," she said.
The books discussed were limited to Indonesian works or those translated from other languages.
"It was almost impossible to discuss English books. They were not very familiar with books in English, perhaps because the access to English books in Bandung is very limited."
It is the reason she established the book club in her new home of Jakarta, a place she said where people were more "literate" and access to books was better.
For Ditta Amahorseya, the head of corporate affairs of Citibank's Citigroup, the problem is getting Indonesians to join her club.
Ditta is the lone Indonesian in the club, established 11 years ago, among a group of expatriate women.
"I've given up asking my Indonesian friends because they are not committed. They never showed up again. After several attempts I gave up because I feel embarrassed," Ditta said.
She said many of the book clubs in the city were organized by expatriates.
Ditta's club consists of women of various nationalities, whose professions range from businesswomen, consultants to housewife.
"Our membership is ever-changing, because the expatriates move a lot. We meet monthly, except for summer and December, because at that time, the foreigners usually go back to their home country," Ditta said.
Each member recommends a book, and then a vote is taken on which will be read for the next meeting.
The books discussed are award-winning, critically acclaimed works, or best-sellers, and must have been published within the past three years. Most are fiction, but an occasional nonfiction work, such as a biography, is put on the agenda.
"I wish there were more contemporary Indonesian books being translated into English. It's a pity that I can't recommend Indonesian books. We only have discussed two books by (noted local authors) Pramoedya Ananta Toer and Mochtar Lubis. Even then we had to break the rules because both books were published in the 1960s."
Despite the problems of getting Indonesian members and books, Ditta said being a book club member was rewarding.
Her knowledge and references have been broadened and enriched; she is now familiar with many writers she never knew before, such as from Germany and Morocco.
"We also learn the discipline to read regularly. There's even homework for each member to read another work from the same author whose book are being discussed. And then we're always eager to look for a new book to recommend," she said.
Ditta remains optimistic that more Indonesians will join book clubs and that a true reading habit will one day become the norm, not the exception.

Labels: culture, literary, urban

Posted by hera at 2:26 AM | Permalinks | Comments