His columns in the Times, for example, address highly contentious subjects such as the rise of Islamic fundamentalism in Indonesia, as well as the Papuan issue. I’ll just write my newspaper columns then because they have stricter deadlines,” he added, referring to his columns in the local Jawa Pos newspaper and The New York Times.ĭespite his Zen-like demeanor, Eka is very fierce and bold in his writings, where he unapologetically expresses his views, political or otherwise.

“Thankfully, my publisher didn’t set any fixed deadlines for my new novel. “Although we are just staying at home all day and not going anywhere, you just lack enthusiasm to do just about anything,” Eka said. (Courtesy of Mirna Yulistianti/-)Įka is aware he is not a very disciplined author in terms of maintaining a routine, especially during the large-scale social restrictions during the pandemic. The author: Indonesian author Eka Kurniawan poses on the sidelines of the Prince Claus Award ceremony in February 2019 at the Erasmus Huis Dutch cultural center in Jakarta. He spends time meticulously bringing the pieces together so they can fit beautifully.” “He’s a very diligent writer the way that he’s building his fictional universe is almost like finishing a big piece of a jigsaw puzzle. Mirna praised Eka for being humble, adding that his only weakness was that he could not be given deadline – a “weakness” that speaks volumes of the writer’s patience with his work. The novel has been adapted into a film by Indonesian director Edwin, slated for release in 2021. Gramedia is also working on graphic novel version of his third novel Seperti Dendam, Rindu Harus Dibayar Tuntas (Vengeance is Mine, All Others Pay Cash translated by Annie Tucker), in collaboration with comic artist Dyah Ayu Wulandari. Several years later, The New York Times listed the book, translated into English by Annie Tucker under the title Beauty is a Wound, as one of the 100 notable books of 2015.

Liking what she read, the country’s biggest publisher then offered to publish the book. Mirna herself discovered Eka’s debut novel Cantik Itu Luka (Beauty is a Wound) in 2002, then published by a small publisher in Yogyakarta called Jendela in cooperation with the Yogyakarta Cultural Academy. People in the literary scene don’t always welcome his success it has also made a lot of people jealous as well,” Mirna told the Post over the phone. “Eka builds his career out of his own effort, which has shocked so many local literary gods.

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