Ayu Utami staggers critics with her literary eloquence

Saman, an excerpt from the unfinished novel Laila Tidak Mampir di New York (Laila Didn't Stop By in New York); By Ayu Utami; Cultural Journal KALAM in cooperation with Kepustakaan Populer Gramedia, Jakarta l998; 197 pp + vi; Rp 18,000

JAKARTA (JP): Creating stories may be easy for many writers but coming up with a good, let alone exceptional, one is another matter. That's why Saman has been hailed by critics as a surprise.

The Indonesian literary world was all ears when three judges of the Jakarta Arts Council novel competition recently announced that a young unknown, Ayu Utami, was the winner and showered her with praise.

It is undeniable that the novel is a great work from the new writer though it is only a fragment of a planned longer piece.

The excellence of Saman stems from the beauty of its language. By reading the novel one becomes aware that the richness of our language has long been neglected by many of us, particularly writers. The description is skillfully calculated and presented in exact detail.

The story begins in Central Park, New York, in l996. "In this park, I am a bird," the character says by way of introduction. From there the novel backtracks to the South China Sea in l993, skips to an unknown place in l983, Prabumulih, South Sumatra in l962, then returns to the town in l984, before jumping to New York in l996 and eventually ends with correspondence between two of its characters in New York and Indonesia respectively during May through June 1994.

For those used to a linear order of time this style of storytelling is really confusing.

All its characters -- Laila, Sihar, Yasmin, Shakuntala, Toni, Saman, Rosano, Wisanggeni, etc. -- are portrayed in that dimension of time.

It starts in New York with Laila waiting for Sihar, an employee of an oil rig in the South China Sea with whom she has an affair. Later it brings readers to a heated argument between Sihar and Rosano, the rig worker who hired him, and to an explosion on the rig.

This is the style used by the writer to later introduce readers to Saman, the main character. Saman used to be a parochial pastor called Wisanggeni in the small town of Prabumulih.

Just who Saman is and why he risks his priesthood, why he assists villagers threatened by land appropriation, and his kidnapping are central to the story.

Saman is brutally tortured by his abductors and eventually goes into hiding before departing for New York. While hiding, he begins to doubt God. This goes on for about four years, during which time he becomes intimate with Yasmin, a housewife who helps him flee the country.

Once one starts reading, the structure of the novel no longer feels complicated and it is difficult to put the book down.

But flaws are evident in this new novel as senior writers have indicated; such as the incorrect placement of commas, inconsistencies and spelling mistakes.

And while indecent words seem to be used recklessly, with the author spicing up her story with sexual scenes, she clearly sides with the downtrodden.

She attempts to be a patient storyteller with no emotional attachment and tries to impress on readers that she is being neutral. But, however hard she tries, her inclination cannot be concealed.

This is a partisan novel which fully supports the struggle of non-governmental organizations and all activities against the ruling elite.

Still, the dominant flavor of sex, though not entirely vulgar, remains a nuisance which invites the question: Why is Ayu so obsessed with such matters?

From the very beginning, sex is discussed when Laila meets Sihar. Thereafter there is hardly a chapter without it.

"Sex is so beautiful," says Saman. "Maybe that was why God was so jealous that He ordered Moses to stone to death those who committed adultery."

But Saman continues to baffle readers. His doubts about God and sexual encounter with Yasmin go without a hint of remorse. He desires to return to the priesthood but in a letter to his lover he says "Teach me. Rape me."

Nevertheless this literary work offers an outspokenness which makes one shudder, and a new outlook on life. This is the result of thorough research by the young author.

Besides, it is worth noting that what is reviewed here is only a fragment, a snapshot, of unfinished work by a budding writer.

-- Sori Siregar

The writer is a novelist and short-story writer based in Jakarta