Denny JA's Essay Poetry Book to Be Translated into 35 Languages

A book of essay poetry by Denny JA will be translated into 35 languages, making it one of the most extensive Indonesian literary translation projects in history. Publisher CBI announced the decision following Denny JA’s receipt of the BRICS Award 2025 in the Literary Innovation category. The initial idea from the BRICS Award committee was to translate his essay poetry into the languages of BRICS member countries. The BRICS Award 2025 was conferred by nine international jurors representing all member states, after shortlisting hundreds of candidates from various nations. However, the idea evolved into a much broader project: presenting a work that highlights global human tragedies to readers across cultures and languages. “For us, translation is not merely about transferring words from one language to another. Translation is a way to expand empathy among human beings,” said CBI Publishing Director Ari Nugroho. From eight of Denny JA’s essay poetry books already available in English, the title “Yang Menggigil dalam Arus Sejarah” (Those Who Tremble in the Current of History) was chosen because it addresses the most universal themes. Fifteen essay poems within the book take readers into various major world tragedies: the First World War, the Spanish Flu, the Russian Revolution, Hiroshima, the Nanking Massacre, the French Revolution, the Bastille, slavery in America, the Holocaust, the Warsaw Ghetto, the great famine under Mao Zedong, China’s Cultural Revolution, and the tragedy of the Vietnamese boat people. However, the book does not place rulers as the main characters of history. Instead, it presents those who have been almost entirely forgotten: a mother who lost her child to the Hiroshima bomb, a Jewish boy who never returned from Auschwitz, or a Vietnamese refugee family risking their lives in the South China Sea for a glimmer of hope. “History usually remembers the victors. Literature remembers those who are nearly forgotten,” he said. The book’s uniqueness lies in the essay poetry form, a genre that combines narrative poetry with factual footnotes. Each poem is built upon documented historical events, while the poetic language conveys the emotional experience of the victims.