Fira Basuki is on the way up

Leo Wahyudi S Contributor Jakarta

Back from five years in Singapore, novelist Fira Basuki is apprehensive about the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) which has hit the island state.

"A fashion show that I covered more than a week ago was attended by only few people and many seats were not occupied," recalled Fira, who is also a journalist.

The 31-year-old woman, however, has had little trouble coping with the SARS scare and keeping up with her daily work as both a journalist and novelist.

"I just work as if nothing has happened in Singapore," she said.

Fira is a part-time broadcaster for Singapore International Radio and a correspondent for Harper's Bazaar magazine.

Her three novels, Jendela-Jendela (Windows)", Pintu (Door) and Atap (Roof)" have been inspired by everyday experiences. Her fourth book, Biru (Blue) has just been released.

Fira has been recognized as one of the most popular female novelists in Indonesia, along with the already famous Dewi "Dee" Lestari and Ayu Utami.

Her self confidence grew when she won several writing contests at senior high school. She has not stopped writing since.

She wrote her first novel, Jendela-Jendela, in 2001 when she was eight month pregnant and needed to overcome boredom.

On the recommendation of her fellow journalists who were impressed by the manuscript, she had it published by PT Grasindo publishing house in Jakarta. To her amazement, the first 5,000 copies sold out and the book has already been reprinted four times.

The initial success encouraged her to make a sequel -- and then came Pintu and Atap. Each title is in its fifth edition and each edition is 10,000 copies.

Although she is grateful about her books sales, she believes the book industry would fare better if Indonesians had better reading habits. She laments the fact that the majority of citizens struggle to simply survive and buying books is not yet a priority.

Meanwhile, the young who can afford books would rather go to the movies or shopping at the mall than spend time at the library reading, she said.

All her novels have simple themes revolving around relationships and people's daily routines.

Noted literature critic Sapardi Djoko Damono said that Fira has managed to explore these aspects very well. "This is the ultimate attraction of her novels," he said. She challenges the common notion that people should look to the West for guidance about lifestyle, he said.

Born in Surabaya East Java 31 years ago, Fira grew up mostly in Jakarta and West Java's rainy city of Bogor. But she claims that she matured when living in America.

She cultivated a deeper interest and understanding of culture, and especially her native Java by studying anthropology at the University of Indonesia in Jakarta.

She then studied communication and journalism at Pittsburgh State University, U.S.A. She obtained her masters degree in communication and public relations in the same university in 1995.

She moved to Singapore five years ago when her husband, Palden Tenzing Galang, was posted to the city state.

"But I still love Jakarta more than Singapore, where everything is tightly controlled," she said.

Fira is glad to see the emergence of young writers in Indonesia who have become her competitors.

"I love writing therefore I write," she said.

Being a rising star, Fira takes her mothers advice that "Being famous is a bonus" to heart and knows that she should remain modest.