Hanusz heralds new era in RI publishing
Chisato Hara, Contributor, Jakarta
The autumnal equinox, which falls between Sept. 21 and Sept. 23 each year, marks the moment when the sun is at its zenith and the hours of day and night are equal. In most agrarian societies, with the year's harvest gathered from the fields, it is a time of celebration to welcome a new season.
In Indonesia, of course, there is no real equinox, as it is located only a few degrees south of the equator. However, Sept. 21 is an auspicious date in many ways for at least one man -- Mark Hanusz, founder and managing editor of Equinox Publishing, a boutique publisher specializing in books on Indonesia.
When Hanusz first arrived here in January 1997, it was in an entirely different capacity, as he was considering a transfer from the head office of investment bank SBC Warburg in Zurich to its Jakarta branch. Two hours after landing at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, he was swept away by the vibrancy of the capital and decided to take the position.
But the 1997 Asian economic crisis caused SBC Warburg to downsize its Jakarta office by 90 percent, so he decided to leave the bank and embark upon a one-month journey through Java -- on Sept. 21, 1998.
It was during his travels that he came upon the idea to write a book about something unique to the country. Exactly one year later, Equinox Publishing was born, and the following spring, on March 21, 2000 -- this time the vernal equinox -- the first title rolled off the printing press -- Kretek, written, designed and published by Hanusz.
"I couldn't believe the size of the machines, as well as the amount of paper. And seeing your own book on the printing presses, after so much hard work, is truly elating," he said.
"Unless you find typos, of course."
It was a momentous event for someone whose initial stint in "publishing" involved making fake ID cards on his first Macintosh at the age of 15 -- a common enough practice in the U.S., where the drinking age is 21 -- and being the managing editor of his high school yearbook.
A sample of Equinox titles is an eclectic mix of literary genre: The King, the Witch and the Priest by Pramoedya Ananta Toer (fiction), Timor: A Nation Reborn by Bill Nicol (history), No Regrets by Wimar Witoelar (autobiography), Gus Dur by Greg Barton (biography) and Jakarta Inside Out by Daniel Ziv.
Although Kretek was, by his own admission, a "selfish project", it is clear that all the titles are bound by the single vision contained in the quote from Mark Twain emblazoned across Equinox's business card: "The man who doesn't read good books has no advantage of the man who can't read them".
"If Equinox has a philosophy, I would say it's to produce good books in English about Indonesia that really enhance people's appreciation of this amazing country," he said.
A Cup of Java, launched this Friday and which Hanusz coauthored, is also true to this philosophy, as it is not your run-of-the-mill, coffee-table book. Inspired by owners of the Losari coffee plantation Toeti Heraty, Anna Bambang Sunindar and co-author Gabriella Teggia, A Cup of Java spans several plantations interspersed with interviews from cafe owners, coffee roasters and traders, and explores the history, production, marketing and the culture of coffee in Java, including the mysticism surrounding coffee offerings.
A self-confessed four- to five-cup-a-day drinker of coffee, Hanusz admits that he didn't know much about the beverage before he began traveling through Java to research the book -- a journey reminiscent of the one he undertook for Kretek.
It seems Equinox's own journey has only just taken off full force from its early beginnings as a one-man operation, and Hanusz acknowledged much has changed on the literary landscape.
Along with the economic crisis, the reform movement and the dissolution of the draconian Ministry of Information in 1999, there has been the emergence of many great bookstores and efficient distributors, and the proliferation of book launches, which he believes to be the biggest in the region in terms of both attendance and book sales.
His ambitions for Equinox have also expanded toward becoming a strong regional publisher, and he hopes one day to discover and introduce Indonesian "literary gems" -- like his personal hero, Pramoedya Ananta Toer -- to English-speaking audiences.
With 10 titles on the shelves available locally and regionally -- and this month, internationally -- he has much to celebrate as the company approaches its fourth year of existence this autumnal equinox.
In the meantime, the local literary scene, as well as the world marketplace, can continue to expect many more Equinox titles. Among the new offerings are the history of the intelligence service by Ken Conboy, a novel on religious violence in Maluku by Far Eastern Economic Review's editor in chief Michael Vatikiotis and Bangkok Inside Out by Ziv and Guy Sharett.
And Hanusz will keep on his own journey through this diverse and dynamic culture that continues to captivate him.