Pramoedya's books hit Japan's shelves

Pramoedya's books hit Japan's shelves

By Kornelius Purba

TOKYO (JP): "I hope Pramoedya Ananta Toer will receive the
Nobel Prize in Literature next year. Only his victory can help me
move to a bigger office than I have now," Shin Kuwahara told The
Jakarta Post from his small office in Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo.

Kuwahara might have only been joking, but he may have learned
something from the French publisher of this year's Nobel Prize
winner, Chinese writer Gao Xingjian, as demands for his book have
suddenly increased following the announcement.

Kuwahara's company, Mekong Publishing Co., Ltd., has published
the Japanese translation of the books of the internationally
recognized writer since 1983, including Ningen no Daichi (Bumi
Manusia, The Earth of Mankind), Subete no Minzoku no Ko (Anak
Semua Bangsa, Children of All Nations), Sokuseki (Jejak Langkah,
The Trace), and Gerira no Kazoku (The Guerrilla Family).

"After working hard since 1978 to carry out this noble duty,
what I have profited from this business is a bicycle. With
Pramoedya's win I may be able to buy my own car," he said in a
joking manner.

Apart from Pramoedya's works, Kuwahara also published the
translated versions of works by senior journalist Muchtar Lubis
(Jalan Tak Ada Ujung, The Endless Road , and the late Catholic
priest Y.B. Mangunwijaya (Ikan Ikan Hiu, Ido, Honae?, Sharks).

"The Toyota Foundation subsidized the publication of the books
by Lubis and Mangunwijaya," said Kuwahara about the financial
assistance received for the publications.

The foundation, set up by the country's largest automotive
manufacturer, has also agreed to provide similar assistance to
publish another of Pramoedya's writing Rumah Kaca (Glass House),
and Iwan Simatupang's book Merahnya Merah (The Redness of the
Red).

He expects Iwan's book to soon hit the market, while
Pramoedya's will be marketed in March next year.

"During the Soeharto era, it was difficult to find sponsors
from Japanese companies, especially in publishing the so-called
blacklisted writers. But with the dramatic changes in Indonesia,
I hope that the companies will gradually become more willing to
help me," Kuwahara said.

Other books include Arjuna Mencari Cinta (Arjuna Seeks Love),
which was written by journalist Yudhistira A.M Massardi, and
poems by W.S. Rendra. Not one of their books have sold 2,000
copies.

"The sales of Massardi's book were also not so good, despite
the story's setting, which takes place in Japan. Young readers
find it difficult to enjoy the story because it talks about
Japan's olden times," Kuwahara said.

He met Pramoedya in the early 1980s in Jakarta, not long after
the writer's release from the notorious detention camp on Buru
island, Maluku.

All the books were translated from Indonesian to Japanese by
Prof. Noriaki Oshikawa from the Daito Bunka University.

Kuwahara decided to publish the translated books after
receiving strong moral support from the late Kenji Tsuchiya, a
professor of literature from Kyoto University.

"Every October through the years, journalists from The Asahi
Shimbun and Mainichi Shimbun ask us to wait for the announcement
of the Nobel Prize for Pramoedya. But it always ends in
disappointment," Kuwahara said and burst into laughter.

Kuwahara said this year was the best opportunity for Pramoedya
to win the world's most prestigious award because his name has
been nominated for the prize since the 1980s. Pramoedya's books
have also been translated into various languages, including
English, French, Dutch, Russian and German.

Last year, for the first time since the 1960s, Pramoedya was
allowed to go abroad. He received an honorary doctorate from
Michigan University for his extraordinary contribution to world
literature last year.

In September this year, Pramoedya, where the ban on his books
was just officially lifted by the Attorney General's Office a few
weeks ago, received the Fukuoka Prize from Japan. The prize was
awarded by the Fukuoka prefectural government for his outstanding
service in developing literature.

"Pramoedya's books are bestsellers compared to other
Indonesian books. However, even the best book Ningen no Daichi
has not been able to sell more than 5,000 copies since 1986,"
Kuwahara said.

He said Pramoedya had earned a total of about US$4,000 from
his copyrights. The author is entitled to five percent of the
selling price of each book.

"Compared to famous authors, the book written by Komiyasu
Komatsu on his experiences traveling across Indonesia had sold no
less than 6,000 until 1999 since its first launch some years
ago," Kuwahara said about Komatsu, a Japanese national, who has
been living in Indonesia for more than five years after
completing his studies at the University of Indonesia.

Kuwahara is the owner of the Mekong Publishing Co., Ltd.,
which specializes in publishing translated writings from
Southeast Asian countries, especially the works of authors and
writers from Indonesia, Thailand, Laos, Myanmar and the
Philippines.

He was rather disappointed when the market gave a cool
reception to the launch of a book that contains the letters of
Myanmar's opposition leader Aung Aan Syu Kii, which were sent to
her friends throughout the globe.

"Her fame is not enough to boost the sale of her book," said
the 56-year-old man, who graduated from Tokyo Metropolitan
University in literature.

He described his company as a window for the countries'
literature to Japan, because their literature was relatively
unknown in Japan compared to books from the United States,
Europe, China and Korea.

"My strongest motivation to publish the books is of course
profit, although it needs much more time to popularize the books
from Indonesia and other regional countries in Japan," Kuwahara
said.

Kuwahara, the father of a 17-year-old son, established the
company in 1978, soon after his return from Laos where he stayed
for two years.

The company is named after the famous river which lies between
Vientiane, the capital of Laos, and its border with Thailand. The
capital of the landlocked country is located just a few
kilometers from the border.

Realizing that it was nearly impossible to depend on revenue
merely from literature, he also published travel guidebooks,
including those on Bali and Java, as well as books on sociology.

"The best-selling book from my company is a sex-related book
titled The Sociology of Tania Street," said the publisher.

The book is written by a Japanese housewife, based on her long
observation of the night life on Tania Street in Bangkok, near
the notorious Patphong entertainment area.

Bars and nightclubs located on Tania Street are only for
Japanese guests, he said.

"The writer was very curious why her husband, an executive at
a Japanese company in Bangkok, and his associates were very
diligent about visiting Tania Street."

She interviewed many people, including the sex workers and
hostesses. She concluded that a combination of superb services
from the women and the bars, and the abundant money owned by the
Japanese men were behind the main success of the business,"
Kuwahara said.

Sex stories are apparently more touching for readers, Kuwahara
said and then laughed.