'Teen lit' writers and their work very much in vogue

Ignatius Haryanto, Contributor/Jakarta

Pay a visit to local bookstores in big cities around the country and you will surprised at the phenomenon of books that fit into the "chick lit" (young women's literature) and "teen lit" categories.

These are not works that have been translated into Bahasa Indonesia from Western writers but those written for and by Indonesian teenagers.

Inspired by the chick lit books circulating among younger readers, teenagers and former teens are now taking the time to speak out. Many of these authors are now young writers in their 20s however, most have used teenagers as the inspiration or as the target market for their books.

Cynthia Monica is the writer of Kos Full Colour, which uses the well-known abbreviation KFC to mean life in a boarding house in Jakarta.

Icha Rahmati wrote Cinta Cappuccino (Love of Cappuccino) and Stephani Hid Bukan Saya, Tapi Mereka yang Gila (They are crazy, not me). Maria Andelia is the author of Me vs Highwheels and there are many others.

Younger still, there is Laire Siwi, daughter of Indonesian poet Sitok Srengenge, a second-grade high school student, who recently published her first novel, Nothing But Love, a few months ago, which has already been reprinted.

This is a good era for teen lit, reminding one of the earlier work of women writers Ayu Utami, Fira Basuki and Dewi Lestari and then Djenar Maesa Ayu and Nukila Amal.

Their literary descendents have done well. Linda Christanty won the Katulistiwa Literary Award 2004, and all of these authors have flooded the Indonesian book market.

Some have tried to introduce innovations into Indonesian literature by telling a new kind of story, while others just wanted to write about the everyday lives of young women in big cities.

Articles in magazines, newspapers and on TV about the authors and their books have helped established chick lit or teen lit, part of the ongoing globalization of book marketing where influences from outside influence local communities.

This writing has done well in the market, and publisher Gramedia declared 2004 as the year for teen lit.

Not only that: Gramedia also organized a teen lit writing competition and the firm will publish the work of the competition winners.

Gramedia is not alone in producing and encouraging teen-lit.

Other publishers -- Gagas Media, Galang Press, Grasindo among others -- have also fulfilled teenage readers' needs. Dozens of titles have flooded bookstores this year.

Is there life beyond boyfriends, school etc?

Teen feedback confirms these books are easy to read; they focus on their daily lives, about the situations they encounter and the feelings they have.

Dealing with school life, problems with family and with friends, a major draw for readers, especially young girls, is how they deal with romantic experiences.

Auleria Clarista, a third-grade high school student from Stella Maris School, Bumi Serpong Damai, recently read Nothing but Love. "Reading this book was fun, and I could really feel what the writer felt -- I'd been there," she said.

Auleria, a teenager who likes writing poetry, said most of the books covered the same ground: Family, school and boyfriends -- because most of the writers are young women -- life outside school and conflict, often with a happy ending.

At launch of Lahire's book a journalist from Gadis magazine noted that while it was good to have many young writers and many books about things relevant to teenagers' lives, hardly anyone was writing about other subjects.

Is it all just a passing fad? Possibly. If the situation remains the same, teen lit may well be left behind by another teenage book trend.

Most publishers and novelists admit that writing teen lit is a good start for young writers -- but that is all.

To become an accomplished novelist, they say, one still has to develop one's skills and broaden one's mind in order to write better books.

Exposure to works of literature and other references will enrich authors' story-telling abilities.

Without that, they will be in danger of being remembered only as "one-book wonders".