Young Balinese writers shine at Ubud festival
Young Balinese writers shine at Ubud festival
Susi Andrini, Contributor, Ubud, Bali
World-famous authors packed the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival
earlier this month, from Oct. 6 through Oct. 11, enlivening the
Indonesian literary scene.
Amid the glittering figures, a score of young Balinese women
writers stole participants' attention with their fresh -- and --
sometimes shocking idioms and language.
The new kids on the block are Maliana, Pranita Dewi and Kadek
Sonia Piscayanti.
Born in Singaraja 21 years ago, Sonia is an English major at
the Singaraja Teaching Institute. A playwright, her Negeri
Perempuan (The female state), has already won several prizes.
Sonia has also written a collection of poems, short stories and
novels.
"My writings express my doubts, my anger, my affection,
happiness and sadness alike," Sonia said.
Pranita Dewi is another new star. Based in Denpasar, Pranita,
the daughter of a Hindu priest, stunned readers with her debut
work, a collection of poems entitled Pelacur Para Dewa (The gods'
whore) published by Komunitas Bambu in 2005. In this work,
Pranita daringly portrays the feelings of a woman who dedicates
her body and soul to the gods.
One poem reads:
Dewa ... dewa mengarak tubuh ku yang telanjang
melintas pura tempat dimana aku menyembahnya
pohon kamboja tua tak bersuara
dewa-dewa menjamahku
lantas apa lagi yang harus kusembah dewa-dewa menggelar dosa
dimalam suci Siwaratri.
(The gods passionately carry my nude body
passing the holy temple
a place where I should pray to them
the old frangipani tree stood silently
the gods grabbed my body
so whom should I pray for?
the gods deliberately committed sin
on the holy night of Siwaratri.)
"The poem was based on a dream. One night, I had a strange
dream. In it, I saw that I was naked while people carried me
around a holy temple," said Pranita, explaining the bold image
that had inspired this poem.
The youngest participant at the festival at 16 years of age,
Maliana was born in Bagan Siapi-api in North Sumatra, and is in
her sophomore year at the SMAK Catholic High School Santo Yoseph
in Denpasar.
Despite her youth, Malian has written a contemporary and
intelligent drama with the shocking title Harga Vagina (the Value
of Vagina), which won her rave reviews during a local teen
theater contest.
"In this work, I tried to tell the story of a prostitute. I
have never met any prostitutes or spoken to one, but I feel her
pain, her lust," she said.
To create this piece, Maliana gathered factual information
from books, movies and even her friends.
"Don't be surprised. I have a few friends who have had sexual
encounters with many prostitutes," she said.
"I always dream about a beautiful woman with a sexy body and
long hair offering her services to her clients," she smiled.
Even in the classroom, her imagination keeps on running wild.
"I often skipped lessons because my mind was full of pictures,
words to be exhaled," Maliana said.
The three young writers are paving their own paths and carving
their names in the Indonesian literary scene. A long and rough
road still lies ahead, however, waiting for them to reach
maturity.
Even so, their high spirits and freshness in the treatment of
their subject matter, have been very encouraging. A door to fame
is sure to open wide for these "new" stars.