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.