Young women writers break through convention

Young women writers break through convention

Susi Andrini, Contributor, Ubud, Bali

She writes about wild sexuality and female genitalia -- lush and
weird things considered taboo under "conventional" literary laws.
But Ayu Utami's award-winning debut novel Saman shook the
Indonesian literary stage like a hurricane.

Using vulgar language here and there and unveiling the deepest
yearnings of women's sexuality, Ayu is considered the "naughty
girl" of the contemporary Indonesian literary scene.

"I just try to express things about beauty, passion, life that
don't have to follow any existing and culturally acceptable
values," said Ayu with a girlish grin.

Born in Bogor, West Java, she pursued a career in journalism
before she was drawn into the literary world.

"What we need is courage when thinking or judging what is
right or what is wrong, just or unjust. Many times, my views are
far from mainstream thoughts," Ayu shared her opinions with
participants of the recent Ubud Writers and Readers festival in a
lively discussion titled Breaking the Rules.

The session also featured two other "hot" writers, Dewi "Dee"
Lestari Simangunsong and Djenar Maesa Ayu -- who were grouped
together as sastra wangi (fragrant literature).

The cynical label was allegedly coined by an established, male
senior writer of the previous generation, simply because they
were young, they were women and they were trying to raise their
own voices through literature -- traditionally considered a male
domain.

During Suharto's New Order era, the military, like the Suharto
family and its cronies, was one of the most sensitive subjects
writers and journalists alike could touch upon.

"The military appeared as a double-faced object. On one side,
it was so scary, like a wolf or a cold-blood creature. On the
other side, I saw so many cool and sexy soldiers; such a
contradictory thing to write about," Ayu said.

Refusing to be sensationalist, Ayu continued, saying that she
did not believe in any rules.

"I never think of destroying or breaking any rules -- literary
rules in this case. In expressing my thoughts, the words just run
out smoothly like water in a river," she said.

For her straightforwardness and perhaps strangeness, Ayu's
first novel, Saman -- the English version of which was relaunched
in Ubud following its initial launch on Aug. 30 in Jakarta -- won
her the prestigious Prince Claus Award from the Netherlands in
2000. Her second novel, Larung, also received a positive nod from
scores of critics.

Ayu's works have encouraged a string of young writers to
follow suit, while also opening the minds of many women to speak
bravely about "this taboo topic".

Djenar Maesa Ayu is another rising star on the country's
literary stage. The daughter of a noted filmmaker and an artist,
Djenar has vividly and eloquently recorded the bohemian lives of
many artists of her parents' generation.

"I used to see things considered immoral and against social
values when I was still very young. (So) I thought it was
something very usual or common in one's life. Both my parents had
a lot of extramarital affairs. What made them stay together was
perhaps their common interest in sexuality," she admitted,
honestly and openly.

She also confessed at being quite shocked when entering the
"real world" outside her family and her parents' artistic circle:
"I encountered an awkward situation. I felt I was not accepted by
the mainstream society, which adopted different values from mine
and my family's."

Djenar said she was confused and felt trapped, ad led a
"double life" in order to be accepted by both her own community
and society at large. "This odd situation also occurred when I
entered the world of the men of letters. I, who came from an
artificial and glamorous world, had to adjust to this new
situation. It was really. really hard and perplexing," she added.

Through her experiences in this psychological and social
setting, Djenar produced her first collection of short stories,
Mereka Bilang Saya Monyet/They Say I'm a Monkey (2002). Two
years later, she published Jangan Main (dengan Kelaminmu) [Don't
play (with your genitals)].

"My work clearly reflects who I am. I just can't live in
between -- the glamorous world of artists and the serious,
intellectual literary community," Djenar said lightly.

Unlike Ayu and Djenar, Dewi Lestari takes a look at different
issues in her writing.

"What makes us similar is that we are all young female writers
producing work at the same time. But, we are different in
choosing our themes," Dewi pointed out.

Her best-selling and self-published Supernova trilogy, Satria
(The knight), Putri (The princess) and Bintang Jatuh (The falling
star), marked a breakthrough in the nation's literary world.

The trilogy falls under the Sci-Fi genre, and mixes science
with spirituality.

Dewi, perhaps, spoke for all as she concluded, "There is
nothing wrong with being different."