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."