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The knack: Jesse Q. Sutanto has a knack for writing stories brimming with humor, but her greatest strength is her versatility. (Courtesy of Donny Wu)
The knack: Jesse Q. Sutanto has a knack for writing stories brimming with humor, but her greatest strength is her versatility. (Courtesy of Donny Wu)
Books

Jesse Q. Sutanto returns with cozy murder mystery

Slowly but surely building a reputation as one of the most prolific and versatile writers in the industry, Jesse Q. Sutanto’s new book Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers will be released on March 14.

2 years ago
Books

'Mountains More Ancient' sheds light on Indonesian slavery in South Africa

Author Isna Marifa discusses her time with the Cape Malay people and how it influenced her novel Mountains More Ancient.

2 years ago
Books

Understanding the impact of Pramoedya’s 'Buru Quartet'

Leading Australian expert on Indonesia Max Lane recounts late Indonesian literary giant Pramoedya Ananta Toer’s role in inspiring the downfall of former president Soeharto’s New Order regime through his Buru Quartet tetralogy

2 years ago

The Latest

Books

Indie bookshop BooksActually to close physical store, move entirely online

Singapore's independent bookshop BooksActually will be closing its Yong Siak Street store and moving entirely online.

4 years ago
Books

Gay-themed children's book sparks education row in Taiwan

A gay-themed children's book about two princes who fall in love and get married has sparked protests by parents in Taiwan, after it was added to a government-backed reading program.

4 years ago
Books

Plague novel about the Bard's family wins women's prize for fiction

Hamnet, Maggie O'Farrell's plague novel in a plague year, has won the 25th Women's Prize for Fiction.

4 years ago
Books

National Library of Indonesia temporarily closed after confirmed COVID-19 cases

The library is slated to reopen to the public on Sept. 14.

4 years ago
Books

Shanxi Library goes extra mile for visually impaired

Apart from offering Braille books, the Shanxi Library in Taiyuan, Shanxi province, is trying its best to satisfy the needs of the visually impaired by reading books aloud and playing movies accompanied by real-time narration.

4 years ago
Books

In a race against decay, Balinese youths preserve ‘lontar’

Educators and activists in Bali are working with locals to conserve lontar manuscripts and educate them on how best to treat them – by reading and sharing their knowledge.

4 years ago
Books

A journey through time and spices

A young writer’s new book explores how the spice trade shaped Indonesia’s social and political structure.

4 years ago
Books

Mapuche poet wins top Chile literature prize

Mapuche poet Elicura Chihuailaf has won Chile's highest literature award for helping to bring the southern indigenous people's oral tradition to a wider public, the country's culture minister announced Tuesday.

4 years ago
Books

N-word dropped from French edition of Agatha Christie novel

The French translation of Agatha Christie's hit novel "And Then There Were None" will change its title to remove a racially-charged word already dropped from the British edition decades ago, its editor said Wednesday.

4 years ago
Books

‘Gods and Demons’: Indonesia through the prism of Bali

Australian journalist Deborah Cassrels gets the diversity that characterizes Indonesia by reporting from Bali rather than Jakarta. In Gods and Demons, she shares the story of her professional as well as personal odyssey in getting a better understanding of Indonesia.

4 years ago
Books

Laksmi Pamuntjak reflects on ‘Fall Baby’, her time in self-quarantine

At a time when good news is hard to come by, a breath of fresh air comes from Indonesian author Laksmi Pamuntjak. Her novel Fall Baby won Best Literary Work at the 2020 Singapore Book Awards.

4 years ago
Books

Could some Viking warriors have been trans men, book asks?

Vikings were known for brutality and chauvinism as they pillaged their way across Europe, but a new book has claimed that some of the Nordic warriors might have secretly been transgender men.

4 years ago
Books

Historical cookbooks to hit the auction block at Bonhams

A collection of antiquarian cookery books will be offered as part of Bonhams' Fine Books and Manuscripts sale, which will take place on Aug. 19 in London. 

4 years ago
Books

Sarkozy's 'love story' memoirs top French bestseller list

Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy's "love story" memoirs has topped the country's bestsellers list for a third straight week, according to the rankings Friday.

4 years ago
Books

Political clash mars esteemed Spanish-language literature prize

The Venezuelan literature prize Romulo Gallegos was once one of the most prestigious in Latin America and the Spanish-language world.

4 years ago
Books

'Fantasy film': New Trump book to reveal letters with Kim Jong Un

Kim Jong Un said his relationship with Donald Trump was like a "fantasy film", according to the publishers of a new book on the US president set to unveil 25 private letters exchanged between the two leaders.

4 years ago
Books

Sapardi Djoko Damono's book of never-before-seen poems for his wife released

A book consisting of 80 poems written by the late celebrated poet Sapardi Djoko Damono for his wife Sonya Sondakh was officially launched by publisher Gramedia Pustaka Utama (GPU) on Monday. 

4 years ago
Books

Iwan Gayo: Indonesia’s Google before Google

In the pre-smartphone era, before the existence of voice commands and virtual assistants, finding information meant hitting the books. For many Indonesians, those books were likely the Buku Pintar (Smart Book) series by the one and only Iwan Gayo.

4 years ago
Books

Margaret Atwood to release new poetry in November

The Canadian novelist has announced that she will release her new collection of poetry, “Dearly”, on November 10.

4 years ago
Books

Big Bad Wolf to mark Indonesia’s Independence Day with online book sale

Available on its official store on Tokopedia, Big Bad Wolf's online sale will be held from Aug. 7 to 17. 

4 years ago
Books

Stephen King to publish new crime novel in March

The American horror master has announced that his latest crime novel, Later, will arrive in bookstores across the world in March 2021.

4 years ago
Books

Open cultural data: Curating GLAM in the digital age

Goethe-Institut Indonesien hosted a webinar on the curation of historical content in digital media that highlighted the importance of providing public access to cultural data.

4 years ago
Books

Book that exposed French author to be made into film

A bestselling book that exposed the acclaimed French writer Gabriel Matzneff as a pedophile is to be adapted for the big screen, its producers said Monday.

5 years ago
Books

Debutants and Americans dominate Booker Prize longlist

Eight debut novelists came up against veterans Hilary Mantel and Tsitsi Dangarembga when Britain unveiled a US-dominated longlist of finalists Tuesday for its revered Booker Prize.

5 years ago
Books

Marius Moragues chronicles Indonesia, one photograph at a time

French photographer Marius Moragues explores and chronicles Indonesia through his lens.

5 years ago
Books

‘Coconut & Sambal’: Recipe book with a dollop of nostalgia

Growing up in Australia, Lee learned about her Indonesian heritage through her grandmother Margaret Thali, who came from Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara.

5 years ago
Books

Bookstores remain havens for bibliophiles during 'new normal'

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic and online marketplaces, bookstores still hold a special place in the hearts of bookworms. 

5 years ago
Books

'I see it through a prism of ridiculousness': Kevin Kwan on his new book 'Sex and Vanity'

Kwan’s new book, Sex and Vanity, released last month, introduces readers to a new set of wildly wealthy characters.

5 years ago
Books

'Harry Potter' book sales underperform following J.K. Rowling backlash

Harry Potter fans started to distance themselves from the English author JK Rowling back in June, after she posted a series of controversial tweets affirming that women can only be identified by their biological sex.

5 years ago

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