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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)

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

Groundnuts are displayed for sale at a roadside stall in Nigeria's commercial capital Lagos on August 18, 2011.

Books

Best-selling novel exposes life of child slaves in Nigeria

Writer Abi Dare grew up in a part of Lagos, Nigeria where most families, including hers, had maids as young as eight years old who worked all day, were often beaten and did not go to school.

5 years ago

French writer and 2008 Literature Nobel Prize laureate, Jean Marie Gustave Le Clezio, is seen during the opening of the 21st International Book Fair in Lima on July 15, 2016.

Books

Nobel laureate quits French books prize over pedophile writer

The Nobel prize-winning writer J.M.G. Le Clezio said Thursday that he will resign from the jury of one of France's top literary prizes because it honored pedophile Gabriel Matzneff.

5 years ago

British author J. K. Rowling is hoping her much-loved Harry Potter series will work its magic on bored children stuck at home during the coronavirus lockdown.

Books

Harry Pottering around at home? Rowling to rescue bored kids in lockdown

British author J. K. Rowling is hoping her much-loved Harry Potter series will work its magic on bored children stuck at home during the coronavirus lockdown.

5 years ago

Jude Law attends the screening of 'The Rhythm Section' at Brooklyn Academy of Music on January 27, 2020 in New York City.

Books

Jude Law and more narrate new 'Harry Potter' audiobook

Jude Law will now appear in a new audiobook for "The Tales of Beedle The Bard," which was published in 2008 in an effort to raise funds for J.K. Rowling's Lumos charity.

5 years ago

Books

National Library in Jakarta extends closure to late May

The National Library of Indonesia (Perpusnas) has extended its closure to May 29 in response to the alarming spread of COVID-19 across the capital city.

5 years ago

Students, teachers and avid readers across the globe will have the opportunity to browse through the collection of the newly-launched National Emergency Library, as well as the other 2.5 million public domain books available as always in the Internet Archive.

Books

National Emergency Library releases over 1.4 million digital books for free

The Internet Archive has recently launched the National Emergency Library to offer free access to 1.4 million digital books.

5 years ago

In this file photo taken on March 25, 2015 French cartoon artist Albert Uderzo poses with people dressed as Asterix (R) and Obelix during a press conference at the Monnaie de Paris where a new series of twelve coins illustrated with Asterix designs entitled 'Asterix and the values of the Republic' was presented.

Books

'Asterix' co-creator Albert Uderzo dies aged 92

Albert Uderzo, who drew the "Asterix and Obelix" comics that delighted legions of children and adults over the past six decades, has died aged 92, his family said Tuesday.

5 years ago

From L-R Gem, Noel Gallagher, Andy Bell and Liam Gallagher, members of the British rock band 'Oasis' hold a photocall in Hong Kong 25 February 2006. The Band are to hold a concert 25 February.

Books

New books on a-ha and Oasis set for publication

As music aficionados are turning to books to endure the coronavirus quarantine, This Day in Music is adding several titles to devour during these shutdown days.

5 years ago

US director Woody Allen attends a press conference for the film 'Cafe Society' ahead of the opening of the 69th Cannes Film Festival in France on May 11, 2016.

Books

Woody Allen memoir released by new publisher after protests

Woody Allen's controversial autobiography was released in the United States Monday, swiftly finding a new home after its original publisher pulled out after protests over abuse allegations against the filmmaker.

5 years ago

Sharing stories: Author Ayu Utami (‘left to right’), writer Carissa Putriziandra, writer Abdul Samad Haidari and his foster father Ross Dunn talk about the poetry collection ‘The Red Ribbon’ in Jakarta.

Books

‘The Red Ribbon’: A refugee’s search for love and peace

A Hazara-Afghani refugee has published a poetry collection to tell of his journey from a war-torn country to Indonesia, where he has finally embraced a love of humanity.

5 years ago

US novelist George R. R. Martin arrives for the 'Game of Thrones' eighth and final season premiere at Radio City Music Hall on April 3, 2019 in New York city.

Books

'Game of Thrones' author George R.R. Martin is writing his next novel in self-isolation

George R.R. Martin, the author of popular American novel A Game of Thrones, is currently spending more time in the fictional land of Westeros than in the real world.

5 years ago

Akmal Nasery Basral's 15th work, 'Genggam Cinta' (Grasp of Love) or ‘Te o Toriatte’, tells the story of Meutia Ahmad Sulaiman, whose family died in the tsunami that hit Aceh in 2004.

Books

Indonesian novel 'Genggam Cinta' to become series in 'Jakarta Shimbun' newspaper

Genggam Cinta (Grasp of Love) or Te o Toriatte will be serialized in The Daily Jakarta Shimbun over six months.

5 years ago

Books

COVID-19: National Library of Indonesia temporarily closed

Despite of the closure, the National Library of Indonesia allows the public to access its collections via its apps.

5 years ago

Preserving legends: Henri Nurcahyo, a Panji culture activist from the East Java Art and Culture Community, poses at the Museum of Panji Malang.

Books

A collection of modern Panji anthologies

The stories of Panji, legendary tales of princes from East Java, are literary heritage still relevant in depicting Indonesia’s contemporary and future conditions.

5 years ago

There is an obscure and remotely vague similarity between the pandemic in Stephen King's novel 'The Stand' and the Covid-19 outbreak.

Books

7 chilling books about virus outbreaks you should take a sniff at

Here's our selection of seven deadly novels about virus outbreaks.

5 years ago

Brazilian Lua Oliveira, 12, reads a book at the public library Mundo da Lua (Lua's World), founded by her five months ago, at the Tabajaras favela in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on March 10, 2020.

Books

12-year-old bookworm launches favela library in Brazil

In a small tin-roof room at a local community center, a 12-year-old bookworm has amassed a collection of 18,000 books, hoping to help other residents access a world that can be all too remote from Brazil's impoverished favelas.

5 years ago

'Trailing the Taste of Gorontalo' book published by Omar Niode Foundation.

Books

Indonesian books listed in the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards' best of the best

Six books and one publisher from Indonesia are included in Gourmand World Cookbook Awards' Best of the Best list.

5 years ago

Indonesia was recognized as the Market Focus country of the 2019 London Book Fair.

Books

Makassar writers festival among London Book Fair's excellence award winners

The winners were announced on Wednesday, but the award ceremony did not take place as LBF organizers had decided to cancel the event over fears of the COVID-19 outbreak.

5 years ago

Books

Baghdad's booksellers won't let coronavirus close them down

They survived censorship under Saddam Hussein and the years of violence that followed his downfall, so the booksellers of Baghdad are not too worried by coronavirus.

5 years ago

Books

Let's talk about sex: 'C*bul' puts spotlight on porn

A book by Hendri Yulius unveils contemporary sexuality from a pornographic point of view.

5 years ago

US director Woody Allen attends a press conference for the presentation of his stage production of Giacomo Puccini’s one-act opera 'Gianni Schicchi', at the Scala Opera House in Milan on July 02, 2019.

Books

Publisher cancels Woody Allen memoir after backlash

A leading publisher on Friday scrapped plans to release the autobiography of filmmaker Woody Allen, who has long been accused of molesting his daughter, following an outcry and a staff walkout.

5 years ago

Soul-searching: The second novel by Indonesian-born Singaporean author Clarissa Goenawan (right), titled "The Perfect World of Miwako Sumida", is scheduled to be released on March 10.

Books

Clarissa Goenawan pens tale of teenage misfits’ gothic soul-searching

In her second novel, author Clarissa Goenawan uses exciting literary techniques, like combining elements of surrealism and horror, to make for a satisfying reading experience

5 years ago

Books

Mantel unveils final volume in award-winning Thomas Cromwell trilogy

British novelist Hilary Mantel unveiled the final installment of her Tudor trilogy about Thomas Cromwell, the blacksmith's son who rose to be King Henry VIII's most powerful adviser only to fall from grace and meet a gruesome end.

5 years ago

Books

Business as usual for Big Bad Wolf in Greater Jakarta until March 16

Despite fears over COVID-19, which has sparked a series of event cancelations in Jakarta, BBW organizers said they were ready to implement safety and sanitation procedures during the book sale, including temperature checks for all staff and visitors prior to entering the venue

5 years ago

National pride: People gather around Indonesia’s national pavilion at the 2019 London Book Fair, where Indonesia was selected as the Market Focus this year.

Books

London Book Fair shelved because of virus fears

One of the world’s biggest publishing trade fairs, the London Book Fair, has been cancelled because of the coronavirus outbreak in Europe, its organizers said on Wednesday.

5 years ago

US director Woody Allen at the 68th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, on May 15, 2015.

Books

Woody Allen's long-rumored memoir to hit bookshelves in April

"Apropos of Nothing" was first rejected by several publishing houses in the wake of the #MeToo movement, when allegations that Allen molested his then-7-year-old adopted daughter Dylan Farrow in the early 1990s resurfaced.

5 years ago