INDONESIA FOCUS: Q+A Laksmi Pamuntjak

Indonesia is the country of focus at the London Book Fair this year and recently at Frankfurt - to what extent do you think Indonesian literature is finally having it's moment in the spotlight? I cannot say for certain what these one-off ‘spotlights’ on Indonesian literature would mean for Indonesian literature in the long term. But it is an encouraging sign; the relatively short three-and-a-half-year gap between Frankfurt Book Fair (FBF) 2015 and London Book Fair (LBF) 2019 means we are still—or possibly even more—interesting to the publishing industry. And while I wish more Indonesian writers are being translated into English—and translated well—some of us are starting to break through internationally. It always takes one or two to pave the way. For me personally, FBF was a game changer in many ways. Before that we didn’t have the publishing infrastructure necessary with which to promote our literature abroad. We didn’t have literary agents – in fact I only knew of one, and he used to work for my Indonesian publisher Gramedia. It was he who took a chance on the English version of my first novel, Amba/The Question of Red, and brought it to Frankfurt Book Fair in 2013, where the novel was picked up by Ullstein Verlag and published in Germany in 2015, ahead of the FBF.  So I was very fortunate. A few months later, I landed a literary agent in New York, through whom I managed to sell world rights to other European markets. Later this year, I signed up with another literary... Continue reading at 'British Council global'

[ British Council global | 2019-02-08 10:06:53 UTC ]

Other news stories related to: "INDONESIA FOCUS: Q+A Laksmi Pamuntjak"


A Home Health Aide With Feathers

The following story was chosen by Ottessa Moshfegh as the winner of the 2025 Stella Kupferberg Memorial Short Story Prize. The prize is awarded annually by Selected Shorts and a guest author judge. This story will be performed by an actor this spring. To hear more great short stories performed... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2025-05-28 11:10:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


‘My legal work sows the seeds of my stories’: International Booker prize winner Banu Mushtaq

The author and activist, who was subject to a fatwa in 2000, has won the prestigious prize for translated fiction for her short stories about the lives of Muslim women. She and her translator Deepa Bhasthi explain how Heart Lamp’s themes ‘are universal’• ‘Radical translation’ of Heart Lamp by... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2025-05-23 12:00:30 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Writing Fiction Based On Your Life: A Chat With Jessica Berg

In this episode of "Writer's Digest Presents," literary agent Jessica Berg helps us write fiction based on our lives. The post Writing Fiction Based On Your Life: A Chat With Jessica Berg appeared first on Writer's Digest. Continue reading at Writer's Digest

[ Writer's Digest | 2025-05-20 18:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Jo Henry Calls It a Career at ‘BookBrunch’

After nearly 50 years in the book business—as a literary agent, book publisher, market researcher, and journalist—Jo Henry has stepped down as managing director of the U.K. publishing newsletter BookBrunch, a role she has held since 2018. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2025-05-16 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Palestinian author Yasmin Zaher wins Dylan Thomas prize with ‘audacious’ novel The Coin

£20,000 award for writers aged 39 or under goes to story ‘tackling trauma and grief with bold and poetic moments of quirkiness and humour’A novel about a Palestinian woman who participates in a pyramid scheme reselling Birkin bags has won this year’s Swansea University Dylan Thomas... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2025-05-15 18:15:33 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Picturing Success: A Guide to Crafting Picture Books and Landing Agents

Author Alyssa Reynoso-Morris breaks down the process of crafting picture books and then landing a literary agent for your project. The post Picturing Success: A Guide to Crafting Picture Books and Landing Agents appeared first on Writer's Digest. Continue reading at Writer's Digest

[ Writer's Digest | 2025-05-15 16:44:36 UTC ]
More news stories like this


7 queer African works of art: new directions in books, films and fashion

Seven queer African creative works you should know about, from short stories to music videos. Continue reading at The Conversation

[ The Conversation | 2025-05-15 13:05:42 UTC ]
More news stories like this


New Agent Alert: Jess Gilbert of D4EO

Literary agent alerts (this one features Jess Gilbert of D4EO) are great opportunities for writers because each agent is building their list. The post New Agent Alert: Jess Gilbert of D4EO appeared first on Writer's Digest. Continue reading at Writer's Digest

[ Writer's Digest | 2025-05-14 19:36:10 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Here are the guest editors (and covers) for the Best American Series 2025.

The Best American Series is a literary institution. But just in case you’re stumbling upon it for the first time: Each book in the annual series showcases of best short fiction and nonfiction in a given year, from short stories to essays, science and nature writing, to food writing. Each... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2025-05-14 13:00:31 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Karen E. Bender on Channeling Contemporary Anxieties Through Speculative Fiction

My last Lit Hub conversation with Karen E. Bender was in 2018, just before her collection The New Order was published. She mentioned that she read John Cheever’s short stories in graduate school: “Cheever’s sentences just made my brain light up. He packs more into a paragraph—about love,... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2025-05-13 08:58:28 UTC ]
More news stories like this


The Best Part of Researching Trans History Is When I’m Wrong

In The Lilac People, my debut novel about trans people in Weimar Berlin and Nazi Germany, I have a side character so small, they’re downright tertiary. Dora Richter has no speaking role, nor does she have any impact on the plot. And yet she’s included because she’s important, and she was real.... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2025-05-09 11:10:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Book Review: ‘Sleep,’ by Honor Jones

“Sleep,” the debut novel by Honor Jones, moves back and forth in time between a 35-year-old mother’s present and her disturbing, unresolved past. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2025-05-09 09:00:05 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Clea Young: Allow Yourself Fallow Periods To Recharge

In this interview, author Clea Young discusses the difference in inspiration between a novel and short stories with her new collection, Welcome to the Neighbourhood. The post Clea Young: Allow Yourself Fallow Periods To Recharge appeared first on Writer's Digest. Continue reading at Writer's Digest

[ Writer's Digest | 2025-05-07 12:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


The Writer Who Understood Aloneness

Mavis Gallant’s short stories are about people, especially women, who prefer to live on the social margins. I cherish one of them most of all. Continue reading at The Atlantic

[ The Atlantic | 2025-05-03 13:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Picture Book or Short Story? Which is it?

Literary agent for children's book authors Mary Cummings explains the biggest mistake she sees in picture book pitches—and how you can avoid making that mistake. The post Picture Book or Short Story? Which is it? appeared first on Writer's Digest. Continue reading at Writer's Digest

[ Writer's Digest | 2025-05-03 12:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


The Reykjavík Literary Festival at 40: PW Talks with Stella Johannesdottir

One of Iceland’s top literary agents is working to keep the Reykjavík International Literary Festival, which she helps produce, at the forefront of the international literary scene. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2025-05-02 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this