The third meeting of the AIS Book Club took place on 2nd May. The group had been reading S Rukiah’s Kejatuhan dan Hati/The Fall and the Heart – the story of a young woman’s conflicts over love, family and politics during the Indonesian revolutionary period in the late 1940s.
After discussing the novel, the group was joined by the novel’s translator John McGlynn, writer and activitist Dhianita Kusuma Pertiwi who has been researching and curating exhibitions about S Rukiah’s life and works, and S Rukiah’s son Mas Windu. The speakers gave fascinating background to the novel and the author, as did the book club’s own Annabel Gallop, who studied S Rukiah’s writings for her Master’s dissertation. It was a hugely enjoyable session, with the group’s understanding of the novel’s context very much enhanced. Thanks to Annabel for her time and effort in coordinating the speakers’ attendance.
The group’s next meeting will be in late summer/early autumn 2024, date to be decided. Look out for notices in the AIS newsletter regarding the date and the book we are reading. We read the chosen books in either Indonesian or English, and discuss them in English. Since the group started we have read Eka Kurniawan’s Lelaki Harimau/Man Tiger, Leila Chudori’s Laut Bercerita/The Sea Speaks His Name, and S Rukiah’s Kejatuhan dan Hati/The Fall and the Heart.
Don’t hesitate to get in touch with Ian Rowland rowland@myphone.coop to register an interest in joining.
