Next meeting is THIS THURSDAY, February 6, 1-2.30pm GMT. For more information, contact Ian Rowland rowland@myphone.coop.
People who have not read the book are very welcome to attend the talk.

The next meeting of the book club will discuss Laksmi Pamuntjak’s novel “Amba/The Question of Red”, a love story set in the context of the Communist purges of 1965. As usual, the book can be read in either Indonesian or English, and the discussion will be in English.

Laksmi will join the discussion from 1.30pm

Laksmi is an award winning internationally acclaimed author. Her debut novel Amba/ The Question of Red has been translated into several languages and won Germany’s LiBeraturpreis in 2016. The novel was also on the shortlist of Indonesia’s Khatulistiwa Literary Award and no.1 on Germany’s Weltempfaenger list on the best works of fiction from Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Arab World translated into German. In March 2024, The Economist named Amba/ The Question of Red one of Six Books to Read about Indonesia.

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In early October, the book club members were delighted to have Isna Marifa join them in their meeting, as they discussed her novel Mountains More Ancient/Sapaan Sang Giri. Isna shared her story of how she discovered the story of the diaspora in what is now South Africa, from the islands that are now Indonesia; and how she felt it to be part of Indonesia’s hidden history – not being a story that is widely understood. The book club heard how Isna met members of the community now known as the Cape Malays, descendants of those from Java and other islands, who went to the Dutch colonies in the Cape of Good Hope as indentured labourers, or were taken as slaves or were sent into exile; who helped her piece together the story. It was a fascinating session that really helped the readers’ understanding of the issues behind the story. Thank you Isna!