His third book, a travel-memoir, Zero: When Journey Takes You Home, became a national best-selling and will soon be adapted into a film.

His work has pioneered a new genre in Indonesian travel literature by allowing readers to experience the writer’s physical and emotional journey as they contemplate their own conflict and anxieties. His quest for answers has taken him to China, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Central Asian republics, the far-flung islands of Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Suriname, the Netherlands, and many other countries. He often questioned why people were categorized by identity and the reasons for enimity between different ethnic groups. A descendant of Chinese immigrants, the question of identity dominated his earlier life and shaped his perspective of the world around him. His work has been translated into English, French, German, and Japanese.Īgustinus Wibowo is a prominent travel writer. He is well known in Indonesia as a consistent advocate of free speech and freedom of publication, and is the recipient of numerous literary awards, both national and international, including the Khatulistiwa Prize, Indonesia’s top literary award, the South East Asia (SEA) Write Award, and the Dinny O’Hearn Prize for Literary Translation. Much of Seno’s work, both the factual and the fictional, focuses on everyday life and criticizes contemporary social, cultural and political conditions-but he has a great sense of humor as well, and has published satirical essays, playful poetry, a cartoon novel, and historical fantasies. He is also known as a journalist, photographer, lecturer, and film critic. Under his penname, Mira Sato, he has published poetry has well. Seno Gumira Ajidarma is a prolific author of non-fiction, short stories, and essays. The event will be followed by an Indonesian canapé and cocktail reception. Together they will talk about turning their islands of imagination into stories, novels and narratives that together begin to capture the rich complexity of Indonesia today. Louise Doughty chairs an evening of discussion and readings with some of Indonesia’s most exciting contemporary writers - Agustinus Wibowo, Dee Lestari and Seno Gumira Ajidarma. With its incredible mix of identities, languages, religions, geographies and histories, Indonesia is one of the most diverse countries in the world.

Paper boats novel dee lestari