Books from Indonesia
15 popular indonesian books
Travel the world without leaving your chair.
The target of the Read Around The World Challenge is to read at least one book written by an author from each and every country in the world.
All books that are listed here as part of the "Read Around Asia Challenge" were written by authors from Indonesia.
Find a great book for the next part of your reading journey around the world from this book list. The following popular books have been recommended so far.
1.
All That Is Gone by Pramoedya Ananta Toer EN
Description:
Pramoedya Ananta Toer’s transcendent novels have become part of the world literary canon, but it is his short fiction that originally made him famous. The first full-size collection of his short stories to appear in English, All That Is Gone draws from the author’s own experiences in Indonesia to depict characters trying to make sense of a war-torn culture haunted by colonialism, among them an eight-year-old girl soon to be married off by her parents for money and an idealistic young soldier who witnesses the savage beating of a man accused of being a spy. Though violence and brutality pervade... continue
2.
Apple and Knife by Intan Paramaditha EN
Description:
**A The White Review Book of the Year** A dazzling and provocative debut story collection from celebrated Indonesian writer Intan Paramaditha, putting fierce and fabulous female characters centre stage in brilliantly funny and sharp twists on fairy tale. Inspired by horror fiction, myths and fairy tales, Apple and Knife is an unsettling ride that swerves into the supernatural to explore the dangers and power of occupying a female body in today's world. These stories set in the Indonesian everyday - in corporate boardrooms, shanty towns, on dangdut stages - reveal a soupy otherworld stewing jus... continue
3.
Beauty Is a Wound by Eka Kurniawan EN
Description:
The English-language debut of Indonesia's rising star.
4.
Cliënt E. Busken by Jeroen Brouwers NL
Description:
De bejaarde E. Busken verblijft tegen zijn wil in de gesloten afdeling van een verzorgingscentrum waar men niet spreekt van patiënten, maar van cliënten. Is hij dement? In ieder geval is hij geïnterneerd om af te kicken van een verscheidenheid aan verslavingen. Hij zegt niets en lijkt ook niets te horen. Roerloos in zijn rolstoel staart hij voor zich uit, terwijl hem inmiddels niets ontgaat van wat er om hem heen plaatsvindt en dat hij inwendig van snerpend commentaar voorziet. Met zijn medebewoners bemoeit hij zich niet, louter in beslag genomen door zijn eigen ongericht door elkaar wentelend... continue
5.
Dial a for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto EN
Description:
"Sutanto brilliantly infuses comedy and culture into the unpredictable rom-com/murder mystery mashup as Meddy navigates familial duty, possible arrest and a groomzilla. I laughed out loud and you will too.”—USA Today (four-star review) “A hilarious, heartfelt romp of a novel about—what else?—accidental murder and the bond of family. This book had me laughing aloud within its first five pages… Utterly clever, deeply funny, and altogether charming, this book is sure to be one of the best of the year!”—Emily Henry, New York Times bestselling author of Beach Read One of NPR's Best Books of 2021! O... continue
6.
Four Aunties and a Wedding by Jesse Q. Sutanto EN
Description:
The aunties are back, fiercer than ever and ready to handle any catastrophe—even the mafia—in this delightful and hilarious sequel by Jesse Q. Sutanto, author of Dial A for Aunties. Meddy Chan has been to countless weddings, but she never imagined how her own would turn out. Now the day has arrived, and she can't wait to marry her college sweetheart, Nathan. Instead of having Ma and the aunts cater to her wedding, Meddy wants them to enjoy the day as guests. As a compromise, they find the perfect wedding vendors: a Chinese-Indonesian family-run company just like theirs. Meddy is hesitant at fi... continue
7.
Happy Stories, Mostly by PASARIBU EN
Description:
Playful, shape-shifting and emotionally charged, Happy Stories, Mostly is a collection of twelve stories that queer the norm. Inspired by Simone Weil's concept of 'decreation', and often drawing on Batak and Christian cultural elements, these tales put queer characters in situations and plots conventionally filled by hetero characters. The stories talk to each other, echo phrases and themes, and even shards of stories within other stories, passing between airports, stacks of men's lifestyle magazines and memories of Toy Story 3, such that each one almost feels like a puzzle piece of a larger w... continue
8.
La belleza es una herida by Eka Kurniawan ES
Description:
Dewi Ayu, una bella prostituta dada por muerta veinte años antes, aparece en medio del paisaje bélico y de tumultuosa inestabilidad política de la Indonesia del siglo XX. Esta inesperada reaparición es el punto de partida para la narración de su vida.
Dewi siempre supo cómo tratar a los hombres, y su fama de buena amante y de mujer hermosa la obligaron a tomar decisiones drásticas que cambiarían la vida de sus cuatro hijas.
9.
Like a Mighty Wind by Mel Tari, Cliff Dudley EN
Description:
Translated into dozens of languages, with millions of copies sold, Like a Mighty Wind remains a beloved classic from global evangelist Mel Tari. Recounting the incredible story of revival on the island of Timor during 1965 in the midst of political turmoil, the book is an amazing testament to the power of faith and the reality of God's power to work miracles in modern times.
10.
Man Tiger : A Novel by Eka Kurniawan EN
Description:
Winner of the Financial Times Emerging Voices Award, and longlisted for the 2016 Man Booker International Prize A wry, affecting tale set in a small town on the Indonesian coast, Man Tiger tells the story of two interlinked and tormented families and of Margio, a young man ordinary in all particulars except that he conceals within himself a supernatural female white tiger. The inequities and betrayals of family life coalesce around and torment this magical being. An explosive act of violence follows, and its mysterious cause is unraveled as events progress toward a heartbreaking revelation. Ly... continue