The Book of Jakarta
Maesy Ang and Teddy W. Kusuma (eds)
Comma: 2020
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Comma Press is a small publishing house based in the British city of Manchester that champions contemporary short-form writing in translation by emerging and established writers. It had the wonderful idea of publishing a series of short-story volumes called Reading the City, juxtaposing cities, languages and their writers and translators. There have been twenty-one publications in this series, including this latest Jakarta volume.

The Book of Jakarta is made up of ten short stories by Indonesian authors—Sabda Armandio Alif, Hanna Fransisca, Cyntha Hariadi, Afrizal Malna, Dewi Kharisma Michellia, Ratri Ninditya,  Yusi Avianto Pareanom, utiuts, Ben Sohib and Ziggy Zesyazeoviennazabrizkie—some of whom are established writers and some relative newcomers.

The collection is edited by Maesy Ang and Teddy W. Kusuma, the co-founders of POST, an independent alternative bookshop and publisher located at a traditional market in South Jakarta. POST also has a policy of championing new writers, hosting events and workshops and supporting small regional publishers in Indonesia. It is a good match with Comma, and it is excellent to see this collaboration that brings Indonesian writing into a new network of international readers.

• Tags: Indonesia, Issue 22, Jennifer Lindsay, Maesy Ang, Teddy W. Kusuma