Bøger af Iwan Simatupang

Iwan Simatupang (1928-1970) is widely recognized as one of the most original and important of all Indonesian authors. His book Ziarah (The Pilgrim) received the first ASEAN Literary award for the novel in 1977. It was the first truly modern novel in Indonesian and opened a new path in the literature of this vast nation. Kooong (which, in Indonesian, is the sound a pigeon makes-much like "coo" in English) was the last of Iwan Simatupang's four novels. originally written for a competition for young adult literature, it is a simple, almost childlike, work, which nevertheless has its own unique profundity. much of the book is taken up by Pak Sastro's comic search for inner freedom and personal authenticity, symbolized by his mute pet pigeon. the bird has no call. the background to Pak Sastro's search creates a vivid picture of rural Javanese society and the communal values it upholds at its best. Like all of Simatupang's works, Kooong contains his crazy sense of humor, his fascination with the ridiculousness of death, and his enormous respect for the so-called lunatic who lives outside the borders of conventional society. the novel stands on its own two pigeon feet. It is both funny and serious. But you cannot fully understand Iwan Simatupang's other novels, or his distinctive outlook on life and death, until you have read this book. It is a book for teenagers and adults alike.

Red is Iwan Simatupang at his exhilarating best. The novel is the story of a tramp and two very different women, both of whom love him. It explores human identity, love and the nature of faith in a chaotic postmodern world.In so doing, it rejects old fashioned notions of character, plot, artistic commitment and logical content. Instead, it favours spontaneity, contextual authenticity and the exploration of naturally occurring situations.For Iwan Simatupang there is no morality that can prescribe how one should live in the face of human existence. It is something one just does. "Philosophy" is a verb, not a noun. And life is a journey, not a destination.