Indonesian Author Eka Kurniawan at Green Apple Books on the Park
Green Apple Books on the Park | 1231 9th Avenue | San Francisco, CA
Considered by many to be the greatest among a new generation of Indonesian novelists, Eka Kurniawan discusses Beauty is a Wound (New Directions) and Man Tiger (Verso)–both published on the same day–with Center founder Olivia Sears and his able translator Annie Tucker.
Kurniawan has been described as the brightest star in Indonesia’s new literary firmament, the author of two remarkable novels whose sheer beauty, elegance, cosmopolitanism, and ambition have brought comparisons not only to Pramaoedya Ananta Toer, universally considered Indonesia’s modern literary genius, but also to Salman Rushdie, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and Mark Twain.
The discussion delved into Indonesian history, Kurniawan’s first experiences with stories, translation challenges with the Indonesian language and culture, Kurniawan’s studies as a university student, the author’s response to the reception of his books in the West, and Tucker’s experiences discovering Kurniawan and finding a publisher for him.
AUDIO TABLE OF CONTENTS
0:00 Introductions
5:30 Overview of Beauty Is a Wound by Olivia Sears
8:55 Reading by Kurniawan in Indonesian and by Tucker in English
14:20 Kurniawan’s responses to the reception of his work in the West
16:40 Kurniawan’s formative reading experiences
25:00 The history of Indonesia, and how it entwined with Beauty Is a Wound
30:30 How Tucker discovered Kurniawan
34:30 Why did Kurniawan focus on women and beauty in Beauty is a Wound
40:48 Challenges of translating the Indonesian language and dealing with the nation’s culture
51:25 The figure of the white tiger in Man Tiger
53:45 More challenges from translating from Indonesian
58:15 Q & A from the audience
Eka Kurniawan (born 1975) is an Indonesian writer and graphic designer. He was born in Tasikmalaya, West Java, and grew up in a small coastal town called Pangandaran. His novel Beauty Is a Wound was included in alist of 100 notable books by The New York Times. In 2016, Kurniawan became the first Indonesian writer to be nominated for a Man Booker International Prize.
Annie Tucker is a writer and translator who lives in Los Angeles. She has a PhD from UCLA and is the recipient of a PEN/Heim Translation Fund award.
Olivia E. Sears is a translator of Italian poetry and founder of the Center for the Art of Translation, where she edited the journal Two Lines for over a decade. Her translations of contemporary poet Mariangela Gualtieri have recently appeared in Arkansas International, Circumference, The Common, and Copper Nickel, among others. She is currently completing a manuscript of Gualtieri’s poetry in English, When I Wasn’t Dying.