This scathingly satirical and hilarious novel, first published in
Indonesia in 1991, affords both a blithely irreverent overview of
Indonesian history in the Sukarno and Suharto eras and brilliant
insights into the postcolonial condition. The story begins in the
1930s, before Indonesia's independence from Dutch rule, and follows
the fortunes of a poor Javanese village woman who becomes a servant
in the household of President Sukarno. In a world where speaking
truth to power really has no point, she learns the arts of
accommodation and does very well for herself. The price she pays is
the loss of her identity, her connection to her kin and origins,
and her moral standing. Framed by the world of ritual shadow plays
- the realm of witches like Durga and the goddess Umayi -
Mangunwijaya's novel gives an unblinking but remarkably
compassionate account of people caught up in the great nationalist
maelstrom of Indonesia's recent history.
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