Fragmentation in Indonesia is by far the most critical issue now facing the state. This book analyses social unrest, autonomy and separatism in the wake of the Indonesian economic crisis, placing them in the context of state evolution, and looking at the competing aims of economic and political globalization with local agendas. Topics covered include Indonesian nationalism in historical perspective, identity and the nation-state, NGO activism, and case-studies from Aceh, Papua, East Timor and Sumatra.

Fragmentation in Indonesia is by far the most critical issue now facing the state. This book analyses social unrest, autonomy and separatism in the wake of the Indonesian economic crisis, placing them in the context of state evolution, and looking at the competing aims of economic and political globalization with local agendas. Topics covered include Indonesian nationalism in historical perspective, identity and the nation-state, NGO activism, and case-studies from Aceh, Papua, East Timor and Sumatra.

Sitor Situmorang, one of the most celebrated Indonesian literary voices of the twentieth century, claimed that all his work dealt with a single theme-"love and wanderlust," which are "two aspects of one and the same experience." His remarkable short stories are celebrations of modern life, dealing with subjects such as seeking, belonging, identity, masculinity, and sensual interaction with the world at large. The characters are both introspective and physical, the settings sparse but evocative, the circumstances ordinary yet unexpected. The publication of this volume of fourteen stories is the culmination of a request Sitor once made of Harry Aveling to render his stories in English. The translation of his complete short stories now shares the exceptional creative prose of Sitor Situmorang with audiences around the world.

This delightful anthology presents eighteen well-known and much-loved Vietnamese folktales. Originally collected and retold by the prize-winning author Minh Tran Huy, they are here elegantly translated by Harry Aveling. The stories tell of charming princesses, disputing brothers, powerful kings, magical animals, peculiar objects, and kindhearted genies. Their mysterious worlds stir the imagination and evoke the soul of Vietnam-its intense human relationships, its exuberance and gentle melancholy. The book will appeal to readers of all ages and cultures.

Born into a high-status family of the Batak ethnic group indigenous to North Sumatra, Sitor Situmorang (1924-2014) was a Dutch-educated Indonesian nationalist who experienced firsthand the transition from the Dutch East Indies of his youth to the modern Indonesia of his adulthood. The stories in this collection are a window into the world of a writer dedicated to exploration and change but resolutely attached to the land, people, and stories of his homeland. Set variously in western Europe, post-independence Jakarta, and modernizing communities in his native North Sumatra, the stories live in-as the translators put it-the "perpetual tension between the urge to wander and a longing for origins."

The book provides a careful study of both Indian concepts and practices of renunciation and of the Western "Counter Culture" of the sixties which formed an integral part of the background of these seekers. The teaching of Satyananda and Rajneesh on renunciation are analysed in depth. Finally, the major part of the book is devoted to a description of the lives and experiences of the renunciates themselves.

"Morphology of Desire" gives a generous introduction to the full range of writing by the internationally acclaimed Indonesian poet, Dorothea Rosa Herliany, from the 1980s to the present day. Through a distinctive mix of striking imagery and boldness of voice, the poet sets out to destroy many of the common assumptions about everyday life and human relationships. As a woman and a poet, she is doubly an outsider. Her blatant departure, in form as well as content, from the accepted conventions of society (which intensifies through the progression of her work) is remarkable, not only in its personal and political ramifications, but in its emotional and imaginative tenor, as well.

The British poet, Linda France, has praised "the energy and violence (which) run through Dorothea Rosa Herliany's work like a ruptured vein, fragile and vulnerable, but necessary for survival. Underneath this troubled surface, there is so much tenderness and openness ..." The Australian poet, Judith Rodriguez, has suggested: "Herliany's poetry presents texts of exceptional difficulty and exceptional interest. Her work is highly colored, morbid, even shocking, and significant for its metaphorical tours de force and paradoxical glories of unwilling illuminations." Morphology of Desire is a book that will speak to readers who are interested in Indonesia, women's writing, and in poetry in general.

This is a detailed, narrative-based history of Classical Malay Literature. It covers a wide range of Malay texts, including folk literature; the influence of the Indian epics and shadow theatre literature; Panji tales; the transition from Hindu to Muslim literary models; Muslim literature; framed tales; theological literature; historical literature; legal codes; and the dominant forms of poetry, the pantun and syair. The author describes the background to each of these particular literary periods. He engages in depth with specific texts, their various manuscripts, and their contents. In so doing, he draws attention to the historical complexity of traditional Malay society, its worldviews, and its place within the wider framework of human experience. Dr Liaw's A History of Classical Malay Literature will be of benefit to beginning students of Malay Literature and to established scholars alike. It can also be read with benefit by those with a wider interest in Comparative Literature and in Southeast Asian culture in general.

Supernova presents a series of intertwined and unconventional love stories with a bit of science and spirituality added to the mix. The characters are urban and tech-savvy youngsters who are caught in different forms of contemporary social conflict. Supernova is a highly-acclaimed novel. The poet Taufiq Ismail wrote, "A renewal has taken place in Indonesia's literary scene over the past decade. Supernova is intelligent, unique, and a truly exciting exploration into the world of science, spirituality and the nature of love." The literary critic Jakob Soemardjo also said, "This is an attractive novel by a young writer. It is an intellectual work in the form of pop art, set in the real world. It opposes old values with new ways of understanding, so that readers can see the world in a different way. Supernova: The Knight, The Princess and The Falling Star is the first in a cycle of a monumental work that consists of six novels.

The period from 1966 to 1999 represents a distinct era in Indonesian history. Throughout the "New Order" regime of President Suharto, the policies of economic development and political stability were dominant. However, the public opinion of personal expression was consistently under suspicion, and indeed dissent was severely punished.
"Secrets Need Words" traces the development of Indonesian poetry throughout this entire period. Texts are presented both in the original Indonesian and in careful, stylistically sensitive English translations.
In this anthology of contemporary work by Indonesian poets, the renowned translator and editor Harry Aveling presents a series of ongoing analyses detailing the political and social shifts that have influenced the work of particular poets.
Professor Aveling's analyses, along with the poems themselves, demonstrate how the poets responded to the power of the state in a variety of ways ranging from direct confrontation to withdrawal into personal and private realms characterized by fantasy and the use of heavily rhythmic language.
"Secrets Need Words" will be of interest to scholars of Indonesia and comparative literature, and will be for many years to come a basic text for scholarship and teaching. But it also offers all readers of poetry an opportunity to explore a new, complex, and exciting body of literature from one of the world's largest nations.