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Beauty Is a Wound
The epic Indonesian novel Beauty Is a Wound astonishes from its opening line: ¡°One afternoon on a weekend in May, Dewi Ayu rose from her grave after being dead for twenty-one years . . .¡±
Across generations, the beautiful Indo prostitute Dewi Ayu, her daughters, and her grandchildren are beset by incest, murder, bestiality, rape, and the often fiercely vengeful undead.
Kurniawan mixes tender lyricism and gleefully grotesque hyperbole to offer entertainment of a rare order as well as a scathing critique of his young nation¡¯s troubled past: the rapacious offhand greed of colonialism; the chaotic struggle for independence; the 1965 mass murders of perhaps a million ¡°communists,¡± followed by three decades of Suharto¡¯s despotic rule.
Drawing on local sources¡ªfolk tales and the all-night shadow-puppet plays, with their bawdy wit and epic scope¡ªand inspired by Melville and Gogol, Kurniawan¡¯s distinctive West Javanese voice brings something luscious yet astringent to literature today. Beauty Is a Wound is a prime example of the bravura resilience of art in Indonesia, blossoming after the fall of Suharto.
Across generations, the beautiful Indo prostitute Dewi Ayu, her daughters, and her grandchildren are beset by incest, murder, bestiality, rape, and the often fiercely vengeful undead.
Kurniawan mixes tender lyricism and gleefully grotesque hyperbole to offer entertainment of a rare order as well as a scathing critique of his young nation¡¯s troubled past: the rapacious offhand greed of colonialism; the chaotic struggle for independence; the 1965 mass murders of perhaps a million ¡°communists,¡± followed by three decades of Suharto¡¯s despotic rule.
Drawing on local sources¡ªfolk tales and the all-night shadow-puppet plays, with their bawdy wit and epic scope¡ªand inspired by Melville and Gogol, Kurniawan¡¯s distinctive West Javanese voice brings something luscious yet astringent to literature today. Beauty Is a Wound is a prime example of the bravura resilience of art in Indonesia, blossoming after the fall of Suharto.
470 pages, Paperback
First published December 12, 2002
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29560 people want to read
About the author
Eka Kurniawan
26?books1,599?followersEka Kurniawan was born in Tasikmalaya in 1975 and completed his studies in the Faculty of Philosophy at Gadjah Mada University. He has been described as the ¡°brightest meteorite¡± in Indonesia¡¯s new literary firmament, the author of two remarkable novels which have brought comparisons to Salman Rushdie, Gabriel Garc¨ªa M¨¢rquez and Mark Twain; the English translations of these novels were both published in 2015¡ªMan Tiger by Verso Books, and Beauty is a Wound by New Directions in North America and Text Publishing in Australia. Kurniawan has also written movie scripts, a graphic novel, essays on literature and two collections of short stories. He currently resides in Jakarta.
Eka Kurniawan, seorang penulis sekaligus desainer grafis. Menyelesaikan studi dari Fakultas Filsafat Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta. Karyanya yang sudah terbit adalah empat novel: Cantik itu Luka (2002), Lelaki Harimau (2004), Seperti Dendam Rindu Harus Dibayar Tuntas (2014), dan O (2016); empat kumpulan cerita pendek: Corat-coret di Toilet (2000), Gelak Sedih (2005), Cinta Tak Ada Mati (2005), dan Perempuan Patah Hati yang Kembali Menemukan Cinta Melalui Mimpi (2015); serta satu karya non fiksi: Pramoedya Ananta Toer dan Sastra Realisme Sosialis (1999).
Eka Kurniawan, seorang penulis sekaligus desainer grafis. Menyelesaikan studi dari Fakultas Filsafat Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta. Karyanya yang sudah terbit adalah empat novel: Cantik itu Luka (2002), Lelaki Harimau (2004), Seperti Dendam Rindu Harus Dibayar Tuntas (2014), dan O (2016); empat kumpulan cerita pendek: Corat-coret di Toilet (2000), Gelak Sedih (2005), Cinta Tak Ada Mati (2005), dan Perempuan Patah Hati yang Kembali Menemukan Cinta Melalui Mimpi (2015); serta satu karya non fiksi: Pramoedya Ananta Toer dan Sastra Realisme Sosialis (1999).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,052 reviews
April 1, 2016
"One afternoon on a weekend in March, Dewi Ayu rose from her grave after being dead for twenty-one years."- Eka Kurniawan, Beauty is a Wound
This book has one of the best, most memorable opening sentences I've ever read. And it definitely set the stage for one of the most compelling and engrossing stories I've read in a long time. Over 500 pages of prose and I enjoyed every page. Even without having any knowledge of the history of Indonesia, I loved it.
Indonesia seems to have had a turbulent history of colonization, first by the Dutch, then the Japanese. I find the same theme in a lot of novels that focus on colonized subjects who become involved in proxy wars: confusion over what exactly is happening:
"Look," she said to another woman next to her, "they must be confused by two foreign nations making war on their land."
I'm always a fan of anyone who writes compelling, multi-dimensional women. This book traces the history of Indonesian-Dutch prostitute Dewi Ayu and her four daughters and their characters are written so well. It's a complicated family history, complicated even further by wars, colonialism, communism, independence struggles, and love. In addition, fairy tales and legends are mixed in to this funny yet tragic story.
I like stories that focus on small communities like this. Imagine being part of a community that you were born and raised in, one where everyone knows you and makes room for you because they know they have no choice but to put up with you since migration isn't a common practice. Something Elizabeth Alexander wrote in her "The Light of the World" has always stuck with me, something regarding African societies (told to her by her late husband) about how the village always makes room for everyone, including the mentally ill, and I saw that in this book; people adapting to each other.
Kurniawan is a great writer, really exceptional. I enjoyed the way he presented Indonesia's history in a fictionalized account, making it accessible, as well as interesting and educational.. I had no idea, for example, that Indonesia had a history with communism:
"Comrade Salim admitted that he was not a good Marxist, that he didn't understand all that class theory yet, but he was fairly certain that injustice had to be fought in any way possible. There are no Marxists in this country, he said, but there are plenty of starving masses, who work more than what they get for it in return, who have to bend their knees every time a big man appears, who know nothing expect that the only way to be free from all of that is to rebel."
I already touched upon the compelling female characters in this book. Cynthia Enloe wrote a bit about brothels in Asia during World War 2 and the Vietnam war and it was something I'd never really thought about before but it was interesting to see that although war is often in the masculine domain , there is a lot about the involvement of women that isn't considered or that is glossed over. We know women and children are always the biggest victims in war and this book at least lends some warmth and a richer narrative to the stories that aren't often mentioned, those that are seen as peripheral to the war. This line, "The colonel came to believe that the brothel built up his men's morale and was good for their fighting spirit...", reminds us of how women are used in times of war.
Indonesia as a locale for this story was interesting: the dichotomies of native Indonesian vs. Dutch, interspersed with some magical realism, myths, humour and wit, bawdiness, as well as great insights, made the story really come alive. Also, to me the history seemed to be very much like that of many countries where the needs of the people are quite basic, yet are still out of reach due to bad governance:
"Long ago he had heard an imam in the mosque talk about heaven, about rivers of milk that flowed at your feet, about beautiful ever-available virgins, nymphs, about everything being there for the taking and nothing forbidden. All of that seemed so beautiful, really too beautiful to be believed. He didn't need anything as grandiose as all that--it would be enough for him if everyone got the same amount of rice. Or maybe that wish was really the most grandiose wish of all."
Prepare to be shocked, outraged, and delighted.
This book has one of the best, most memorable opening sentences I've ever read. And it definitely set the stage for one of the most compelling and engrossing stories I've read in a long time. Over 500 pages of prose and I enjoyed every page. Even without having any knowledge of the history of Indonesia, I loved it.
Indonesia seems to have had a turbulent history of colonization, first by the Dutch, then the Japanese. I find the same theme in a lot of novels that focus on colonized subjects who become involved in proxy wars: confusion over what exactly is happening:
"Look," she said to another woman next to her, "they must be confused by two foreign nations making war on their land."
I'm always a fan of anyone who writes compelling, multi-dimensional women. This book traces the history of Indonesian-Dutch prostitute Dewi Ayu and her four daughters and their characters are written so well. It's a complicated family history, complicated even further by wars, colonialism, communism, independence struggles, and love. In addition, fairy tales and legends are mixed in to this funny yet tragic story.
I like stories that focus on small communities like this. Imagine being part of a community that you were born and raised in, one where everyone knows you and makes room for you because they know they have no choice but to put up with you since migration isn't a common practice. Something Elizabeth Alexander wrote in her "The Light of the World" has always stuck with me, something regarding African societies (told to her by her late husband) about how the village always makes room for everyone, including the mentally ill, and I saw that in this book; people adapting to each other.
Kurniawan is a great writer, really exceptional. I enjoyed the way he presented Indonesia's history in a fictionalized account, making it accessible, as well as interesting and educational.. I had no idea, for example, that Indonesia had a history with communism:
"Comrade Salim admitted that he was not a good Marxist, that he didn't understand all that class theory yet, but he was fairly certain that injustice had to be fought in any way possible. There are no Marxists in this country, he said, but there are plenty of starving masses, who work more than what they get for it in return, who have to bend their knees every time a big man appears, who know nothing expect that the only way to be free from all of that is to rebel."
I already touched upon the compelling female characters in this book. Cynthia Enloe wrote a bit about brothels in Asia during World War 2 and the Vietnam war and it was something I'd never really thought about before but it was interesting to see that although war is often in the masculine domain , there is a lot about the involvement of women that isn't considered or that is glossed over. We know women and children are always the biggest victims in war and this book at least lends some warmth and a richer narrative to the stories that aren't often mentioned, those that are seen as peripheral to the war. This line, "The colonel came to believe that the brothel built up his men's morale and was good for their fighting spirit...", reminds us of how women are used in times of war.
Indonesia as a locale for this story was interesting: the dichotomies of native Indonesian vs. Dutch, interspersed with some magical realism, myths, humour and wit, bawdiness, as well as great insights, made the story really come alive. Also, to me the history seemed to be very much like that of many countries where the needs of the people are quite basic, yet are still out of reach due to bad governance:
"Long ago he had heard an imam in the mosque talk about heaven, about rivers of milk that flowed at your feet, about beautiful ever-available virgins, nymphs, about everything being there for the taking and nothing forbidden. All of that seemed so beautiful, really too beautiful to be believed. He didn't need anything as grandiose as all that--it would be enough for him if everyone got the same amount of rice. Or maybe that wish was really the most grandiose wish of all."
Prepare to be shocked, outraged, and delighted.
August 24, 2021
"One afternoon on a weekend in March, Dewi Ayu rose from her grave after being dead for twenty-one years."
Now that's the kind of beginning that will grab my attention!
If you like the magical realism of M¨¢rquez (as I do), then this could be your cup of Colombian coffee - although it's set in Indonesia (I know. It's an idiom that I drove into a cul-de-sac).
Dewi Ayu, the village prostitute and local misanthrope, gives birth to a hideous little baby and dies twelve days later, without setting eyes on her unfortunate progeny.
There ensues a magical, folkloric riotous story that would be beyond the imagination of most writers.
Hilarious, cruel, bawdy, highly offensive and fantastically otherworldly.
I loved it!
Many will not.
Now that's the kind of beginning that will grab my attention!
If you like the magical realism of M¨¢rquez (as I do), then this could be your cup of Colombian coffee - although it's set in Indonesia (I know. It's an idiom that I drove into a cul-de-sac).
Dewi Ayu, the village prostitute and local misanthrope, gives birth to a hideous little baby and dies twelve days later, without setting eyes on her unfortunate progeny.
There ensues a magical, folkloric riotous story that would be beyond the imagination of most writers.
Hilarious, cruel, bawdy, highly offensive and fantastically otherworldly.
I loved it!
Many will not.
March 4, 2016
**Content advisory for discussion of multiple rapes.**
My enjoyment of this book followed a kind of reverse bell curve, with a really weak back end. :( I started out really digging it--a magic realist family fable about a Dewi Ayu, a Dutch-Indo woman who comes back to life twenty-one years after she died (and after she gave birth to her fourth daughter, a monstrously ugly girl she named Beauty.) The prose felt solid and the voice was coming from an interesting, unusual place--the story had the feel of folklore.
I hung with it for a couple hundred pages, following Dewi Ayu through the early years of her life and the chaos of war, in which she and other Indonesian women were forced into prostitution (aka, systematic rape under the guise of "comfort women") by occupying Japanese soldiers. Rough stuff, and hard to read, but the narrative voice seemed to understand that these were war crimes, and that the women suffered--and the story still felt like it was following a through-line. Indonesian history, between the Dutch and the Japanese, isn't always pretty.
Then things got weirder. The story skipped around, visiting different characters related by blood or marriage to Dewi Ayu and her daughters, and while there was still some historical context (the rise of Communism, the massacre of Communists, power struggles through the 1960s and 1970s), the voice seemed to get repeatedly distracted by minor household stuff. There were some entertaining myths and some stories that seemed like retellings of myths, and they mostly wound back around again, sooner or later, to the Dewi Ayu clan--although I couldn't always tell why we'd taken that particular tangent.
About three-quarters of the way through the book, the story seems to fall apart. We drop into the lives of a handful of different men who marry Dewi Ayu's daughters or otherwise get involved in her family life--and Dewi Ayu herself disappears almost completely from the picture. Instead, we spent pages and pages dwelling on these men's obsessive lust-relationships with young girls, complete with meticulous, extended sex-fantasy descriptions of the girls' bodies.
And then we get tons and tons of rape. Men are tempted by women, obsessed by women, driven wild by their lust for women. (And livestock. One guy goes nuts and repeatedly rapes chickens to death, as well as countless dogs and kine.) They drug, kidnap, and rape girls and women, rape their wives...it goes on and on. Women get pregnant from rape, are forced to marry their rapists, die of pain and regret and rape. And the rapes are often described in bizarrely explicit, extended, almost blissfully pornographic passages that in any other context would be meant for titillation. Phrases like "make love" and "have sex" are used interchangeably with rape, albeit mainly through the perspectives of the rapists themselves. But honestly, it felt to me like the narrative voice also conflated these things at some points, or at the very least was playing fast and loose with the ideas.
I almost didn't finish the book, because...what the #$!*? The latter third of the book (or thereabouts) reads like a bizarre masturbatory rape-dream written by someone with serious sexual issues. I understand that colonization--the occupation and forcible exploitation of a region by a foreign power--is a kind of rape, although I take issue with the old-hat analogy of colonial occupation to actual rape of the female body. I understand the title of the book equates beauty with pain and injury. But given the execution, I don't understand what I was supposed to feel or learn from most of this book.
I was left feeling like the author had taken a promising setup and driven it down a gross, personal back alley for his own purposes--or maybe to be more charitable, had lost control of what he was doing and gone way off the rails (and no one, including his editor at New Directions or his female translator, had told him.) I didn't feel like the book ended with anything like a justification for the bizarre saturnalia it indulged in for so long, or like it ever adequately reassured me that it understood the distinctions between colonization and actual rape, or the problems of using graphic, extended, repeated depictions of rape to make a literary or political point.
This book started out feeling exciting and interesting and new. Somewhere in the middle it folded in on itself like a crappy cake, and by the end what I had was something I mostly wanted to spit out.
My enjoyment of this book followed a kind of reverse bell curve, with a really weak back end. :( I started out really digging it--a magic realist family fable about a Dewi Ayu, a Dutch-Indo woman who comes back to life twenty-one years after she died (and after she gave birth to her fourth daughter, a monstrously ugly girl she named Beauty.) The prose felt solid and the voice was coming from an interesting, unusual place--the story had the feel of folklore.
I hung with it for a couple hundred pages, following Dewi Ayu through the early years of her life and the chaos of war, in which she and other Indonesian women were forced into prostitution (aka, systematic rape under the guise of "comfort women") by occupying Japanese soldiers. Rough stuff, and hard to read, but the narrative voice seemed to understand that these were war crimes, and that the women suffered--and the story still felt like it was following a through-line. Indonesian history, between the Dutch and the Japanese, isn't always pretty.
Then things got weirder. The story skipped around, visiting different characters related by blood or marriage to Dewi Ayu and her daughters, and while there was still some historical context (the rise of Communism, the massacre of Communists, power struggles through the 1960s and 1970s), the voice seemed to get repeatedly distracted by minor household stuff. There were some entertaining myths and some stories that seemed like retellings of myths, and they mostly wound back around again, sooner or later, to the Dewi Ayu clan--although I couldn't always tell why we'd taken that particular tangent.
About three-quarters of the way through the book, the story seems to fall apart. We drop into the lives of a handful of different men who marry Dewi Ayu's daughters or otherwise get involved in her family life--and Dewi Ayu herself disappears almost completely from the picture. Instead, we spent pages and pages dwelling on these men's obsessive lust-relationships with young girls, complete with meticulous, extended sex-fantasy descriptions of the girls' bodies.
And then we get tons and tons of rape. Men are tempted by women, obsessed by women, driven wild by their lust for women. (And livestock. One guy goes nuts and repeatedly rapes chickens to death, as well as countless dogs and kine.) They drug, kidnap, and rape girls and women, rape their wives...it goes on and on. Women get pregnant from rape, are forced to marry their rapists, die of pain and regret and rape. And the rapes are often described in bizarrely explicit, extended, almost blissfully pornographic passages that in any other context would be meant for titillation. Phrases like "make love" and "have sex" are used interchangeably with rape, albeit mainly through the perspectives of the rapists themselves. But honestly, it felt to me like the narrative voice also conflated these things at some points, or at the very least was playing fast and loose with the ideas.
I almost didn't finish the book, because...what the #$!*? The latter third of the book (or thereabouts) reads like a bizarre masturbatory rape-dream written by someone with serious sexual issues. I understand that colonization--the occupation and forcible exploitation of a region by a foreign power--is a kind of rape, although I take issue with the old-hat analogy of colonial occupation to actual rape of the female body. I understand the title of the book equates beauty with pain and injury. But given the execution, I don't understand what I was supposed to feel or learn from most of this book.
I was left feeling like the author had taken a promising setup and driven it down a gross, personal back alley for his own purposes--or maybe to be more charitable, had lost control of what he was doing and gone way off the rails (and no one, including his editor at New Directions or his female translator, had told him.) I didn't feel like the book ended with anything like a justification for the bizarre saturnalia it indulged in for so long, or like it ever adequately reassured me that it understood the distinctions between colonization and actual rape, or the problems of using graphic, extended, repeated depictions of rape to make a literary or political point.
This book started out feeling exciting and interesting and new. Somewhere in the middle it folded in on itself like a crappy cake, and by the end what I had was something I mostly wanted to spit out.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 23, 2022
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dnf
December 6, 2016DNF @ 40%
This is a very rapey book and I really don't want to continue any further, specifically after a scene where a woman, after being gang raped on multiple occasions, is then consumed by lust for her "rescuer". No. Just no. I get that this book is satirical and allegorical and symbolic, but still. The author doesn't graphically describe the rape scenes but there are just so many and I am really not convinced that they are necessary to the plot. It's a shame, because I really liked the beginning of this book - it has one of the best opening lines I have ever read - and I enjoyed some of the folkloric quality to the writing, but this kind of rape fantasy myth is just too far out of my comfort zone.
This is a very rapey book and I really don't want to continue any further, specifically after a scene where a woman, after being gang raped on multiple occasions, is then consumed by lust for her "rescuer". No. Just no. I get that this book is satirical and allegorical and symbolic, but still. The author doesn't graphically describe the rape scenes but there are just so many and I am really not convinced that they are necessary to the plot. It's a shame, because I really liked the beginning of this book - it has one of the best opening lines I have ever read - and I enjoyed some of the folkloric quality to the writing, but this kind of rape fantasy myth is just too far out of my comfort zone.
February 11, 2016
Eka Kurniawan, said to be following in the giant steps of Indonesia's most famous author, Pramoedya Ananta Toer (known for his anti-colonial and social realism tetralogy, Buru Quartet), is a popular literary young blood who could be as heavily influenced by a host of literary icons. His novel is a 20th century Indonesian historiography told in the rich folklore of her culture; in gothicism that awakens memories of Lafcadio Hearn's chilling ; in magic realism reminiscent of Gabriel Garcia Marquez's epic tale of Latin America, or Salman Rushdie's mesmerizing novel of India, ; and in the taut rendering of wartime atrocities, it is more explicitly a depiction of abuse and violence against women as similarly narrated in Mo Yan's hallucinatory novel of China's history, .
Far off at the edge of the South Seas, lies the port city Halimunda - the Land of Fog, so named by the beautiful, mythical princess Rengannis who pledged to marry the first person she saw at her window...
But there was no one as far as the eye could see, no one except a dog who was looking back over his shoulder in her direction after hearing the sound of the window creaking open. The princess was stunned for a moment but, remember, she never went back on her word, so from the bottom of her heart she promised she would marry that dog.
The novel represents 'Beauty' in both binary and opposing stories of Halimunda - a hypnotic land possessively controlled for 3 centuries by the Dutch; savagely violated by the hands of the Rising Sun; betrayed and abandoned by her two-faced 'friendly rescuers', and left exposed like a carcass to be devoured by homegrown wild dogs known as aka; and the multi-generational saga of Dewi Ayu - an exotic beauty of Dutch and Indo mixture, abducted and forced into the role of comfort woman for the Japanese, eventually becoming the most intoxicating prostitute in the village. The 'demon seed' took root four times in Dewi Ayu's womb, the result was four 'beautiful' daughters.
I should open my own whorehouse....There¡¯s no curse more terrible than to give birth to a pretty female in a world of men as nasty as dogs in heat.
Through the daughters' lovers evolve Halimunda's post WWII violent political and social struggles. In 'Beauty's' presence, they are irresistibly drawn in, but, like the creature in a Venus fly trap, to touch the treasure could be fatal, may be scarring and mutilating, excruciatingly painful, unendurable or gruesomely deadly.
In Halimunda (thought to be Jakarta ), Kurniawan explores and resurrects his nation's bloodstained past - her struggle for self identity in the aftermath of WWII and survival in the wake of Suharto's brutal genocidal massacre of thousands of Communists - blending with it Indonesian beliefs in the 'potent dead' who, thought powerful enough to influence the living, return as ghosts from the otherworld, for "the wretched don¡¯t die easy" and ghosts have unfinished business; and so the commanding ghost of Dewi Ayu, rises from her grave 21 years after she died to contrast, it would appear, a mysterious and vengeful evil spirit - unknown until the last chapters - dead set to unleash its seething wrath upon her family. War, it seems, plays out on many realms in Halimunda.
Kurniawan delivers a compelling tale ripe with Southeast Asian folklore, supernatural horror and the explicit violent history of a region beaten down by the heinousness of war and a corrupt, murder-driven regime, urging the reader - who might otherwise equate Indonesia with devastating earthquakes or the explosive volcanic eruption of Krakatoa in 1883 - to be more informed of her political past. Kurniawan is already setting a blazing path and a brilliant future as a notable writer of Indonesian fiction, and has completely slain me with this novel of 'Beauty.'
Far off at the edge of the South Seas, lies the port city Halimunda - the Land of Fog, so named by the beautiful, mythical princess Rengannis who pledged to marry the first person she saw at her window...
But there was no one as far as the eye could see, no one except a dog who was looking back over his shoulder in her direction after hearing the sound of the window creaking open. The princess was stunned for a moment but, remember, she never went back on her word, so from the bottom of her heart she promised she would marry that dog.
The novel represents 'Beauty' in both binary and opposing stories of Halimunda - a hypnotic land possessively controlled for 3 centuries by the Dutch; savagely violated by the hands of the Rising Sun; betrayed and abandoned by her two-faced 'friendly rescuers', and left exposed like a carcass to be devoured by homegrown wild dogs known as aka; and the multi-generational saga of Dewi Ayu - an exotic beauty of Dutch and Indo mixture, abducted and forced into the role of comfort woman for the Japanese, eventually becoming the most intoxicating prostitute in the village. The 'demon seed' took root four times in Dewi Ayu's womb, the result was four 'beautiful' daughters.
I should open my own whorehouse....There¡¯s no curse more terrible than to give birth to a pretty female in a world of men as nasty as dogs in heat.
Through the daughters' lovers evolve Halimunda's post WWII violent political and social struggles. In 'Beauty's' presence, they are irresistibly drawn in, but, like the creature in a Venus fly trap, to touch the treasure could be fatal, may be scarring and mutilating, excruciatingly painful, unendurable or gruesomely deadly.
In Halimunda (thought to be Jakarta ), Kurniawan explores and resurrects his nation's bloodstained past - her struggle for self identity in the aftermath of WWII and survival in the wake of Suharto's brutal genocidal massacre of thousands of Communists - blending with it Indonesian beliefs in the 'potent dead' who, thought powerful enough to influence the living, return as ghosts from the otherworld, for "the wretched don¡¯t die easy" and ghosts have unfinished business; and so the commanding ghost of Dewi Ayu, rises from her grave 21 years after she died to contrast, it would appear, a mysterious and vengeful evil spirit - unknown until the last chapters - dead set to unleash its seething wrath upon her family. War, it seems, plays out on many realms in Halimunda.
Kurniawan delivers a compelling tale ripe with Southeast Asian folklore, supernatural horror and the explicit violent history of a region beaten down by the heinousness of war and a corrupt, murder-driven regime, urging the reader - who might otherwise equate Indonesia with devastating earthquakes or the explosive volcanic eruption of Krakatoa in 1883 - to be more informed of her political past. Kurniawan is already setting a blazing path and a brilliant future as a notable writer of Indonesian fiction, and has completely slain me with this novel of 'Beauty.'
December 2, 2022
Exotic family saga from the place hugely known as popular tourist destination. I love this kind of books. European and American authors have dominated for so long that anything from eastern parts can absolutely blow my mind. Indonesian culture and history is so rich and eclectic. I could barely comprehend this crazy mixture of superstitions, Islam and Mahabharata. Through five generations we witness country's bloody history. From the fall of white colonialism, WWII, communism till gaining independence. All just to finally break the family curse and end chain of deaths and suffering. The book is compared much to the One Hundred Years of Solitude, and I also recognized the style from the first pages. So you'll like this novel if you enjoined Marquez' book. But trigger warning: this story has very graphic descriptions of rape and sexual deviations.
February 10, 2017
Fascinating Allegorical Tale of Indonesia f/k/a Dutch East Indies
If you like tales of political/social allegory, such as Animal Farm and One Hundred Years of Solitude, that exercise your brain, without overly challenging to the point of losing intrigue, the kind of story in which you delight in discovering (or trying to) the metaphorical meaning of actions, characters and things within, then I recommend you put this on your list of books to check out.
This brilliant novel reflects and criticizes the turbulent history of the world's 4th most populous country Indonesia, a country of more than 14,000 islands and of terrible tsunamis. Indonesia's native citizens suffered under three and a half centuries of Dutch rule, Japanese occupation for 3 years during WWII, the mass slaughter of possibly a million citizens after the failed Communist coup in 1965, followed by the despotic rule of Suharto for 3 decades.
Indonesia: Tsunami
1965 - Communists Being Led En Masse to Slaughter after Failed Revolution/Coup
Kurniawan tells the tempestuous history by means of an epic allegory which is, by turns, ridiculous, magical, hilarious and always captivating. The centerpiece is Dewi Ayu, the stunningly beautiful 3/4 Dutch and 1/4 Malaysian girl forced into prostitution in her late teens upon Japanese occupation, her four daughters (each with different fathers), their lovers and husbands, Dewi Ayu's 3 grandchildren, and the village of Halimundo, which is reminiscent of the village of Macondo in One Hundred Years of Solitude. Kurniawan also weaves in colorful, intriguing local folklore to make his points.
Suharto - Despot who Ruled for 30 Years
While the novel contains some scenes of the grotesque and of rapes, they did not seem gratuitous or unnecessary to reflect the tragedies befallen Indonesia and its residents.
It is haunting and has solidly stayed with me nearly 5 months after reading it. You can accuse me of being off my rocker but, I think this book is destined, 50 years from now, to be deemed a classic. Really.
Attempt at Representation of Protagonist: Gorgeous 3/4 Dutch, 1/4 Malaysian Dewi Ayu
If you like tales of political/social allegory, such as Animal Farm and One Hundred Years of Solitude, that exercise your brain, without overly challenging to the point of losing intrigue, the kind of story in which you delight in discovering (or trying to) the metaphorical meaning of actions, characters and things within, then I recommend you put this on your list of books to check out.
This brilliant novel reflects and criticizes the turbulent history of the world's 4th most populous country Indonesia, a country of more than 14,000 islands and of terrible tsunamis. Indonesia's native citizens suffered under three and a half centuries of Dutch rule, Japanese occupation for 3 years during WWII, the mass slaughter of possibly a million citizens after the failed Communist coup in 1965, followed by the despotic rule of Suharto for 3 decades.
Indonesia: Tsunami
1965 - Communists Being Led En Masse to Slaughter after Failed Revolution/Coup
Kurniawan tells the tempestuous history by means of an epic allegory which is, by turns, ridiculous, magical, hilarious and always captivating. The centerpiece is Dewi Ayu, the stunningly beautiful 3/4 Dutch and 1/4 Malaysian girl forced into prostitution in her late teens upon Japanese occupation, her four daughters (each with different fathers), their lovers and husbands, Dewi Ayu's 3 grandchildren, and the village of Halimundo, which is reminiscent of the village of Macondo in One Hundred Years of Solitude. Kurniawan also weaves in colorful, intriguing local folklore to make his points.
Suharto - Despot who Ruled for 30 Years
While the novel contains some scenes of the grotesque and of rapes, they did not seem gratuitous or unnecessary to reflect the tragedies befallen Indonesia and its residents.
It is haunting and has solidly stayed with me nearly 5 months after reading it. You can accuse me of being off my rocker but, I think this book is destined, 50 years from now, to be deemed a classic. Really.
Attempt at Representation of Protagonist: Gorgeous 3/4 Dutch, 1/4 Malaysian Dewi Ayu
November 16, 2016
This falls somewhere between a 2.5 and a 3.5. When I first started it I thought I was going to love it. It had many shades of . There were many things I did really like. The historical backdrop of Indonesia was fascinating and I ended up googling lots of things to learn more about the history. A lot of this book is political satire which never really works for me. I found some of the characters to be fascinating and I loved their stories but in the end there was far to much "blah blah blah rape blah blah blah whore blah blah blah rape all the women etc" Oh and then there was the part where they killed all the dogs (yes I get the symbolism but no don't kill the dogs!) There were several places along the way where I considered a DNF. Despite my somewhat negative comments I am actually glad that I read this book and that I finished it. It's not a bad thing to a read a book that pushes you beyond your comfort zone.
November 27, 2015
There is so much rape in this book. I'm not necessarily averse to that but I have questions about how and why sexual violence functions as both plot point and constantly revisited method of characterization, as nearly all of the women in this novel - both primary and secondary- are defined and characterized by their brutal and repetitive violations.
The novel was often beautiful and really well written. I can understand why it has drawn so many glowing comparisons to One Hundred Years of Solitude, but unlike Marquez' book I think Beauty topples under the weight of its own ambition and its many narrative threads. I did not buy the ending nor the message the author seemed to underline as the moral heart of the story. It rang false to me, and, considering the amount of sexual violence and the emphasis on a certain type of femininity, left me somewhat disturbed. I can't really discuss it without spoiling the whole plot but this is a book that I feel like I would need to revisit or discuss with someone else in order to parse out my complicated feelings. Probably one of the books I feel most conflicted about that I've read all year.
The novel was often beautiful and really well written. I can understand why it has drawn so many glowing comparisons to One Hundred Years of Solitude, but unlike Marquez' book I think Beauty topples under the weight of its own ambition and its many narrative threads. I did not buy the ending nor the message the author seemed to underline as the moral heart of the story. It rang false to me, and, considering the amount of sexual violence and the emphasis on a certain type of femininity, left me somewhat disturbed. I can't really discuss it without spoiling the whole plot but this is a book that I feel like I would need to revisit or discuss with someone else in order to parse out my complicated feelings. Probably one of the books I feel most conflicted about that I've read all year.
April 24, 2022
"Beauty Is a Wound" is the debut novel of Eka Kurniawan, which was originally published in 2002. This is the second time for me to read a work by Kurniawan (earlier this year I read ). "Beauty Is a Wound¡± is a grand and quite over-ambitious satire. With the historic backdrop stretching from the end of Dutch colonialism of the Indies to the end of the 20th century, Kurniawan tells the story of an Indo (mixed Dutch-Javanese) woman called Dewi Ayu and her three daughters. The family is cursed and is struck by one catastrophe after another.
First of all, I think it¡¯s important to clarify that this is more of a horror novel rather than magical realism. The first sentence of the book goes like this: "One afternoon on a weekend in March, Dewi Ayu rose from her grave after being dead for twenty-one years." But pay attention to what happens next. People are terrified and run away from Dewi Ayu. If this were magical realism, people would glance at Dewi Ayu and then continue doing whatever they were doing. But no! People are running away because it¡¯s a nightmare. The reader is about to come across a lot of rape, incest, bestiality, murder, male chauvinism and even more rape! This book is not for the faint of heart.
I think it¡¯s justified that Kurniawan present Indonesia's history in a horrific manner. Indonesian history is permeated with sexual violence. It happened during 300 years of Dutch colonization, what the Japanese army did to the comfort women (throughout Asia and which most Japanese still won¡¯t recognize), the killings and rapes of 1965 (which the Indonesian government still won¡¯t claim responsibility for), the horrific invasion and rape of East Timor by the Indonesian army, the violence and rapes against ethnic Chinese in 1998¡ I don't even want to get started on the multinational corporations and their trickery raping the soil and natural wealth of Indonesia. Kurniawan really succeeds in weaving Indonesia¡¯s turbulent history into this novel. I loved his description of communist ghosts haunting the murderers.
Unfortunately, the chronology of the characters¡¯ stories and development is somewhat sloppy. Better editing could¡¯ve improved the narration. But I can forgive the author because he was only 25-27 years old and his second novel has shown that his writing improved.
Finally, I appreciate the psychology behind this novel. The reader is outraged, angry and frustrated with the many rapes and how women are merely treated as sex objects. But that¡¯s what we should feel. When we are enraged by these actions, it proves that we are still human and sane. Most of these horrific crimes were never recognized and will probably go unpunished. The eerie thing is that many Indonesians stay mum about this part of history. Most people want to move on, because it¡¯s too painful to talk about the past and most victims are ashamed. I don¡¯t know what term psychologists use, but it¡¯s important to talk about this so that the oppressors won¡¯t oppress again. So, I thank Kurniawan for writing this novel. Beauty is indeed a wound!
May 5, 2022
Normalmente, a la hora de dar mi opini¨®n sobre un libro, me gusta empezar por dar algunos detalles de la trama, a modo de introducci¨®n para luego hablar de mis impresiones y las cosas que me ha hecho sentir la lectura. En este caso, me ha cabreado tanto este libro, que tengo ganas de pasar directamente a enumerar todas las cosas que me han horrorizado de ¡°La belleza es una herida¡±. Por empezar por alg¨²n detalle bueno dir¨¦ que al inicio pensaba que me iba a gustar mucho, ya que tiene un toque muy parecido al realismo m¨¢gico latinoamericano que tanto suelo disfrutar. Tambi¨¦n creo que la pluma del autor parece bonita, y digo parece, porque lo que cuenta me ha dado tanto asco, que me cuesta ser objetivo en este punto.
?Qu¨¦ nos podemos encontrar en este libro? Principalmente mujeres siendo violadas, eso es lo que m¨¢s tiene el libro. Pr¨¢cticamente todos los personajes femeninos que salen, y son muchos, ya que es una saga familiar, son violadas en uno o varios momentos. De hecho, la violencia sexual hacia la mujer y sus efectos se minimiza hasta tal punto, que parece que nos est¨¦n contando chorraditas y no las barbaridades que est¨¢n ocurriendo. Tambi¨¦n nos vamos a encontrar una romantizaci¨®n brutal de la prostituci¨®n, adem¨¢s de otra romantizaci¨®n m¨¢s, esta vez de la pederastia.
Uno de los primeros temas de los que habla esta historia son las mujeres de solaz, todas estas mujeres de diferentes partes de Asia, que fueron raptadas por el ej¨¦rcito japon¨¦s antes y durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial, a las que posteriormente violaban en grupo. Ya he le¨ªdo unos cuantos libros que tratan sobre ese horrible hecho, algunos centrando mucho la historia en ¨¦l, otros solo de pasada, y siempre he encontrado crudeza y realidad, pero con respeto y, sobre todo, empat¨ªa hacia las mujeres que vivieron algo as¨ª. Casualmente, todas estas obras estaban escritas por mujeres. No es casualidad que la primera sobre el tema que leo escrita por un hombre, Eka Kurniawan, sea la ¨²nica donde encuentro una narraci¨®n poco respetuosa, que invalida el relato de las mujeres que han sufrido y sufren esta violencia, y que incluso llega a tratar las agresiones sexuales como una cosita sin importancia.
Durante la primera parte de la novela me chocaba mucho ver una especie de desajuste entre lo que narraban las mujeres que eran violadas, con lo que la voz narrativa iba contando, quit¨¢ndole ¡°hierro al asunto¡±, invalidando la voz de estas mujeres y sus vivencias, e incluso, juzg¨¢ndolas. Es una de las veces que m¨¢s me ha chocado ver una voz narrativa que juzga tanto a sus personajes. No es un libro en el que pasan cosas malas porque sus personajes son malos, es un libro en el que los peores comentarios posibles son hechos por un narrador omnisciente.
Me resulta muy chocante ver tant¨ªsimas buenas cr¨ªticas en un libro donde casi todas las mujeres son violadas en alg¨²n momento, donde se dice constantemente que la mujer bella provoca al hombre, o que ni uno solo hombre en la tierra, por bueno que fuese, podr¨ªa resistirse y no violar a una mujer atractiva. De hecho, no solo todos lo personajes femeninos son violados, es que todos los personajes masculinos o violan a diferentes mujeres o se ¡°enamoran¡± de ni?as de 8 o 12 a?os. Y repito, todos estos comentarios asquerosos que tiene la novela, que son CIENTOS, son realizados a trav¨¦s de la narraci¨®n. Es m¨¢s, la historia tiene pocas escenas de sexo consentido, pero las pocas que tiene son descritas de manera escueta y r¨¢pidamente se pasa a otra cosa. Eso s¨ª, las escenas de violaciones son descritas al dedillo, con un lenguaje muy soez, con s¨ªmiles muy desagradables, e, incluso, con un tufillo morboso que me remov¨ªan las tripas.
Y lo peor es como trata a las mujeres el autor. Hay cierto momento donde una mujer que es brutalmente violada en grupo, horas despu¨¦s se "tira al cuello" de uno de los protagonistas para mantener relaciones sexuales. Una madre casa a su hija de doce a?os con su amante de treinta. Hay otra que despu¨¦s de ser violada continuamente por hombre, acaba enamor¨¢ndose de ¨¦l. El autor llega a usar las palabras "sexo", "uni¨®n" o "follar", cuando est¨¢ hablando de violaciones mientras nos narra la historia. Las mujeres son vejadas por los hombres durante toda la historia, desde la primera p¨¢gina hasta la ¨²ltima. Y tambi¨¦n son vejadas por el narrador.
En fin, que no me voy a alargar m¨¢s, porque es una historia que ni este tiempo gastado merece. ?Peor libro del a?o? Sin lugar a dudas. Es una de las historias m¨¢s desagradables que he le¨ªdo en mi vida, y no porque sea dura, estoy acostumbrado a historias as¨ª, sino porque se normalizan y romantizan barbaridades continuamente, empezando por el mismo t¨ªtulo ¡°La belleza es una herida¡±. La mujer es violada ¡°por culpa¡± de esta belleza, como bien se dice muchas veces en el libro. Los hombres son provocados por esta belleza y no pueden frenarse. Ni un solo hombre en el planeta. Ni uno. Valiente pereza de discurso rancio que tiene el se?or Kurniawan.
?Qu¨¦ nos podemos encontrar en este libro? Principalmente mujeres siendo violadas, eso es lo que m¨¢s tiene el libro. Pr¨¢cticamente todos los personajes femeninos que salen, y son muchos, ya que es una saga familiar, son violadas en uno o varios momentos. De hecho, la violencia sexual hacia la mujer y sus efectos se minimiza hasta tal punto, que parece que nos est¨¦n contando chorraditas y no las barbaridades que est¨¢n ocurriendo. Tambi¨¦n nos vamos a encontrar una romantizaci¨®n brutal de la prostituci¨®n, adem¨¢s de otra romantizaci¨®n m¨¢s, esta vez de la pederastia.
Uno de los primeros temas de los que habla esta historia son las mujeres de solaz, todas estas mujeres de diferentes partes de Asia, que fueron raptadas por el ej¨¦rcito japon¨¦s antes y durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial, a las que posteriormente violaban en grupo. Ya he le¨ªdo unos cuantos libros que tratan sobre ese horrible hecho, algunos centrando mucho la historia en ¨¦l, otros solo de pasada, y siempre he encontrado crudeza y realidad, pero con respeto y, sobre todo, empat¨ªa hacia las mujeres que vivieron algo as¨ª. Casualmente, todas estas obras estaban escritas por mujeres. No es casualidad que la primera sobre el tema que leo escrita por un hombre, Eka Kurniawan, sea la ¨²nica donde encuentro una narraci¨®n poco respetuosa, que invalida el relato de las mujeres que han sufrido y sufren esta violencia, y que incluso llega a tratar las agresiones sexuales como una cosita sin importancia.
Durante la primera parte de la novela me chocaba mucho ver una especie de desajuste entre lo que narraban las mujeres que eran violadas, con lo que la voz narrativa iba contando, quit¨¢ndole ¡°hierro al asunto¡±, invalidando la voz de estas mujeres y sus vivencias, e incluso, juzg¨¢ndolas. Es una de las veces que m¨¢s me ha chocado ver una voz narrativa que juzga tanto a sus personajes. No es un libro en el que pasan cosas malas porque sus personajes son malos, es un libro en el que los peores comentarios posibles son hechos por un narrador omnisciente.
Me resulta muy chocante ver tant¨ªsimas buenas cr¨ªticas en un libro donde casi todas las mujeres son violadas en alg¨²n momento, donde se dice constantemente que la mujer bella provoca al hombre, o que ni uno solo hombre en la tierra, por bueno que fuese, podr¨ªa resistirse y no violar a una mujer atractiva. De hecho, no solo todos lo personajes femeninos son violados, es que todos los personajes masculinos o violan a diferentes mujeres o se ¡°enamoran¡± de ni?as de 8 o 12 a?os. Y repito, todos estos comentarios asquerosos que tiene la novela, que son CIENTOS, son realizados a trav¨¦s de la narraci¨®n. Es m¨¢s, la historia tiene pocas escenas de sexo consentido, pero las pocas que tiene son descritas de manera escueta y r¨¢pidamente se pasa a otra cosa. Eso s¨ª, las escenas de violaciones son descritas al dedillo, con un lenguaje muy soez, con s¨ªmiles muy desagradables, e, incluso, con un tufillo morboso que me remov¨ªan las tripas.
Y lo peor es como trata a las mujeres el autor. Hay cierto momento donde una mujer que es brutalmente violada en grupo, horas despu¨¦s se "tira al cuello" de uno de los protagonistas para mantener relaciones sexuales. Una madre casa a su hija de doce a?os con su amante de treinta. Hay otra que despu¨¦s de ser violada continuamente por hombre, acaba enamor¨¢ndose de ¨¦l. El autor llega a usar las palabras "sexo", "uni¨®n" o "follar", cuando est¨¢ hablando de violaciones mientras nos narra la historia. Las mujeres son vejadas por los hombres durante toda la historia, desde la primera p¨¢gina hasta la ¨²ltima. Y tambi¨¦n son vejadas por el narrador.
En fin, que no me voy a alargar m¨¢s, porque es una historia que ni este tiempo gastado merece. ?Peor libro del a?o? Sin lugar a dudas. Es una de las historias m¨¢s desagradables que he le¨ªdo en mi vida, y no porque sea dura, estoy acostumbrado a historias as¨ª, sino porque se normalizan y romantizan barbaridades continuamente, empezando por el mismo t¨ªtulo ¡°La belleza es una herida¡±. La mujer es violada ¡°por culpa¡± de esta belleza, como bien se dice muchas veces en el libro. Los hombres son provocados por esta belleza y no pueden frenarse. Ni un solo hombre en el planeta. Ni uno. Valiente pereza de discurso rancio que tiene el se?or Kurniawan.
July 29, 2022
BUKU INI GILA. SAKIT JIWA. EDAN. NGERI. WAHHHHHH. WOOOOOWWWW
Gak bisa berkata apa-apa lagi, dan mau nge-review juga bingung harus mulai dari mana.
benar-benar membuktikan bahwa Cantik Itu Luka, cantik itu membawa penderitaan.
Buku ini bercerita tentang kehidupan nan tragis dari anak-anak manusia, menurut saya karma menjadi "tokoh utama" dari alur cerita di buku ini. Karakter-karakter yang kuat, tragis, sadis, mesum dan tidak bersimpatik menjadi kekuatan dari buku ini.
Dewi Ayu, Alamanda, Adinda, Maya Dewi, Si Cantik, Sang Shodhancho, Kamerad Kliwon dan Maman Gendeng.Semua karakter itu "sakit".
Alur cerita yang membuat dahi saya mengrenyit berkali-kali, BERKALI-KALI! 100 halaman pertama memang banyak adegan mesum, perkosa sana sini, sangat amat eksplisit. Tapi itu lah manusia, tidak ada beda dengan binatang kalo soal berahi.
Kehidupan Dewi Ayu, sang pelacur terkenal yang tragis hingga turun temurun ke anak-cucunya.
Kisah cinta tragis antara Alamanda & Kamerad Kliwon.
Obsesi Maman Gendeng terhadap Rengganis.
SEMUANYA SAKIT JIWA
Tidak lupa dengan tragisnya akhir kehidupan masing-masing karakter; Alamanda, Adinda, Maya Dewi yang semuanya menjadi janda. Kamerad Kliwon yang bunuh diri. Sang Shodhancho yang meninggal dimakan anjing. Mungkin hanya Maman Gendeng yg kematiannya tidak tragis, hanya seperti Yesus dan Yudas Iskariot.
buku karya pertama yang saya baca, dan saya ketagihan membaca karya-karya beliau selanjutnya. Historical fiction dalam buku ini kuat sekali, walaupun nama kota begitu fiksi, yaitu Halimunda.
Tidak heran kalo buku ini sudah diterjemahkan ke puluhan bahasa dan Eka Kurniawan digadang sebagai penerus Pramoedya. Saya suka sekali dengan karya sastra ini dan beruntung bisa membacanya.
Buku ini sangat amat saya rekomendasikan untuk kalian baca, minimal SEKALI SEUMUR HIDUP.
November 23, 2021
I read this for a group discussion this month in the 21st Century Literature group, and I don't want to say anything that will preempt that discussion at this stage, so I'll try to keep this review fairly short.
This was the Javanese author's first novel, published in Indonesia in 2002. It is an epic magic realist story in which events in the small fictional coastal town are to some extent a microcosm of the history of Indonesia since the 1930s.
At its heart it is a family story, and at its heart is Dewi Ayu, a child of Dutch settlers who supports her family through prostitution. In the striking first chapter she rises from the grave after 21 years, and finds her youngest daughter Beauty, who was a baby at the time of her death, now a young adult. Beauty is the product of a wish, brought on by the tragic fates of Dewi Ayu's first three beautiful daughters, that her unborn baby should be as ugly as possible. After the first chapter we go back to Dewi Ayu's own youth under Dutch colonial rule, her experiences of the Japanese invasion that led her into prostitution, and the lives of her three eldest daughters and the men they marry.
The story is by turns funny and brutal, with many violent incidents, deaths and rapes. Supernatural elements abound - ghosts are everywhere and play a crucial part in the plot.
Not a book I would recommend to everyone without reservations, but overall I found it quite impressive.
This was the Javanese author's first novel, published in Indonesia in 2002. It is an epic magic realist story in which events in the small fictional coastal town are to some extent a microcosm of the history of Indonesia since the 1930s.
At its heart it is a family story, and at its heart is Dewi Ayu, a child of Dutch settlers who supports her family through prostitution. In the striking first chapter she rises from the grave after 21 years, and finds her youngest daughter Beauty, who was a baby at the time of her death, now a young adult. Beauty is the product of a wish, brought on by the tragic fates of Dewi Ayu's first three beautiful daughters, that her unborn baby should be as ugly as possible. After the first chapter we go back to Dewi Ayu's own youth under Dutch colonial rule, her experiences of the Japanese invasion that led her into prostitution, and the lives of her three eldest daughters and the men they marry.
The story is by turns funny and brutal, with many violent incidents, deaths and rapes. Supernatural elements abound - ghosts are everywhere and play a crucial part in the plot.
Not a book I would recommend to everyone without reservations, but overall I found it quite impressive.
October 3, 2019
Turb¨±t pirma skaityta knyga i? / apie Indonezij?. Tuo svetimos kult¨±ros vaibu tolimai vis ataid?davo Jean Rhys ir "Wide Sargasso Sea", bet tik tokiu dekoratyviniu lygmeniu, nes ?ia n?ra - bent a? neatpa?inau - nei dialogo su kolonist? kult¨±ra, nei didel?s priespaudos.
Knyga visam ?manomam pijare lyginama su Marquezu (100 met?), ir ne veltui. Sugeba b¨±ti labai pana?i ? Marquez? (vietom net citat? lygmeniu), bet sykiu ir nesijausti gryna kopija ar m?gd?iojimas.
Pagrindinis i? pana?um? - magi?kas realizmas, ?ia sutraktuotas visai gra?iai: jo n?ra daug ir did?ioji dalis jo pasirodym? susij? su mirtimi - ?mon?s tai, u?uot mir?, i?skrenda ? or?, tai bendrauja su vaiduokliais (nu?udyt?j? ?m?klomis), tai tuos vaiduoklius valgydina ar i? j? renka info, o kartais b¨±na i?vis atspar¨±s mir?iai, kulkoms ir kitiems pavojams. O dar - mir? gr??ta kartu pab¨±ti su myl?tais ?mon?m ir atsisveikinti. Tai ne visai markesi?kas mag.realizmas, bet gra?us. Gal labiau primena visokias El dia de los muertos.
Kaip ir pas Marquez?, ?ia - vienos ?eimos saga (nuo prad?ios iki galo); tiesa, ji vienaplani?kesn? - susijus su vienos ?eimos moterimis ir j? likimais, kurie galiausiai visi suvienod?ja. ?ia pana?iau ne tiek ? roman?, kiek ? koki? labai i?pl?tot? sakm? ar legend?.
Kaip ir pas Marquez?, visas romanas persisunk?s ironijos ir linksmo, atsainaus tono. Nuo komunisto s¨±naus, kuris pats tampa komunistu, o v?liau - smulkiu kapitalistu, iki draug?, kurie kasdien lo?ia kortom ir dalinasi r¨±pes?iais, bet galiausiai vienas j? be galo d?iaugiasi gav?s galimyb? nu?udyti kit?. Ir tt tt tt.
Skaitydama galvojau du dalykus, ne?inau, ar jie susij?.
1. Ant kiek ?itoj knygoj yra visi?kai easy pateikto prievartavimo. Jei kas nors susiparina - nub?ga paprievartauja ?mon?/pa??stam?/vaik?/gyv¨±n?/?eimos nar?. Jei d?l ko nors nesutaria ar kas nors ??eid?ia - v?l ten pat paprievartaut. Galiausiai pagrindin?s persona??s prostitut?s darbas ir likimas ima atrodyti pavyd?tinas ir labai patogus. Skai?iau ir m?s?iau: ka?i, kiek tas gali b¨±ti kult¨±rinis dalykas? Ar gali prievarta ir smurtas tur?ti tiek kit? reik?m? kitoj kult¨±roj, kad skamb?t? taip...nebaisiai? Kiek tas yra realisti?ka? Mes ?iurpstam nuo Lolitos, bet skaitom Kurniawan ir visai linksma. Nes juk visiems ir tikrai visoms (!!!) baigiasi laimingai. O gal Kurniawan - toks vietinis Tarantino (nenoriu sakyt V?lyvis), kuriam smurtas - visai gera med?iaga, provokatyvi, sykiu ir bauginanti, leid?ianti pasijausti did?iuoju subversintoju? K? supratau - kad ?ito tikrai nesuprasiu ir, netur?dama ir tikrai netur?sianti platesnio konteksto, turb¨±t ?itos knygos at?vilgiu liksiu tik egzotini? i?kam?? muziejaus ap?i¨±rin?toja.
2. Ar magi?kasis realizmas n?ra ka?koks postkolonializmo dalykas? T. y. ar tai n?ra tokia ne tik ?iaip simpati?ka ir linksma, bet ir ?iokia tokia savisaugin? strategija? Tokia anti-mimikrija. Dar labiau save suegzotini ir tampi toks ?domus ir egzoti?kas. Galvodama apie tai ir apie tiek daugel? pana?um? ? Marquez?, prisiminiau, kaip univere viena d?stytoja analizuodavo Almodovaro film? ir baigdavo i?vada: "tai receptas, kaip sukurti ?edevr?, laim?siant? visokius apdovanojimus". Ar Marquezas, magi?kas realizmas+egzotika = toks pat receptas? Ne?inau, gal ne. Bet ka?koks tolimas jausmas, kad ?ia ka?kas ma?daug tokio, man liko.
?iaip knyg? skaityt, man atrodo, verta, ji savoti?ka, galinti sunervuot, vietom plok?toka, o vietom gra?i, simpati?ka muilo opera. Vertimas labai ?odingas ir gra?us.
Kalbant apie vertim? - JIS DARYTAS I? ANGL?, nors originalas n?ra angli?kas. Suprantu, kad LT n?ra turb¨±t daug originalo kalbos ?inov(i)?... Ir, matyt, taip neretai daroma, jei buvo su agentais susitarta, nusipirktos autorin?s, ir tt. (Plius angli?kasis vertimas visoks toks premijuotas.) Bet..n?n. Ar nereikia to ka?kaip ai?kiau pa?ym?ti, ai?kiau aptarti? Ar tik man vienai atrodo ?ia bi?ki feikas? Gal prisigalvoju. Bet ka?kaip u?sijautrinau, galvodama apie visas kolonijines saviegzotizavimo praktikas, kuri? kontekste tas gal atsitiktinai, bet vis tiek truput? ironi?kai atrodo.
Knyga visam ?manomam pijare lyginama su Marquezu (100 met?), ir ne veltui. Sugeba b¨±ti labai pana?i ? Marquez? (vietom net citat? lygmeniu), bet sykiu ir nesijausti gryna kopija ar m?gd?iojimas.
Pagrindinis i? pana?um? - magi?kas realizmas, ?ia sutraktuotas visai gra?iai: jo n?ra daug ir did?ioji dalis jo pasirodym? susij? su mirtimi - ?mon?s tai, u?uot mir?, i?skrenda ? or?, tai bendrauja su vaiduokliais (nu?udyt?j? ?m?klomis), tai tuos vaiduoklius valgydina ar i? j? renka info, o kartais b¨±na i?vis atspar¨±s mir?iai, kulkoms ir kitiems pavojams. O dar - mir? gr??ta kartu pab¨±ti su myl?tais ?mon?m ir atsisveikinti. Tai ne visai markesi?kas mag.realizmas, bet gra?us. Gal labiau primena visokias El dia de los muertos.
Kaip ir pas Marquez?, ?ia - vienos ?eimos saga (nuo prad?ios iki galo); tiesa, ji vienaplani?kesn? - susijus su vienos ?eimos moterimis ir j? likimais, kurie galiausiai visi suvienod?ja. ?ia pana?iau ne tiek ? roman?, kiek ? koki? labai i?pl?tot? sakm? ar legend?.
Kaip ir pas Marquez?, visas romanas persisunk?s ironijos ir linksmo, atsainaus tono. Nuo komunisto s¨±naus, kuris pats tampa komunistu, o v?liau - smulkiu kapitalistu, iki draug?, kurie kasdien lo?ia kortom ir dalinasi r¨±pes?iais, bet galiausiai vienas j? be galo d?iaugiasi gav?s galimyb? nu?udyti kit?. Ir tt tt tt.
Skaitydama galvojau du dalykus, ne?inau, ar jie susij?.
1. Ant kiek ?itoj knygoj yra visi?kai easy pateikto prievartavimo. Jei kas nors susiparina - nub?ga paprievartauja ?mon?/pa??stam?/vaik?/gyv¨±n?/?eimos nar?. Jei d?l ko nors nesutaria ar kas nors ??eid?ia - v?l ten pat paprievartaut. Galiausiai pagrindin?s persona??s prostitut?s darbas ir likimas ima atrodyti pavyd?tinas ir labai patogus. Skai?iau ir m?s?iau: ka?i, kiek tas gali b¨±ti kult¨±rinis dalykas? Ar gali prievarta ir smurtas tur?ti tiek kit? reik?m? kitoj kult¨±roj, kad skamb?t? taip...nebaisiai? Kiek tas yra realisti?ka? Mes ?iurpstam nuo Lolitos, bet skaitom Kurniawan ir visai linksma. Nes juk visiems ir tikrai visoms (!!!) baigiasi laimingai. O gal Kurniawan - toks vietinis Tarantino (nenoriu sakyt V?lyvis), kuriam smurtas - visai gera med?iaga, provokatyvi, sykiu ir bauginanti, leid?ianti pasijausti did?iuoju subversintoju? K? supratau - kad ?ito tikrai nesuprasiu ir, netur?dama ir tikrai netur?sianti platesnio konteksto, turb¨±t ?itos knygos at?vilgiu liksiu tik egzotini? i?kam?? muziejaus ap?i¨±rin?toja.
2. Ar magi?kasis realizmas n?ra ka?koks postkolonializmo dalykas? T. y. ar tai n?ra tokia ne tik ?iaip simpati?ka ir linksma, bet ir ?iokia tokia savisaugin? strategija? Tokia anti-mimikrija. Dar labiau save suegzotini ir tampi toks ?domus ir egzoti?kas. Galvodama apie tai ir apie tiek daugel? pana?um? ? Marquez?, prisiminiau, kaip univere viena d?stytoja analizuodavo Almodovaro film? ir baigdavo i?vada: "tai receptas, kaip sukurti ?edevr?, laim?siant? visokius apdovanojimus". Ar Marquezas, magi?kas realizmas+egzotika = toks pat receptas? Ne?inau, gal ne. Bet ka?koks tolimas jausmas, kad ?ia ka?kas ma?daug tokio, man liko.
?iaip knyg? skaityt, man atrodo, verta, ji savoti?ka, galinti sunervuot, vietom plok?toka, o vietom gra?i, simpati?ka muilo opera. Vertimas labai ?odingas ir gra?us.
Kalbant apie vertim? - JIS DARYTAS I? ANGL?, nors originalas n?ra angli?kas. Suprantu, kad LT n?ra turb¨±t daug originalo kalbos ?inov(i)?... Ir, matyt, taip neretai daroma, jei buvo su agentais susitarta, nusipirktos autorin?s, ir tt. (Plius angli?kasis vertimas visoks toks premijuotas.) Bet..n?n. Ar nereikia to ka?kaip ai?kiau pa?ym?ti, ai?kiau aptarti? Ar tik man vienai atrodo ?ia bi?ki feikas? Gal prisigalvoju. Bet ka?kaip u?sijautrinau, galvodama apie visas kolonijines saviegzotizavimo praktikas, kuri? kontekste tas gal atsitiktinai, bet vis tiek truput? ironi?kai atrodo.
January 4, 2021
Kitap, bir zamanlar Halimunda¡¯n?n en g¨¹zel fahi?esi olarak ¨¹n salan Dewi Ayu¡¯nun, ?l¨¹m¨¹nden 21 y?l sonra mezar?ndan kalk?p yine ¡°g¨¹zelli?in¡± a?t??? yaralar? kapat?p i?leri tekrar yoluna koymak i?in evine geri d?n¨¹?¨¹ ile ba?l?yor. Dewi Ayu¡¯nun hayat?n?n ?kinci D¨¹nya Sava??¡¯ndan itibaren g¨¹n¨¹m¨¹ze kadar s¨¹recini anlat?rken asl?nda Endonezya¡¯n?n tarihini de takip ediyorsunuz. Endonezya¡¯n?n bir Hollanda s?m¨¹rgesi oldu?u d?nemden itibaren, yerli halk?n ikinci s?n?f insan g?r¨¹lmesi, kad?nlar?n s?m¨¹r¨¹lmesi, aile i?i ?iddet, i? sava?, askeri darbe, toplu katliamlarla dolu korkun? tarihiyle y¨¹zle?iyorsunuz. Ancak yazar?n b¨¹y¨¹l¨¹ ger?ek?ilikle kara mizah? harmanlad??? kitapta zaman zaman kahkahalarla g¨¹l¨¹yor iki sayfa sonra da insanl?ktan nefret edebiliyorsunuz. ?iddet, tecav¨¹zler, ensest, delilik, iradesiz erkekler, ac? ?eken kad?nlar, kinci k?t¨¹ ruhlar ve kom¨¹nist hayaletlerle dolu yeti?kinlere y?nelik, sarkastik bir peri masal?. Benim Endonezya edebiyat?ndan okudu?um ilk kitapt? ve ?ok be?endim. Bir aile tarihiyle ¨¹lke tarihini aktarmas? ve b¨¹y¨¹l¨¹ ger?eklikten dolay? Marquez¡¯in Y¨¹zy?ll?k Yaln?zl?k kitab? ile ?ok k?yaslan?yor ancak bire bir benzer oldu?unu d¨¹?¨¹nm¨¹yorum. Zira Y¨¹zy?ll?k Yaln?zl?k¡¯tan ho?lanmayanlar?n dahi sevebilece?i bir kitap bence. Kapak sizi aldatmas?n, mutlaka okuyun.
¡°?aresizlik i?inde ¡®Kom¨¹nist mi oldun yoksa?¡¯ diye sordu. ¡®Ancak bir kom¨¹nist b?yle kederli olabilir.¡¯
¡®A??k oldum.¡¯ dedi Kliwon annesine.
¡®Daha k?t¨¹ym¨¹?.¡¯ dedi annesi.¡±
¡°?ld¨¹kten sonra hat?rlanaca??n?z? ummay?n¡± dedi, ¡°inan?n insanlar do?rudan kendilerine dokunmayan hi?bir ?eyi hat?rlamazlar.¡±
¡°?aresizlik i?inde ¡®Kom¨¹nist mi oldun yoksa?¡¯ diye sordu. ¡®Ancak bir kom¨¹nist b?yle kederli olabilir.¡¯
¡®A??k oldum.¡¯ dedi Kliwon annesine.
¡®Daha k?t¨¹ym¨¹?.¡¯ dedi annesi.¡±
¡°?ld¨¹kten sonra hat?rlanaca??n?z? ummay?n¡± dedi, ¡°inan?n insanlar do?rudan kendilerine dokunmayan hi?bir ?eyi hat?rlamazlar.¡±
April 20, 2025
" ?? ??? ???? ??????? ?? ???? ? ???? ????? ????? ?????? ??? ? ???? ???? ??? ?? ????? "
????? ???? ??? ?????? ?? ??? ??? ?? ????? ???? ??? ???? ???? ???? ?? ?????? ??????????? ??? ???? ???? ?????? ?? ?????? ..
??????? ?? ??? ???????? ??????? ?????? ??? ????? ??????? ??????? ?????????? ?? ???? ?????? ?? ???? ?????? ???? ????????? ???? ???? ???? ?? ???????? ???????? ????????? ???? ???????? ?????? ????????? ?? ??? ?? ???? ?????? ?????? ???????? ?????? ????????? ..
?????? ????? ?? ????? ?????? ???? ??? ?? ?????? ???? ???? ???????? ??? ??? ?? ???? ????? ?? ????? ???? ??? ??????? ???????? ???? ??? ??? ?????? ?? ??? ???? ???? ???? ?????? ????????? ??? ??? ???? ???????? ?????? ?????? ????? ?? ???? ?????? ??? ???? ??? ..
?? ????? ?? ??? ????? ??? ????? ????? ??? ??? ??? ?? ?????? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ????? ????? ??? ??? ???? ???? ?????? ???? ?????? ????? ?? ?? ??? ????? ????? ?? ??? ????? ???? ?????? ?? ?????? ???????? ???????? ???? ???? ????? ????? ??? ??? ?? ??? ???? ???? ?? ???? ????? ?? ?????? ?? ?????? ...
??? ???? ???? ???? ????? ????? ???? ??? ?? ?????? ????? ???? ?? ??? ??? ?????? ?????? ..
??? ???? ???????? ??????? ?????? ??? ??????? ???? ?? ???? ????? ????? ?????? ???? ???? ????????? ...
????????? ..
???? ???? ??????
????? ???? ??? ?????? ?? ??? ??? ?? ????? ???? ??? ???? ???? ???? ?? ?????? ??????????? ??? ???? ???? ?????? ?? ?????? ..
??????? ?? ??? ???????? ??????? ?????? ??? ????? ??????? ??????? ?????????? ?? ???? ?????? ?? ???? ?????? ???? ????????? ???? ???? ???? ?? ???????? ???????? ????????? ???? ???????? ?????? ????????? ?? ??? ?? ???? ?????? ?????? ???????? ?????? ????????? ..
?????? ????? ?? ????? ?????? ???? ??? ?? ?????? ???? ???? ???????? ??? ??? ?? ???? ????? ?? ????? ???? ??? ??????? ???????? ???? ??? ??? ?????? ?? ??? ???? ???? ???? ?????? ????????? ??? ??? ???? ???????? ?????? ?????? ????? ?? ???? ?????? ??? ???? ??? ..
?? ????? ?? ??? ????? ??? ????? ????? ??? ??? ??? ?? ?????? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ????? ????? ??? ??? ???? ???? ?????? ???? ?????? ????? ?? ?? ??? ????? ????? ?? ??? ????? ???? ?????? ?? ?????? ???????? ???????? ???? ???? ????? ????? ??? ??? ?? ??? ???? ???? ?? ???? ????? ?? ?????? ?? ?????? ...
??? ???? ???? ???? ????? ????? ???? ??? ?? ?????? ????? ???? ?? ??? ??? ?????? ?????? ..
??? ???? ???????? ??????? ?????? ??? ??????? ???? ?? ???? ????? ????? ?????? ???? ???? ????????? ...
????????? ..
???? ???? ??????
February 3, 2023
Novel yang aneh dan gila. (mengucap panjang)
Aku tak gemar sangat baca benda-benda berkait hal perang, pemberontakan, komunisme apatah lagi hal pelacuran tapi jalan cerita buku ini disusun sungguh rapi dan teratur menjadikan ia satu bacaan yang tidak membosankan. Penulis sangat pandai mengolah setiap watak sehingga setiap watak dan karakter di buku ini sama penting dengan Dewi Ayu. Dari kisah Maman Gendeng ke Sang Sodancho terus ke Kamerad Kliwon juga perihal anak-anak Dewi Ayu sendiri malah sehingga ke cucu-cucunya- penulis sungguh teliti dan bijak mengemas alur cerita sehingga aku rasa buku ini tak perlukan seorang editor.
Recommended- walau endingnya pada aku kurang memuaskan, tapi ada pengajaran juga ya!
Aku tak gemar sangat baca benda-benda berkait hal perang, pemberontakan, komunisme apatah lagi hal pelacuran tapi jalan cerita buku ini disusun sungguh rapi dan teratur menjadikan ia satu bacaan yang tidak membosankan. Penulis sangat pandai mengolah setiap watak sehingga setiap watak dan karakter di buku ini sama penting dengan Dewi Ayu. Dari kisah Maman Gendeng ke Sang Sodancho terus ke Kamerad Kliwon juga perihal anak-anak Dewi Ayu sendiri malah sehingga ke cucu-cucunya- penulis sungguh teliti dan bijak mengemas alur cerita sehingga aku rasa buku ini tak perlukan seorang editor.
Recommended- walau endingnya pada aku kurang memuaskan, tapi ada pengajaran juga ya!
May 12, 2016
1.5 stars - I didn't like it.
After an incredible opening paragraph, this one has begun to just disappoint and bore. DNF'ing around 75 pages / 15% in. I have had my fill of rape, incest and bestiality and am choosing to move on to another book on my never-ending TBR list. This one's just not for me.
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First Sentence: One afternoon on a weekend in March, Dewi Ayu rose from her grave after being dead for twenty-one years.
After an incredible opening paragraph, this one has begun to just disappoint and bore. DNF'ing around 75 pages / 15% in. I have had my fill of rape, incest and bestiality and am choosing to move on to another book on my never-ending TBR list. This one's just not for me.
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First Sentence: One afternoon on a weekend in March, Dewi Ayu rose from her grave after being dead for twenty-one years.
April 26, 2018
3,5 estrellas
Una lectura que ten¨ªa que hacer con urgencia. No recuerdo c¨®mo me lleg¨® este t¨ªtulo del cual ni siquiera hice el intento de desprenderme. ¡°La Belleza es una Herida¡± para mi es de los t¨ªtulos m¨¢s seductores que he podido encontrar para una novela. Sent¨ª que era un asunto prioritario leerla, y m¨¢s cuando su autor Eka Kurniawan es de Indonesia, un pa¨ªs lejano y cuya literatura es territorio virgen para m¨ª. Desde luego, tambi¨¦n estaba el tema del g¨¦nero ¡°realismo m¨¢gico¡±, m¨¢s cuando ha sido comparada con ¡°Cien A?os de Soledad¡±.
La historia se desarrolla en una ciudad de la misma naturaleza de Macondo, Halimunda; y cuenta a trav¨¦s de las historias personales de las mujeres de una misma estirpe el paso de la violencia en Indonesia con sus diferentes actores; desde antes de la primera guerra mundial, hasta los noventa. El contenido hist¨®rico, es una promesa que hace E. Kurniawan en su preludio:
¡¡±Dewy Ayu y sus hijas volvieron a ver la brutalidad de la que era capaz el hombre , vieron las calles de su pueblo convertidas en r¨ªos de sangre y los r¨ªos en fosas comunes.
Esta es la historia de nuestro pa¨ªs. Una historia de fantasmas¡Pasen y disfruten¡±.
Y la novela arranca con uno de los mejores intros que he le¨ªdo; la resurrecci¨®n de Dewy Ayu, su protagonista:
¡°Una tarde, un fin de semana de marzo, Dewy Ayu se levant¨® de su tumba tras haber pasado veinti¨²n a?os muerta¡± ¡
Y ya con esto para m¨ª la novela tiene un despliegue ¨¦pico, y pese a que parezca dif¨ªcil, el ritmo y la solvencia no decaen. A mi juicio E. Kurniawan da lecciones soberbias de movimiento, fluidez, buena escritura y de creatividad. Nunca me aburr¨ª, la novela es una mezcla de ingenio, violencia, humor, romance, mitolog¨ªa, ocultismo y fantas¨ªas. Pero esto no es suficiente para sostener esta historia.
El autor, al igual que en otras novelas de realismo m¨¢gico Latinoamericano (La casa de los esp¨ªritus, como agua para chocolate, cien a?os de soledad), le da voz y protagonismo a la mujer, siendo esta la que conduce la historia no de una forma pasiva, sino desafiando las normas sociales y teniendo una posici¨®n concreta ante la realidad que las rodea. Adicional a esto, en ¡°La Belleza es una Herida¡±, la mujer es objeto de la violencia, no solo de la guerra sino tambi¨¦n de los efectos colaterales de la misma, y as¨ª mismo se expresa. Concretamente ¡°la mujer¡± son las mujeres de una estirpe familiar maldita, bellas, bell¨ªsimas, sobrenaturalmente hermosas, que no llegan a ser felices. Si bien, todas tienen participaci¨®n en la novela, Dewi Ayu (quien me record¨® a Pilatos de La Canci¨®n de Salom¨®n de Tony Morrison), la prostituta m¨¢s bella es la que lleva la batuta en la novela; no solo por ser la que empieza a narrar o la que termina el relato, sino porque con el paso de las p¨¢ginas parece un fantasma omnipresente, que todo lo sabe. Y es que Dewy Ayu, resulta un personaje resabiado y ma?oso, es la testigo, es la contadora, pero en su forma no se distancia de los otros personajes. Porque as¨ª son los dem¨¢s personajes, parcos, ma?osos y resabiados, los cuales no expresan emoci¨®n ni llevan al lector a la misma, generan m¨¢s bien distancia. Y est¨¢ todo lo dem¨¢s¡est¨¢n los conflictos y las muertes en Indonesia, pero solo como parte de la ambientaci¨®n de la novela, lo que cre¨ª que me iba a contar el autor se diluy¨® en el paso del tiempo y de las situaciones/representaciones fant¨¢sticas que tiene el libro por doquier. Porque es como escrib¨ª anteriormente, el libro est¨¢ lleno de ocurrencias muy ingeniosas y creativas, pero su espectacularidad termina en mucho ruido, est¨¢n bien integradas en la novela pero no logr¨¦ integrarme yo a ellas, o verlas como algo maravilloso; m¨¢s bien, llegue a asociarlas con una estrategia publicitaria¡as¨ª de abrumadora puede ser la situaci¨®n.
Si bien, esta novela se ambienta en un contexto hist¨®rico-social, tiene ficciones (lo sobrenatural lo percibo m¨¢s como fantasias u ocurrencias, no como una realidad m¨¢gica) y evoca la mitolog¨ªa ancestral, no puedo ubicarla dentro del realismo m¨¢gico. Es cierto, no puedo definir el realismo m¨¢gico, pero otra verdad es que no puedo compararla con Cien A?os de Soledad o La Casa de los Esp¨ªritus; m¨¢s bien si encuentro similitud con el realismo m¨¢gico de Tony Morrison.
La lectura de este libro me deja inquietudes, como si ser¨¢ que estamos ante diferentes matices de lo que se llama el realismo m¨¢gico o si el realismo m¨¢gico tambi¨¦n evoluciona ¨® est¨¢ en plena evoluci¨®n (?). Otra inquietud que me deja el libro es la obvia ?por qu¨¦ la belleza es una herida? No creo que Eka Kurniawan sea un tipo machista o misogeno, incluso estoy segura que no fue su intenci¨®n; pero al final del libro el mensaje que llega a m¨ª, es que la belleza es una herida porque las mujeres bellas son las que sufren, o por lo menos las que m¨¢s.
Al terminar estas l¨ªneas no s¨¦ si tuve equilibrio entre lo subjetivo y lo objetivo, o si estar¨¦ siendo maniquea. El caso, es que si bien no termino de encajar en esta realidad de La Belleza es una Herida, me parece importante que la novela sea le¨ªda porque Indonesia es un pa¨ªs al que casi no recurrimos para leer y porque me gustar¨ªa conocer mas apreciaciones de este libro, porque eso si, el libro es m¨²ltiple en lecturas e interpretaciones, y eso me parece valioso.
Una lectura que ten¨ªa que hacer con urgencia. No recuerdo c¨®mo me lleg¨® este t¨ªtulo del cual ni siquiera hice el intento de desprenderme. ¡°La Belleza es una Herida¡± para mi es de los t¨ªtulos m¨¢s seductores que he podido encontrar para una novela. Sent¨ª que era un asunto prioritario leerla, y m¨¢s cuando su autor Eka Kurniawan es de Indonesia, un pa¨ªs lejano y cuya literatura es territorio virgen para m¨ª. Desde luego, tambi¨¦n estaba el tema del g¨¦nero ¡°realismo m¨¢gico¡±, m¨¢s cuando ha sido comparada con ¡°Cien A?os de Soledad¡±.
La historia se desarrolla en una ciudad de la misma naturaleza de Macondo, Halimunda; y cuenta a trav¨¦s de las historias personales de las mujeres de una misma estirpe el paso de la violencia en Indonesia con sus diferentes actores; desde antes de la primera guerra mundial, hasta los noventa. El contenido hist¨®rico, es una promesa que hace E. Kurniawan en su preludio:
¡¡±Dewy Ayu y sus hijas volvieron a ver la brutalidad de la que era capaz el hombre , vieron las calles de su pueblo convertidas en r¨ªos de sangre y los r¨ªos en fosas comunes.
Esta es la historia de nuestro pa¨ªs. Una historia de fantasmas¡Pasen y disfruten¡±.
Y la novela arranca con uno de los mejores intros que he le¨ªdo; la resurrecci¨®n de Dewy Ayu, su protagonista:
¡°Una tarde, un fin de semana de marzo, Dewy Ayu se levant¨® de su tumba tras haber pasado veinti¨²n a?os muerta¡± ¡
Y ya con esto para m¨ª la novela tiene un despliegue ¨¦pico, y pese a que parezca dif¨ªcil, el ritmo y la solvencia no decaen. A mi juicio E. Kurniawan da lecciones soberbias de movimiento, fluidez, buena escritura y de creatividad. Nunca me aburr¨ª, la novela es una mezcla de ingenio, violencia, humor, romance, mitolog¨ªa, ocultismo y fantas¨ªas. Pero esto no es suficiente para sostener esta historia.
El autor, al igual que en otras novelas de realismo m¨¢gico Latinoamericano (La casa de los esp¨ªritus, como agua para chocolate, cien a?os de soledad), le da voz y protagonismo a la mujer, siendo esta la que conduce la historia no de una forma pasiva, sino desafiando las normas sociales y teniendo una posici¨®n concreta ante la realidad que las rodea. Adicional a esto, en ¡°La Belleza es una Herida¡±, la mujer es objeto de la violencia, no solo de la guerra sino tambi¨¦n de los efectos colaterales de la misma, y as¨ª mismo se expresa. Concretamente ¡°la mujer¡± son las mujeres de una estirpe familiar maldita, bellas, bell¨ªsimas, sobrenaturalmente hermosas, que no llegan a ser felices. Si bien, todas tienen participaci¨®n en la novela, Dewi Ayu (quien me record¨® a Pilatos de La Canci¨®n de Salom¨®n de Tony Morrison), la prostituta m¨¢s bella es la que lleva la batuta en la novela; no solo por ser la que empieza a narrar o la que termina el relato, sino porque con el paso de las p¨¢ginas parece un fantasma omnipresente, que todo lo sabe. Y es que Dewy Ayu, resulta un personaje resabiado y ma?oso, es la testigo, es la contadora, pero en su forma no se distancia de los otros personajes. Porque as¨ª son los dem¨¢s personajes, parcos, ma?osos y resabiados, los cuales no expresan emoci¨®n ni llevan al lector a la misma, generan m¨¢s bien distancia. Y est¨¢ todo lo dem¨¢s¡est¨¢n los conflictos y las muertes en Indonesia, pero solo como parte de la ambientaci¨®n de la novela, lo que cre¨ª que me iba a contar el autor se diluy¨® en el paso del tiempo y de las situaciones/representaciones fant¨¢sticas que tiene el libro por doquier. Porque es como escrib¨ª anteriormente, el libro est¨¢ lleno de ocurrencias muy ingeniosas y creativas, pero su espectacularidad termina en mucho ruido, est¨¢n bien integradas en la novela pero no logr¨¦ integrarme yo a ellas, o verlas como algo maravilloso; m¨¢s bien, llegue a asociarlas con una estrategia publicitaria¡as¨ª de abrumadora puede ser la situaci¨®n.
Si bien, esta novela se ambienta en un contexto hist¨®rico-social, tiene ficciones (lo sobrenatural lo percibo m¨¢s como fantasias u ocurrencias, no como una realidad m¨¢gica) y evoca la mitolog¨ªa ancestral, no puedo ubicarla dentro del realismo m¨¢gico. Es cierto, no puedo definir el realismo m¨¢gico, pero otra verdad es que no puedo compararla con Cien A?os de Soledad o La Casa de los Esp¨ªritus; m¨¢s bien si encuentro similitud con el realismo m¨¢gico de Tony Morrison.
La lectura de este libro me deja inquietudes, como si ser¨¢ que estamos ante diferentes matices de lo que se llama el realismo m¨¢gico o si el realismo m¨¢gico tambi¨¦n evoluciona ¨® est¨¢ en plena evoluci¨®n (?). Otra inquietud que me deja el libro es la obvia ?por qu¨¦ la belleza es una herida? No creo que Eka Kurniawan sea un tipo machista o misogeno, incluso estoy segura que no fue su intenci¨®n; pero al final del libro el mensaje que llega a m¨ª, es que la belleza es una herida porque las mujeres bellas son las que sufren, o por lo menos las que m¨¢s.
Al terminar estas l¨ªneas no s¨¦ si tuve equilibrio entre lo subjetivo y lo objetivo, o si estar¨¦ siendo maniquea. El caso, es que si bien no termino de encajar en esta realidad de La Belleza es una Herida, me parece importante que la novela sea le¨ªda porque Indonesia es un pa¨ªs al que casi no recurrimos para leer y porque me gustar¨ªa conocer mas apreciaciones de este libro, porque eso si, el libro es m¨²ltiple en lecturas e interpretaciones, y eso me parece valioso.
September 5, 2022
Kh?ng c¨® tai h?a n¨¤o kinh kh?ng h?n l¨¤ sinh ra ??a con g¨¢i xinh ??p trong m?t th? gi?i c?a nh?ng g? ?¨¤n ?ng d?m d?c nh? b?n ch¨® ?ang ??ng c?n
-- C? c?n ??t cho con b¨¦ m?t c¨¢i t¨ºn hay
-- "?," Dewi Ayu n¨®i. "T¨ºn n¨® l¨¤ ??p."
-- "?!" m?i ng??i k¨ºu l¨ºn, b?i r?i t¨¬m c¨¢ch khuy¨ºn can b¨¤ . "Th? c¨°n t¨ºn N?i ?au th¨¬ sao?"
-- "Th?i N¨¤o, t¨ºn con b¨¦ l¨¤ ??p."
H? b?t l?c nh¨¬n theo khi Dewi Ayu quay tr? l?i ph¨°ng b¨¤ ?? m?c ??. H? ch? c¨°n bi?t nh¨¬n nhau, bu?n b? h¨¬nh dung c?nh m?t c? g¨¢i tr? ?en nh? nh? n?i v?i c¨¢i ? c?m ?i?n ch¨¬nh ¨¬nh gi?a m?t b? g?i b?ng c¨¢i t¨ºn ??p. ?¨²ng l¨¤ m?t s? s? nh?c.
Rating: 7.5/10
Genre: Fiction | Magic Realism
?? kh¨®: 6.5/10
Dewi Ayu - m?t ? g¨¢i ?i?m n?m m??i hai tu?i, ?? ch?t hai m??i m?t n?m, ??t nhi¨ºn ??i m? s?ng d?y. B¨¤ l¨¤ ? g¨¢i ?i?m ??p nh?t v¨´ng, l¨¤ khao kh¨¢t h?ng ?¨ºm c?a m?i g? ?¨¤n ?ng ? Halimunda. Dewi Ayu c¨® b?n ng??i con, ??u l¨¤ g¨¢i. Ba ??a con ??u c?a b¨¤ ??u ??p, duy ch? c¨® ??a con g¨¢i ¨²t l¨¤ x?u - v¨¬ b¨¤ ?? ch¨¢n nh?ng ??a con ??p ?? r?i n¨ºn b¨¤ c?u xin ?ng tr?i ban cho m?t ??a con x?u x¨ª.
Cu?n s¨¢ch tr?i d¨¤i t? th?i ni¨ºn thi?u c?a b¨¤ ?i?m xinh ??p Dewi Ayu, ??n khi s? ph?n ??a ??y khi?n b¨¤ ph?i l¨¤m g¨¢i ?i?m r?i h? sinh 3 ??a con g¨¢i xinh ??p tuy?t tr?n m¨¤ ch?ng ??a n¨¤o chung cha. S? ph?n c?a ba ??a tr? l?i ti?p n?i khi ch¨²ng y¨ºu v¨¤ sinh ra ba ??a con c?ng v?i v? ??p m¨º mu?i l¨°ng ng??i. ??p l¨¤ m?t n?i ?au k? c?u chuy?n c?a ba th? h?, quanh qu?n ? v¨´ng ??t h? c?u Halimunda, Indonesia. T¨¢c gi? ?? d¨´ng l?ch s? ?au th??ng c?a ??t n??c m¨¬nh ?? k? c?u chuy?n c?a v¨´ng ??t Halimunda.
??y c¨® l? l¨¤ cu?n s¨¢ch ??o l?n nh?n sinh quan nh?t m¨¬nh t?ng ??c, b?i m¨¬nh ph?i ?¨¢nh v?t v?i logic c?a b?n th?n trong khi theo d?i c?u chuy?n. T¨¢c gi? vi?t n¨ºn ??p b?ng l?i k? hi?n th?c huy?n ?o (Magic Realism), c?u chuy?n ?an xen v¨¤ th??ng ??t ng?t chuy?n t? hi?n th?c sang nh?ng y?u t? huy?n h?o v¨¤ ng??c l?i khi?n logic th??ng t¨¬nh c?a m¨¬nh kh¨® m¨¤ theo k?p ???c. Su?t h?n 400 trang s¨¢ch, c?u chuy?n ???c ?an xen v?i r?t nhi?u c?u truy?n huy?n tho?i d?n gian, nh?ng chi ti?t hoang ???ng nh? l?n bi?n th¨¤nh ng??i, ng??i nh?y xu?ng v?c r?i m?c c¨¢nh bay l¨ºn tr?i hay c¨¢c chi ti?t qu? d? nh? h?n ma v?t v??ng ch?n v?n ng??i s?ng, con ng??i ch?t ?i s?ng l?i nhi?u l?n. C¨¢c chi ti?t 18+ nh? t¨¬nh d?c, c??ng hi?p hay c¨¢c chi ti?t g?y kh¨® ch?u trong cu?n s¨¢ch c?ng l¨¤ ?i?u m¨¤ b?n n¨ºn c?n nh?c tr??c khi quy?t ??nh ??c.
??t nh?ng y?u t? ?¨® sang m?t b¨ºn, n?u b?n c¨® h?ng th¨² t¨¬m hi?u ti?p th¨¬ ??p l¨¤ m?t n?i ?au c¨® ch??ng ??u ???c vi?t r?t hay v¨¤ ?n t??ng:
"M?t bu?i chi?u cu?i tu?n th¨¢ng Ba, Dewi Ayu b??c ra kh?i ng?i m? c?a b¨¤ sau khi ?? ch?t hai m??i m?t n?m. M?t th?ng b¨¦ ch?n c?u b?ng t?nh...
[Spoiler alert] - C?n nh?c ph?n d??i c¨® th? ti?t l? n?i dung c?a s¨¢ch
??p l¨¤ m?t m¨®n qu¨¤ c?a Th??ng ?? (ho?c gene di truy?n). ??p l¨¤ m?t ph??c l¨¤nh. ??p l¨¤ m?t ni?m h?n hoan.
??p c?ng l¨¤ m?t n?i ?au,
hay c¨¢i ??p tr? th¨¤nh th? th¨´ ngh?ch, l¨¤ th? c¨¢m d? nh?ng hi?m kh¨ªch, nh?ng gi¨¤nh gi?t v¨¤ b?o lo?n, ...
Ngay t? t?a ?? c?a cu?n s¨¢ch, ??c gi? ?? c¨® th? m??ng t??ng r?ng r?i c¨¢i "??p" s? d?n b¨®p ngh?t t?t c? m?i b?n ch?t t?t ??p c?a n¨®. Trong ??p l¨¤ m?t n?i ?au, c¨¢i ??p l¨¤ ch?ng nh?n l?ch s?, l¨¤ ngu?n c?n c?a m?i giao tranh, l¨¤ d?u t¨ªch c?a m?i t?i l?i.
Dewi Ayu xu?t th?n l¨¤ m?t c? g¨¢i gia gi¨¢o, v¨¬ chi?n tranh n? ra m¨¤ s? ph?n ??a ??y t?i ng?c t¨´. "Nh?" ??p, Dewi Ayu ???c ch?n ?? ??a t?i nh¨¤ th?, ch¨ªnh th?c tr? th¨¤nh m?t ? g¨¢i ?i?m. Ch?p nh?n nh? s? ph?n ?? an b¨¤i, m?i ?i?u t?i v?i c? d¨´ l¨¤ ni?m vui hay s? b?t h?nh, c? ??u th?n nhi¨ºn b??c qua. C¨¢i ??p m? m? c?a Dewi Ayu nh? m?t ch?ng t¨ªch l?ch s? c?a Halimunda.
------------------------
M¨¬nh mu?n vi?t r?t nhi?u th? nh?ng ch?ng hi?u sao "t?c" ??n c? th¨¢ng nay r?i. ? ?? g?ch ra r?i v?n kh?ng th? vi?t n?t ???c. Th?i th¨¬ ?¨¤nh ??t ? ??y m?t ?o?n l?ng l? :(
Cu?n b¨¤y kh?ng ph?i gu m¨¤ m¨¬nh th¨ªch, nh?ng h?i c¨® hay kh?ng th¨¬ m¨¬nh v?n nh?n l¨¤ n¨® c¨® c¨¢i hay c?a n¨®. V?y n¨ºn c?m quan s? ?? 7.5, ?? th?y r?ng hay nh?ng kh?ng ph?i hay t?m ??c. C¨® khi tr? 0.5 n?a v¨¬ gi?ng Tr?m n?m c? ??n qu¨¢...
-- C? c?n ??t cho con b¨¦ m?t c¨¢i t¨ºn hay
-- "?," Dewi Ayu n¨®i. "T¨ºn n¨® l¨¤ ??p."
-- "?!" m?i ng??i k¨ºu l¨ºn, b?i r?i t¨¬m c¨¢ch khuy¨ºn can b¨¤ . "Th? c¨°n t¨ºn N?i ?au th¨¬ sao?"
-- "Th?i N¨¤o, t¨ºn con b¨¦ l¨¤ ??p."
H? b?t l?c nh¨¬n theo khi Dewi Ayu quay tr? l?i ph¨°ng b¨¤ ?? m?c ??. H? ch? c¨°n bi?t nh¨¬n nhau, bu?n b? h¨¬nh dung c?nh m?t c? g¨¢i tr? ?en nh? nh? n?i v?i c¨¢i ? c?m ?i?n ch¨¬nh ¨¬nh gi?a m?t b? g?i b?ng c¨¢i t¨ºn ??p. ?¨²ng l¨¤ m?t s? s? nh?c.
Rating: 7.5/10
Genre: Fiction | Magic Realism
?? kh¨®: 6.5/10
Dewi Ayu - m?t ? g¨¢i ?i?m n?m m??i hai tu?i, ?? ch?t hai m??i m?t n?m, ??t nhi¨ºn ??i m? s?ng d?y. B¨¤ l¨¤ ? g¨¢i ?i?m ??p nh?t v¨´ng, l¨¤ khao kh¨¢t h?ng ?¨ºm c?a m?i g? ?¨¤n ?ng ? Halimunda. Dewi Ayu c¨® b?n ng??i con, ??u l¨¤ g¨¢i. Ba ??a con ??u c?a b¨¤ ??u ??p, duy ch? c¨® ??a con g¨¢i ¨²t l¨¤ x?u - v¨¬ b¨¤ ?? ch¨¢n nh?ng ??a con ??p ?? r?i n¨ºn b¨¤ c?u xin ?ng tr?i ban cho m?t ??a con x?u x¨ª.
Cu?n s¨¢ch tr?i d¨¤i t? th?i ni¨ºn thi?u c?a b¨¤ ?i?m xinh ??p Dewi Ayu, ??n khi s? ph?n ??a ??y khi?n b¨¤ ph?i l¨¤m g¨¢i ?i?m r?i h? sinh 3 ??a con g¨¢i xinh ??p tuy?t tr?n m¨¤ ch?ng ??a n¨¤o chung cha. S? ph?n c?a ba ??a tr? l?i ti?p n?i khi ch¨²ng y¨ºu v¨¤ sinh ra ba ??a con c?ng v?i v? ??p m¨º mu?i l¨°ng ng??i. ??p l¨¤ m?t n?i ?au k? c?u chuy?n c?a ba th? h?, quanh qu?n ? v¨´ng ??t h? c?u Halimunda, Indonesia. T¨¢c gi? ?? d¨´ng l?ch s? ?au th??ng c?a ??t n??c m¨¬nh ?? k? c?u chuy?n c?a v¨´ng ??t Halimunda.
??y c¨® l? l¨¤ cu?n s¨¢ch ??o l?n nh?n sinh quan nh?t m¨¬nh t?ng ??c, b?i m¨¬nh ph?i ?¨¢nh v?t v?i logic c?a b?n th?n trong khi theo d?i c?u chuy?n. T¨¢c gi? vi?t n¨ºn ??p b?ng l?i k? hi?n th?c huy?n ?o (Magic Realism), c?u chuy?n ?an xen v¨¤ th??ng ??t ng?t chuy?n t? hi?n th?c sang nh?ng y?u t? huy?n h?o v¨¤ ng??c l?i khi?n logic th??ng t¨¬nh c?a m¨¬nh kh¨® m¨¤ theo k?p ???c. Su?t h?n 400 trang s¨¢ch, c?u chuy?n ???c ?an xen v?i r?t nhi?u c?u truy?n huy?n tho?i d?n gian, nh?ng chi ti?t hoang ???ng nh? l?n bi?n th¨¤nh ng??i, ng??i nh?y xu?ng v?c r?i m?c c¨¢nh bay l¨ºn tr?i hay c¨¢c chi ti?t qu? d? nh? h?n ma v?t v??ng ch?n v?n ng??i s?ng, con ng??i ch?t ?i s?ng l?i nhi?u l?n. C¨¢c chi ti?t 18+ nh? t¨¬nh d?c, c??ng hi?p hay c¨¢c chi ti?t g?y kh¨® ch?u trong cu?n s¨¢ch c?ng l¨¤ ?i?u m¨¤ b?n n¨ºn c?n nh?c tr??c khi quy?t ??nh ??c.
??t nh?ng y?u t? ?¨® sang m?t b¨ºn, n?u b?n c¨® h?ng th¨² t¨¬m hi?u ti?p th¨¬ ??p l¨¤ m?t n?i ?au c¨® ch??ng ??u ???c vi?t r?t hay v¨¤ ?n t??ng:
"M?t bu?i chi?u cu?i tu?n th¨¢ng Ba, Dewi Ayu b??c ra kh?i ng?i m? c?a b¨¤ sau khi ?? ch?t hai m??i m?t n?m. M?t th?ng b¨¦ ch?n c?u b?ng t?nh...
[Spoiler alert] - C?n nh?c ph?n d??i c¨® th? ti?t l? n?i dung c?a s¨¢ch
??p l¨¤ m?t m¨®n qu¨¤ c?a Th??ng ?? (ho?c gene di truy?n). ??p l¨¤ m?t ph??c l¨¤nh. ??p l¨¤ m?t ni?m h?n hoan.
??p c?ng l¨¤ m?t n?i ?au,
hay c¨¢i ??p tr? th¨¤nh th? th¨´ ngh?ch, l¨¤ th? c¨¢m d? nh?ng hi?m kh¨ªch, nh?ng gi¨¤nh gi?t v¨¤ b?o lo?n, ...
Ngay t? t?a ?? c?a cu?n s¨¢ch, ??c gi? ?? c¨® th? m??ng t??ng r?ng r?i c¨¢i "??p" s? d?n b¨®p ngh?t t?t c? m?i b?n ch?t t?t ??p c?a n¨®. Trong ??p l¨¤ m?t n?i ?au, c¨¢i ??p l¨¤ ch?ng nh?n l?ch s?, l¨¤ ngu?n c?n c?a m?i giao tranh, l¨¤ d?u t¨ªch c?a m?i t?i l?i.
Dewi Ayu xu?t th?n l¨¤ m?t c? g¨¢i gia gi¨¢o, v¨¬ chi?n tranh n? ra m¨¤ s? ph?n ??a ??y t?i ng?c t¨´. "Nh?" ??p, Dewi Ayu ???c ch?n ?? ??a t?i nh¨¤ th?, ch¨ªnh th?c tr? th¨¤nh m?t ? g¨¢i ?i?m. Ch?p nh?n nh? s? ph?n ?? an b¨¤i, m?i ?i?u t?i v?i c? d¨´ l¨¤ ni?m vui hay s? b?t h?nh, c? ??u th?n nhi¨ºn b??c qua. C¨¢i ??p m? m? c?a Dewi Ayu nh? m?t ch?ng t¨ªch l?ch s? c?a Halimunda.
------------------------
M¨¬nh mu?n vi?t r?t nhi?u th? nh?ng ch?ng hi?u sao "t?c" ??n c? th¨¢ng nay r?i. ? ?? g?ch ra r?i v?n kh?ng th? vi?t n?t ???c. Th?i th¨¬ ?¨¤nh ??t ? ??y m?t ?o?n l?ng l? :(
Cu?n b¨¤y kh?ng ph?i gu m¨¤ m¨¬nh th¨ªch, nh?ng h?i c¨® hay kh?ng th¨¬ m¨¬nh v?n nh?n l¨¤ n¨® c¨® c¨¢i hay c?a n¨®. V?y n¨ºn c?m quan s? ?? 7.5, ?? th?y r?ng hay nh?ng kh?ng ph?i hay t?m ??c. C¨® khi tr? 0.5 n?a v¨¬ gi?ng Tr?m n?m c? ??n qu¨¢...
August 26, 2015
¡°It¡¯s true that oppressed people only have one tool of resistance: run amok. And if I have to tell you, revolution is nothing more than a collective running amok, organized by one particular party¡±
Beauty is a Wound is one of only two (so far) works by Indonesian journalist, writer and designer, Eka Kurniawan that have been translated into English. Twelve days after she gave birth to her fourth daughter (ironically named Beauty), Dewi Ayu, even at fifty-two still the most beautiful and desired prostitute in the Javan city of Halimunda, wrapped herself in a burial shroud and died. Twenty-one years later, she rose from grave, to the shock of the neighbourhood. Her reasons for doing so were not immediately apparent.
Kurniawan¡¯s epic tale extends over almost a century and, against the backdrop of Dutch Colonial days and the Japanese wartime occupation through the struggles for independence to the modern day, tells the story of an extended Indonesian family: births, marriages, deaths and everything in between. There is plenty of humour and some sweet romance, but this family (like many in Indonesia) also suffers its share of tragedies, or perhaps even moreso. There is quite a lot of violence, again an accurate reflection of life in those times in that country: rapes, massacres, murders and beatings are described in a very matter-of-fact style.
Kurniawan¡¯s tale demonstrates how corruption, propaganda, the power of petty despots, the impotence of the Police force and control of the media are all accepted aspects of everyday life in Indonesia. The attitude of those petty despots is summarised thus: ¡°¡¯Comrade Kliwon ¡ is quite sympathetic and works hard to remedy the misfortunes of others¡.sometimes I think he¡¯s the only person in this city who looks toward the future with hope.¡¯ ¡®That¡¯s what communists are like. Pathetic people who don¡¯t realise this world is destined to be the most rotten place imaginable. That¡¯s the only reason God promised heaven, as a comfort to the wretched masses¡¯¡±
This is a rambling story that is certainly reminiscent of Garcia Marquez and Rushdie, although, while Rushdie tends to never use two words when three or five will do, Kurniawan is much more succinct. Some elements of the supernatural feature: mainly ghosts and channelling of the dead, and of course, folklore and superstition are commonplace. The prose is quite basic, the dialogue often rather earthy: it is easy to read; a background knowledge of Indonesian history and politics is helpful, but not essential. Translation of this impressive work from the Indonesian has been achieved by Annie Tucker. An original and thought-provoking read. 4.5¡ïs
Beauty is a Wound is one of only two (so far) works by Indonesian journalist, writer and designer, Eka Kurniawan that have been translated into English. Twelve days after she gave birth to her fourth daughter (ironically named Beauty), Dewi Ayu, even at fifty-two still the most beautiful and desired prostitute in the Javan city of Halimunda, wrapped herself in a burial shroud and died. Twenty-one years later, she rose from grave, to the shock of the neighbourhood. Her reasons for doing so were not immediately apparent.
Kurniawan¡¯s epic tale extends over almost a century and, against the backdrop of Dutch Colonial days and the Japanese wartime occupation through the struggles for independence to the modern day, tells the story of an extended Indonesian family: births, marriages, deaths and everything in between. There is plenty of humour and some sweet romance, but this family (like many in Indonesia) also suffers its share of tragedies, or perhaps even moreso. There is quite a lot of violence, again an accurate reflection of life in those times in that country: rapes, massacres, murders and beatings are described in a very matter-of-fact style.
Kurniawan¡¯s tale demonstrates how corruption, propaganda, the power of petty despots, the impotence of the Police force and control of the media are all accepted aspects of everyday life in Indonesia. The attitude of those petty despots is summarised thus: ¡°¡¯Comrade Kliwon ¡ is quite sympathetic and works hard to remedy the misfortunes of others¡.sometimes I think he¡¯s the only person in this city who looks toward the future with hope.¡¯ ¡®That¡¯s what communists are like. Pathetic people who don¡¯t realise this world is destined to be the most rotten place imaginable. That¡¯s the only reason God promised heaven, as a comfort to the wretched masses¡¯¡±
This is a rambling story that is certainly reminiscent of Garcia Marquez and Rushdie, although, while Rushdie tends to never use two words when three or five will do, Kurniawan is much more succinct. Some elements of the supernatural feature: mainly ghosts and channelling of the dead, and of course, folklore and superstition are commonplace. The prose is quite basic, the dialogue often rather earthy: it is easy to read; a background knowledge of Indonesian history and politics is helpful, but not essential. Translation of this impressive work from the Indonesian has been achieved by Annie Tucker. An original and thought-provoking read. 4.5¡ïs
August 18, 2024
I have NO choice but to give it a 5. There is probably less than 3% of pages where I rush through my reading, but 97% of the plot and its characters intrigues me. The plot is ridiculous to the point that I have to close my book many, many times for me to take a breather, to take it all in before continuing with my reading. You really need to understand the mysticism of the culture and to be open to all possibilities before you read this. Otherwise you might not be able to accept what the writer tried to bring. Also, it helps that the many characters introduced in the book, their stories are divided by chapters, otherwise you might lose sight of who that person is, its connection etc. But oh my gosh, what a ludicrously beautiful book!
October 4, 2015
a beautiful, stirring, and powerful epic of indonesian politics and family, eka kurniawan's beauty is a wound (cantik itu luka) must surely be considered as one of the year's finest works of translated fiction. sweeping across decades and generations, beauty is a wound is a violent, enchanted saga, compelling on account of both its impressive breadth and storytelling verve. kurniawan, an indonesian journalist and author, published this remarkable novel when he was 27 years old (released in english concurrently with his 2004 novel, man tiger).
threaded throughout with traces of magical realism, beauty is a wound is a lively, vigorous work with a large, yet unforgettable cast of well-drawn characters. rape, incest, slaughter, massacre, brutality, war, and revenge loom heavily in the story (though never excessively so), but kurniawan tempers these darker elements with humor, rich history, and fantastical occurrences. exploring themes of fate, customs, heroism, loyalty, folklore, communism, cultural/national legacy, and a host of interpersonal relationships intimate, familial, and professional, beauty is a wound is a self-contained world established, perhaps, to make sense of the larger one it inhabits (or has descended from).
spanning the better part of a century in indonesian history, kurniawan's encompassing tale never dulls or languishes under its own ambitious weight. beauty is a wound, despite its copious violence, is somehow reminiscent of jorge amado's exceptional 1958 novel, gabriela, clove and cinnamon, replete as it is with multiple voices, brilliant intensity, and depth of imagination. beauty is a wound is a vibrant tapestry of village life, colonial rule, political independence, and generational drama. kurniawan's first novel translated into english shimmers with the luster of literary accomplishment, offering a gorgeous, at times harrowing glimpse into a country with a long, tumultuous past.
*translated from the indonesian by annie tucker (recipient of a 2013 pen/heim translation grant for her english translation of beauty is a wound)
threaded throughout with traces of magical realism, beauty is a wound is a lively, vigorous work with a large, yet unforgettable cast of well-drawn characters. rape, incest, slaughter, massacre, brutality, war, and revenge loom heavily in the story (though never excessively so), but kurniawan tempers these darker elements with humor, rich history, and fantastical occurrences. exploring themes of fate, customs, heroism, loyalty, folklore, communism, cultural/national legacy, and a host of interpersonal relationships intimate, familial, and professional, beauty is a wound is a self-contained world established, perhaps, to make sense of the larger one it inhabits (or has descended from).
spanning the better part of a century in indonesian history, kurniawan's encompassing tale never dulls or languishes under its own ambitious weight. beauty is a wound, despite its copious violence, is somehow reminiscent of jorge amado's exceptional 1958 novel, gabriela, clove and cinnamon, replete as it is with multiple voices, brilliant intensity, and depth of imagination. beauty is a wound is a vibrant tapestry of village life, colonial rule, political independence, and generational drama. kurniawan's first novel translated into english shimmers with the luster of literary accomplishment, offering a gorgeous, at times harrowing glimpse into a country with a long, tumultuous past.
"do you believe in god?" asked kliwon tentatively.
"that's irrelevant," salim replied. "it's not man's job to think about whether god exists or not, especially when you know that right in front of your eyes one person is stepping on another's neck."
"so you are going to hell."
"i'd rather go to hell, because i have spent my whole life trying to eliminate any man's superiority over other men." he continued, "if i might share my opinion, this world is hell, and our task is to create our own heaven."
*translated from the indonesian by annie tucker (recipient of a 2013 pen/heim translation grant for her english translation of beauty is a wound)
June 29, 2020
Dewi Ayu - n¨¤ng ?i?m n?i ti?ng m?t th?i c?a th? tr?n ven bi?n Halimunda - ?? ch?t hai m??i m?t n?m, nay ??t nhi¨ºn s?ng l?i. T? s? ki?n t??ng nh? hoang ???ng qu? d? trong c¨¢i th? gi?i c?a Halimunda ?y, ¡°??p L¨¤ M?t N?i ?au¡± d?n d?t ng??i ??c ?i qua h?n n?a th? k? l?ch s? ??y bi?n ??ng c?a ??t n??c Indonesia b?ng c?u chuy?n nhu?m m¨¤u bi k?ch c?a nh?ng th? h? ph? n? trong gia ?¨¬nh c?a Dewi Ayu.
H?n n?a th? k? l?ch s? ?y ?? ch?ng ki?n m?t ??t n??c Indonesia l¨¤ thu?c ??a c?a H¨¤ Lan, r?i sau ?¨® tr?i qua Th? chi?n th? hai v?i s? hi?n di?n kinh ho¨¤ng c?a ph¨¢t x¨ªt Nh?t. ??n th?i k? ??c l?p, Indonesia l?i ti?p t?c ch?ng ki?n xung ??t gi?a th? l?c t? b?n ?ang n?i l¨ºn v¨¤ nh?ng ng??i c?ng s?n ki¨ºn trung. L?ch s? v?i ??y nh?ng bi?n c? ?¨® ch¨ªnh l¨¤ ch?t li?u quan tr?ng gi¨²p ¡°??p L¨¤ M?t N?i ?au¡± kh¨¢m ph¨¢ nh?ng ng? ng¨¢ch ?au ??n v¨¤ kh?ng khi?p nh?t c?a m?nh ??t h? c?u Halimunda. Nh?ng ?au ??n ?y v?n v¨¤o Dewi Ayu, v¨¤o nh?ng ??a con g¨¢i xinh ??p c?a b¨¤, v¨¤ th? h? nh?ng ng??i ch¨¢u c?a b¨¤, nh? th? c? gia ?¨¬nh b¨¤ ngay t? ??u ?? b? nguy?n r?a. L?ch s? trong cu?n ti?u thuy?t ???c kh?c h?a qua c¨¢i nh¨¬n v¨¤ s? ph?n c?a nh?ng ng??i ph? n?, nh?ng ng??i d?u c¨® l¨¤m g¨¬, d?u c¨® b? ng??i ??i nh¨¬n nh?n nh? th? n¨¤o, th¨¬ h? v?n l¨¤ nh?ng ng??i ph? n? th?t ??p. C¨¢i ??p c?a h?, nghi?t ng? thay, l?i bi?n h? tr? th¨¤nh t?m ?i?m, th¨¤nh c?ng c?, th¨¤nh nh?ng m?nh th?t da ?? ?¨¤n ?ng gi¨¤y x¨¦o v¨¤ c??ng hi?p. S? ph?n ?? kh?ng ??i ??i t? t? nh?ng ng??i ?¨¤n b¨¤ trong gia ?¨¬nh Dewi Ayu, ?? ?¨¢p l?i v? ??p c?a h? b?ng n?i ?au, b?ng nh?ng s? ki?n bi th?m nh?t.
???c xem nh? ¡°Tr?m N?m C? ??n¡± c?a ch?u ?, ¡°??p L¨¤ M?t N?i ?au¡± ?? v?n d?ng m?t c¨¢ch ho¨¤n h?o nh?ng h¨¬nh ?nh, chi ti?t ??c tr?ng c?a ch? ngh?a hi?n th?c huy?n ?o trong v?n ch??ng, ??c bi?t l¨¤ nh?ng chi ti?t huy?n ?o, phi th?c nh? ng??i bay l¨ºn tr?i r?i bi?n m?t, hay Dewi Ayu sau nhi?u ng¨¤y s?ng l?i, vi?ng th?m nh¨¤ c? c?a b¨¤ r?i h¨®a th¨¤nh c¨¢nh b??m. T?t c? ???c l?a ch?n v¨¤ vi?t ra nh?m t?o d?ng m?t thi¨ºn s? thi gia ?¨¬nh cho¨¢ng v¨¢ng v¨¤ kh?n c??ng, theo ?¨²ng nh? c¨¢i c¨¢ch m¨¤ Gabriel Garcia Marquez ?? l¨¤m say l¨°ng ng??i ??c trong ¡°Tr?m N?m C? ??n¡±. B?ng c¨¢ch trao cho m?i nh?n v?t m?t ch??ng truy?n, t¨¢c gi? ?? c¨® th? kh?c h?a h¨¬nh t??ng c?a t?ng nh?n v?t trong m?i t??ng quan v?i c¨¢c nh?n v?t kh¨¢c. Nh?ng d?y m? r? m¨¢, nh?ng m?i quan h? ch?ng ch¨¦o, ?an xen c?ng t? ?¨® m¨¤ ???c ph?i b¨¤y.
C?u chuy?n trong ¡°??p L¨¤ M?t N?i ?au¡± h?p d?n ng??i ??c kh?ng ch? b?i t¨ªnh s? thi ??c tr?ng c?a n¨®, hay nh?ng chi ti?t v? t¨¬nh y¨ºu v¨¤ t¨¬nh d?c ???c mi¨ºu t? m?t c¨¢ch tr?n tr?i m¨¤ kh?ng h? th? t?c m¨¤ c¨°n cu?n h¨²t ??c gi? b?i nh?ng chuy?n t¨¬nh d? dang, nh?ng c?p t¨¬nh nh?n b?t h?nh, kh?ng ??n ???c v?i nhau v¨¬ s? nghi?t ng? c?a s? ph?n v¨¤ s? b?o t¨¤n c?a con ng??i. N?i b?t h?nh v¨¤ d? dang ?y ?? xu?t hi?n ngay t? ?o?n ??u c?a cu?n ti?u thuy?t, trong c?u chuy?n ?au l¨°ng c?a Ma Gedik v¨¤ Ma Iyang, ?? r?i ti?p n?i trong nh?ng g¨¬ ?? di?n ra cho Alamanda v¨¤ ??ng ch¨ª Kliwon.
¡°??p L¨¤ M?t N?i ?au¡± c¨°n h?p d?n ??c gi? ? ch¨ªnh c¨¢i c¨¢ch m¨¤ t¨¢c gi? k? l?i c?u chuy?n tr?i qua nhi?u th? h? c?a gia ?¨¬nh Dewi Ayu, v?i nh?ng s? ki?n m?i, nh?ng h?a h?n v? ?n ?c ?au l¨°ng v¨¤ bi k?ch s?p s?a di?n ra, bu?c ng??i ??c ph?i li¨ºn t?c d?i theo c?u chuy?n t? ch??ng n¨¤y ??n ch??ng kh¨¢c. V¨¤ c¨°n ?¨® nh?ng c¨¢i ch?t, nh?ng s? ki?n k? d? m¨¤ nguy¨ºn do ho?c ng??i g?y ¨¢n ch? ???c ti?t l? ? nh?ng ?o?n sau, t?ng th¨ºm ph?n b¨ª ?n v¨¤ cu?n h¨²t cho c?u chuy?n, ph? v¨¤o thi¨ºn s? thi v?n ?? r?t h?p d?n m?t ch¨²t s?c m¨¤u trinh th¨¢m, m?t ch¨²t ?¨¢ng s? ??n t? nh?ng suy ngh? v¨¤ h¨¤nh ??ng c?a m?t s? nh?n v?t.
Sau t?t c?, ¡°??p L¨¤ M?t N?i ?au¡± ?? soi chi?u v¨¤o nhi?u th? h? gia ?¨¬nh Dewi Ayu ?? ??a ??n m?t s? gi¨¢c ng? cho ??c gi?, ?¨²ng nh? t¨ºn g?i c?a t¨¢c ph?m, r?ng ??p l¨¤ m?t n?i ?au. ?¨® l¨¤ th?ng ?i?p chung, to¨¤n v?n nh?t nh?ng c?ng x¨®t xa nh?t, m¨¤ Eka Kurniawan mu?n truy?n t?i th?ng qua cu?n ti?u thuy?t c?a m¨¬nh. ??i v?i Dewi Ayu, nh?ng ??a con c¨´ng nh?ng ??a ch¨¢u c?a b¨¤, r?ng h?n c? l¨¤ nh?ng c? d?n c?a Halimunda, th¨¬ s?c ??p lu?n ?i song h¨¤nh c¨´ng n?i ?au. ?¨® l¨¤ n?i ?au c?a nh?ng ng??i ?¨¤n b¨¤ xinh ??p nh?ng l?i tr¨®t sinh ra trong m?t th? gi?i ???c v?n h¨¤nh b?i nh?ng g? ?¨¤n ?ng xem ph? n? ch? nh? ??i t??ng ?? chi?m ?o?t.
Nh? Nh? Nam ?? ch? ra ? b¨¬a sau cu?n s¨¢ch: ¡°N?u s?c ??p l¨¤ m?t trong nh?ng ??c t¨ªnh v?nh h?ng c?a gia t?c n¨¤y v¨¤ c¨® l? c?a c? Halimunda, qu¨º nh¨¤ h?, th¨¬ n?i ?au c?ng l¨¤ m?t ??c t¨ªnh v?nh h?ng.¡±, n?i ?au l¨¤ m?t ??c t¨ªnh m?i m?i di truy?n trong gia ?¨¬nh Dewi Ayu, c?ng nh? s?c ??p m¨¤ ch? c¨® nguy?n ??c m?nh li?t c?a b¨¤ m?i gi¨²p ??a con g¨¢i ¨²t tr¨¢nh kh?i. ¡°??p L¨¤ M?t N?i ?au¡±, sau r?t, l¨¤ m?t t¨¢c ph?m ??p, ?au, v¨¤ kh¨® qu¨ºn nh? ch¨ªnh c¨¢i c¨¢ch m¨¤ ng??i d?n Halimunda kh?ng bao gi? c¨® th? qu¨ºn ???c Dewi Ayu.
H?n n?a th? k? l?ch s? ?y ?? ch?ng ki?n m?t ??t n??c Indonesia l¨¤ thu?c ??a c?a H¨¤ Lan, r?i sau ?¨® tr?i qua Th? chi?n th? hai v?i s? hi?n di?n kinh ho¨¤ng c?a ph¨¢t x¨ªt Nh?t. ??n th?i k? ??c l?p, Indonesia l?i ti?p t?c ch?ng ki?n xung ??t gi?a th? l?c t? b?n ?ang n?i l¨ºn v¨¤ nh?ng ng??i c?ng s?n ki¨ºn trung. L?ch s? v?i ??y nh?ng bi?n c? ?¨® ch¨ªnh l¨¤ ch?t li?u quan tr?ng gi¨²p ¡°??p L¨¤ M?t N?i ?au¡± kh¨¢m ph¨¢ nh?ng ng? ng¨¢ch ?au ??n v¨¤ kh?ng khi?p nh?t c?a m?nh ??t h? c?u Halimunda. Nh?ng ?au ??n ?y v?n v¨¤o Dewi Ayu, v¨¤o nh?ng ??a con g¨¢i xinh ??p c?a b¨¤, v¨¤ th? h? nh?ng ng??i ch¨¢u c?a b¨¤, nh? th? c? gia ?¨¬nh b¨¤ ngay t? ??u ?? b? nguy?n r?a. L?ch s? trong cu?n ti?u thuy?t ???c kh?c h?a qua c¨¢i nh¨¬n v¨¤ s? ph?n c?a nh?ng ng??i ph? n?, nh?ng ng??i d?u c¨® l¨¤m g¨¬, d?u c¨® b? ng??i ??i nh¨¬n nh?n nh? th? n¨¤o, th¨¬ h? v?n l¨¤ nh?ng ng??i ph? n? th?t ??p. C¨¢i ??p c?a h?, nghi?t ng? thay, l?i bi?n h? tr? th¨¤nh t?m ?i?m, th¨¤nh c?ng c?, th¨¤nh nh?ng m?nh th?t da ?? ?¨¤n ?ng gi¨¤y x¨¦o v¨¤ c??ng hi?p. S? ph?n ?? kh?ng ??i ??i t? t? nh?ng ng??i ?¨¤n b¨¤ trong gia ?¨¬nh Dewi Ayu, ?? ?¨¢p l?i v? ??p c?a h? b?ng n?i ?au, b?ng nh?ng s? ki?n bi th?m nh?t.
???c xem nh? ¡°Tr?m N?m C? ??n¡± c?a ch?u ?, ¡°??p L¨¤ M?t N?i ?au¡± ?? v?n d?ng m?t c¨¢ch ho¨¤n h?o nh?ng h¨¬nh ?nh, chi ti?t ??c tr?ng c?a ch? ngh?a hi?n th?c huy?n ?o trong v?n ch??ng, ??c bi?t l¨¤ nh?ng chi ti?t huy?n ?o, phi th?c nh? ng??i bay l¨ºn tr?i r?i bi?n m?t, hay Dewi Ayu sau nhi?u ng¨¤y s?ng l?i, vi?ng th?m nh¨¤ c? c?a b¨¤ r?i h¨®a th¨¤nh c¨¢nh b??m. T?t c? ???c l?a ch?n v¨¤ vi?t ra nh?m t?o d?ng m?t thi¨ºn s? thi gia ?¨¬nh cho¨¢ng v¨¢ng v¨¤ kh?n c??ng, theo ?¨²ng nh? c¨¢i c¨¢ch m¨¤ Gabriel Garcia Marquez ?? l¨¤m say l¨°ng ng??i ??c trong ¡°Tr?m N?m C? ??n¡±. B?ng c¨¢ch trao cho m?i nh?n v?t m?t ch??ng truy?n, t¨¢c gi? ?? c¨® th? kh?c h?a h¨¬nh t??ng c?a t?ng nh?n v?t trong m?i t??ng quan v?i c¨¢c nh?n v?t kh¨¢c. Nh?ng d?y m? r? m¨¢, nh?ng m?i quan h? ch?ng ch¨¦o, ?an xen c?ng t? ?¨® m¨¤ ???c ph?i b¨¤y.
C?u chuy?n trong ¡°??p L¨¤ M?t N?i ?au¡± h?p d?n ng??i ??c kh?ng ch? b?i t¨ªnh s? thi ??c tr?ng c?a n¨®, hay nh?ng chi ti?t v? t¨¬nh y¨ºu v¨¤ t¨¬nh d?c ???c mi¨ºu t? m?t c¨¢ch tr?n tr?i m¨¤ kh?ng h? th? t?c m¨¤ c¨°n cu?n h¨²t ??c gi? b?i nh?ng chuy?n t¨¬nh d? dang, nh?ng c?p t¨¬nh nh?n b?t h?nh, kh?ng ??n ???c v?i nhau v¨¬ s? nghi?t ng? c?a s? ph?n v¨¤ s? b?o t¨¤n c?a con ng??i. N?i b?t h?nh v¨¤ d? dang ?y ?? xu?t hi?n ngay t? ?o?n ??u c?a cu?n ti?u thuy?t, trong c?u chuy?n ?au l¨°ng c?a Ma Gedik v¨¤ Ma Iyang, ?? r?i ti?p n?i trong nh?ng g¨¬ ?? di?n ra cho Alamanda v¨¤ ??ng ch¨ª Kliwon.
¡°??p L¨¤ M?t N?i ?au¡± c¨°n h?p d?n ??c gi? ? ch¨ªnh c¨¢i c¨¢ch m¨¤ t¨¢c gi? k? l?i c?u chuy?n tr?i qua nhi?u th? h? c?a gia ?¨¬nh Dewi Ayu, v?i nh?ng s? ki?n m?i, nh?ng h?a h?n v? ?n ?c ?au l¨°ng v¨¤ bi k?ch s?p s?a di?n ra, bu?c ng??i ??c ph?i li¨ºn t?c d?i theo c?u chuy?n t? ch??ng n¨¤y ??n ch??ng kh¨¢c. V¨¤ c¨°n ?¨® nh?ng c¨¢i ch?t, nh?ng s? ki?n k? d? m¨¤ nguy¨ºn do ho?c ng??i g?y ¨¢n ch? ???c ti?t l? ? nh?ng ?o?n sau, t?ng th¨ºm ph?n b¨ª ?n v¨¤ cu?n h¨²t cho c?u chuy?n, ph? v¨¤o thi¨ºn s? thi v?n ?? r?t h?p d?n m?t ch¨²t s?c m¨¤u trinh th¨¢m, m?t ch¨²t ?¨¢ng s? ??n t? nh?ng suy ngh? v¨¤ h¨¤nh ??ng c?a m?t s? nh?n v?t.
Sau t?t c?, ¡°??p L¨¤ M?t N?i ?au¡± ?? soi chi?u v¨¤o nhi?u th? h? gia ?¨¬nh Dewi Ayu ?? ??a ??n m?t s? gi¨¢c ng? cho ??c gi?, ?¨²ng nh? t¨ºn g?i c?a t¨¢c ph?m, r?ng ??p l¨¤ m?t n?i ?au. ?¨® l¨¤ th?ng ?i?p chung, to¨¤n v?n nh?t nh?ng c?ng x¨®t xa nh?t, m¨¤ Eka Kurniawan mu?n truy?n t?i th?ng qua cu?n ti?u thuy?t c?a m¨¬nh. ??i v?i Dewi Ayu, nh?ng ??a con c¨´ng nh?ng ??a ch¨¢u c?a b¨¤, r?ng h?n c? l¨¤ nh?ng c? d?n c?a Halimunda, th¨¬ s?c ??p lu?n ?i song h¨¤nh c¨´ng n?i ?au. ?¨® l¨¤ n?i ?au c?a nh?ng ng??i ?¨¤n b¨¤ xinh ??p nh?ng l?i tr¨®t sinh ra trong m?t th? gi?i ???c v?n h¨¤nh b?i nh?ng g? ?¨¤n ?ng xem ph? n? ch? nh? ??i t??ng ?? chi?m ?o?t.
Nh? Nh? Nam ?? ch? ra ? b¨¬a sau cu?n s¨¢ch: ¡°N?u s?c ??p l¨¤ m?t trong nh?ng ??c t¨ªnh v?nh h?ng c?a gia t?c n¨¤y v¨¤ c¨® l? c?a c? Halimunda, qu¨º nh¨¤ h?, th¨¬ n?i ?au c?ng l¨¤ m?t ??c t¨ªnh v?nh h?ng.¡±, n?i ?au l¨¤ m?t ??c t¨ªnh m?i m?i di truy?n trong gia ?¨¬nh Dewi Ayu, c?ng nh? s?c ??p m¨¤ ch? c¨® nguy?n ??c m?nh li?t c?a b¨¤ m?i gi¨²p ??a con g¨¢i ¨²t tr¨¢nh kh?i. ¡°??p L¨¤ M?t N?i ?au¡±, sau r?t, l¨¤ m?t t¨¢c ph?m ??p, ?au, v¨¤ kh¨® qu¨ºn nh? ch¨ªnh c¨¢i c¨¢ch m¨¤ ng??i d?n Halimunda kh?ng bao gi? c¨® th? qu¨ºn ???c Dewi Ayu.
June 20, 2016
This was an unexpectedly good book. Interesting, riveting, surprising, and by the end, all consuming. I listened to this on audible because at this time of the year, reading time is a premium. Simply put, I loved it and Jonathan Davis did a very fine job at narration. Not sure what I was anticipating, but this book took hold of me and would not let go. I would go so far as to call it epic. Part folklore, part Indonesian history, part magical realism, part allegory, part (fictional) memoir, it was just captivating. The imaginary town of Halimunda and the lead character Dewi Ayu endure the Dutch and Japanese occupation and eventually the country's own dictatorship where they mow down the Communists. The foundations of the story are rooted in historical fact. Many of the milestones in the novel, really did occur in history. The magical realism comes in the form of spirits and ghosts and small bits of magic that pepper the book. This story is in effect a family saga as they endure all of these historical changes.
The book is oddly whimsical. I say that because is is full of suffering and misfortune and yet many of the characters are quirky and strange and somehow are able to remain somewhat amiable through everything. These people are callous and reckless and have very little regard for other people; but they aren't malevolent. They are not acting the way that they do out of hate, anger or bitterness, it's just the way things are and have always been. The prose is austere, yet so good and descriptive. You feel like you know the characters and care about what happens by the end of the book. None of the characters are especially good people, nor are they all bad (though Shodancho is pretty close to all bad). All of the male characters are man-childs. Among the many male characters in the book, the leads include a commanding officer in the army, a common thug, and a Communist. All are infantile in different ways in their behavior and need to fight, have sex, be in charge, be the alpha male and all of them (in fact all of the male characters in this book) have conflated visions of love which they confuse with lust, obsession and enslavement. The sole purpose of a wife is to fulfill sexual lust and propagate the species. If she is coveted by others, then these men are hopelessly in love (their definition not mine). If she keeps a good home...bonus!! The female character's understanding of love is every bit as superficial where the only real proclamations of love are for the handsomest man in the village. Otherwise, they are dutiful and devoid of passion. The female characters are all long suffering, beautiful, objects to be possessed. This is the best they can hope for in life and they are pragmatic. The lead character is forced into prostitution (during the Japanese occupation) eventually transforms her assets (her breathtaking beauty) into a commodity desired by all. She is the most desirable prostitute and eschews marriage because in her words she'd rather be paid for sex than to give it for free to one man. To her sex is a means to an end. She manages to find some measure of success and comfort without the confines of marriage. For her daughters though, she wants them to have a normal (by Indonesian standards) life. The story chronicles their struggles, needless to say nothing is normal about their lives.
The entire story is a satire. Kurniawan is exposing some well rooted mindsets that seem to have driven the country in ways that defy logic. He seems to be saying, this is why the country is the way that it is. This is how we got here. Not for the faint of heart. This story contains a lot of rape, violence, incest and subjugation of people in general and women in particular. In this world "Beauty" is a commodity coveted above all things. You'll have to read the book in order to understand the title. For me, a fascinating take on a culture I knew nothing about. I want to read more by this author.
4.75 Stars
The book is oddly whimsical. I say that because is is full of suffering and misfortune and yet many of the characters are quirky and strange and somehow are able to remain somewhat amiable through everything. These people are callous and reckless and have very little regard for other people; but they aren't malevolent. They are not acting the way that they do out of hate, anger or bitterness, it's just the way things are and have always been. The prose is austere, yet so good and descriptive. You feel like you know the characters and care about what happens by the end of the book. None of the characters are especially good people, nor are they all bad (though Shodancho is pretty close to all bad). All of the male characters are man-childs. Among the many male characters in the book, the leads include a commanding officer in the army, a common thug, and a Communist. All are infantile in different ways in their behavior and need to fight, have sex, be in charge, be the alpha male and all of them (in fact all of the male characters in this book) have conflated visions of love which they confuse with lust, obsession and enslavement. The sole purpose of a wife is to fulfill sexual lust and propagate the species. If she is coveted by others, then these men are hopelessly in love (their definition not mine). If she keeps a good home...bonus!! The female character's understanding of love is every bit as superficial where the only real proclamations of love are for the handsomest man in the village. Otherwise, they are dutiful and devoid of passion. The female characters are all long suffering, beautiful, objects to be possessed. This is the best they can hope for in life and they are pragmatic. The lead character is forced into prostitution (during the Japanese occupation) eventually transforms her assets (her breathtaking beauty) into a commodity desired by all. She is the most desirable prostitute and eschews marriage because in her words she'd rather be paid for sex than to give it for free to one man. To her sex is a means to an end. She manages to find some measure of success and comfort without the confines of marriage. For her daughters though, she wants them to have a normal (by Indonesian standards) life. The story chronicles their struggles, needless to say nothing is normal about their lives.
The entire story is a satire. Kurniawan is exposing some well rooted mindsets that seem to have driven the country in ways that defy logic. He seems to be saying, this is why the country is the way that it is. This is how we got here. Not for the faint of heart. This story contains a lot of rape, violence, incest and subjugation of people in general and women in particular. In this world "Beauty" is a commodity coveted above all things. You'll have to read the book in order to understand the title. For me, a fascinating take on a culture I knew nothing about. I want to read more by this author.
4.75 Stars
March 30, 2017
Rijetko se meni dogodi da odustanem od knjige i ne pro?itam je do kraja jer si ve? nekako znam procijeniti ?to bi mi se svidjelo, a ?to ne bi... Ali, u ovom sam se slu?aju grdno prevarila (doga?a se i najboljima.. ;) )..
Isto tako, ?elja da pi?em osvrt i da svima pri?am o nekoj knjizi naj?e??e me uhvati kada me neka knjiga odu?evi.. Ove druge eventualno spomenem, u nekoj raspravi ili, ako me netko ba? upita za mi?ljenje o odre?enoj knjizi koja meni, eto, nije sjela... Ali, ovaj put ?u vam ba? napisati ...hmmm...ne osvrt (jer nije ok pisati osvrt na knjigu od koje si pro?itao 40-50str.) nego, recimo, svoje iskustvo... A mislim da to mogu, jer, nakon svog dugogodi?njeg ?itala?kog sta?a, imam pravo nakon nekoliko stranica zaklju?iti da li mi se knjiga svi?a ili ne.. Jer, bez obzira na sadr?aj (koji ?e kasnije mo?da postati super zanimljiv), stil pisanja ostaje isti..to se vrlo brzo uo?i..).
Dakle, rije? je o knjizi "Ljepota je njezina rana", indonezijskog pisca Eka Kurniawana... Knjiga je do?ivjela jako velik, svjetski uspjeh, osvojila niz nagrada, a NY TImes i The Guardian su je ?ak uvrstili me?u najzna?ajnije knjige godine. I ja ne ka?em da to nije zaslu?eno, samo, eto, po meni to ba? i ne bi bilo tako.. Ali, tko sam ja?! Ja sam iznosim svoje (skromno) mi?ljenje...
Po onome ?to sam pro?itala o knjizi kao i po sadr?aju knjiga mi je djelovala ba? super i tako je ja krenuh ?itati...E, a onda... Kuku lele..
?ak i to ?to po?inje time da se ?ena, nakon 20 god. smrti ustaje iz groba i vra?a svojoj ku?i (i nastavlja normalno dalje ?ivjeti, samo, jel', 20god. starija) me nije toliko zasmetalo, rekoh, ok.. Tako i tako u "blurbu" (tekstovi na koricama) pi?e da je ovo "fantazmagori?na epska pripovijest". Onda detalj kako ?ovjek na umoru dolazi kod prostitutke jer ?eli izdahnuti u njezinom, recimo, naru?ju.. ;) , a nema love pa joj za to daje svoju (nijemu!) k?erkicu (koja ?ak prostitutki napi?e "dajte spavajte s njim mo?e brzo izdahnuti) sam, ono, pro?itala i rekla, ajde dobro.. Ludo, ali ok. No, da vam sad ne pi?em jo? neke takve detalje, samo ?u re?i da sam odustala kada sam do?la do dijela gdje ?ovjek, koji je ludo zaljubljen u ?enu koju su udali za drugoga (bogatog kolonizatora- ovo je u stvari kritika tada?njeg indonezijskog dru?tva) poludi, ali onako fino poludi. Izme?u ostalog tako je lud da po?inje op?iti sa ?ivotinjama.. I kada sam pro?itala da je njegova majka morala ujutro zadaviti pet jadnih koko?ki koje su se tresle, a iz "?mara su im izlazila crijeva" (od silne "strasti" ludog sina), e tu vi?e nisam mogla.. Ja sam 'em vizualni tip, 'em sam jaaako, jaaako, "slaba" na ?ivotinje.. Tu smo se ova knjiga i ja rastale..
Znam ?to je nadrealizam i koliko je cijenjen kao pravac.. Isto tako znam da su, neke od karakteristika nadrealizma odstupanje od estetike i te?nja tome da djela budu provokativno neugodna, pa eto, ja bih ovo djelo svrstala upravo u takvu skupinu.
Ja vjerujem da je autor Kurniawan na ovaj na?in uspio re?i sve ?to je mislio, iskritizirati sve one povijesne doga?aje u Indoneziji koje je ?elio i da je upravo zato knjiga do?ivjela ovakav uspjeh, ali, ja svako toliko pogledam njegovu sliku na kraju knjige i samo mi do?e ?elja (ne ba? da mu ?estitam) nego da ga pitam, "E, moj, Eka, na ?emu si ti?". :)
Uglavnom, ako ste ljubitelji epske fantastike u nadrealisti?nom stilu go for it! Pun pogodak! Meni ova knjiga ide na listu "nije to za mene".
Isto tako, ?elja da pi?em osvrt i da svima pri?am o nekoj knjizi naj?e??e me uhvati kada me neka knjiga odu?evi.. Ove druge eventualno spomenem, u nekoj raspravi ili, ako me netko ba? upita za mi?ljenje o odre?enoj knjizi koja meni, eto, nije sjela... Ali, ovaj put ?u vam ba? napisati ...hmmm...ne osvrt (jer nije ok pisati osvrt na knjigu od koje si pro?itao 40-50str.) nego, recimo, svoje iskustvo... A mislim da to mogu, jer, nakon svog dugogodi?njeg ?itala?kog sta?a, imam pravo nakon nekoliko stranica zaklju?iti da li mi se knjiga svi?a ili ne.. Jer, bez obzira na sadr?aj (koji ?e kasnije mo?da postati super zanimljiv), stil pisanja ostaje isti..to se vrlo brzo uo?i..).
Dakle, rije? je o knjizi "Ljepota je njezina rana", indonezijskog pisca Eka Kurniawana... Knjiga je do?ivjela jako velik, svjetski uspjeh, osvojila niz nagrada, a NY TImes i The Guardian su je ?ak uvrstili me?u najzna?ajnije knjige godine. I ja ne ka?em da to nije zaslu?eno, samo, eto, po meni to ba? i ne bi bilo tako.. Ali, tko sam ja?! Ja sam iznosim svoje (skromno) mi?ljenje...
Po onome ?to sam pro?itala o knjizi kao i po sadr?aju knjiga mi je djelovala ba? super i tako je ja krenuh ?itati...E, a onda... Kuku lele..
?ak i to ?to po?inje time da se ?ena, nakon 20 god. smrti ustaje iz groba i vra?a svojoj ku?i (i nastavlja normalno dalje ?ivjeti, samo, jel', 20god. starija) me nije toliko zasmetalo, rekoh, ok.. Tako i tako u "blurbu" (tekstovi na koricama) pi?e da je ovo "fantazmagori?na epska pripovijest". Onda detalj kako ?ovjek na umoru dolazi kod prostitutke jer ?eli izdahnuti u njezinom, recimo, naru?ju.. ;) , a nema love pa joj za to daje svoju (nijemu!) k?erkicu (koja ?ak prostitutki napi?e "dajte spavajte s njim mo?e brzo izdahnuti) sam, ono, pro?itala i rekla, ajde dobro.. Ludo, ali ok. No, da vam sad ne pi?em jo? neke takve detalje, samo ?u re?i da sam odustala kada sam do?la do dijela gdje ?ovjek, koji je ludo zaljubljen u ?enu koju su udali za drugoga (bogatog kolonizatora- ovo je u stvari kritika tada?njeg indonezijskog dru?tva) poludi, ali onako fino poludi. Izme?u ostalog tako je lud da po?inje op?iti sa ?ivotinjama.. I kada sam pro?itala da je njegova majka morala ujutro zadaviti pet jadnih koko?ki koje su se tresle, a iz "?mara su im izlazila crijeva" (od silne "strasti" ludog sina), e tu vi?e nisam mogla.. Ja sam 'em vizualni tip, 'em sam jaaako, jaaako, "slaba" na ?ivotinje.. Tu smo se ova knjiga i ja rastale..
Znam ?to je nadrealizam i koliko je cijenjen kao pravac.. Isto tako znam da su, neke od karakteristika nadrealizma odstupanje od estetike i te?nja tome da djela budu provokativno neugodna, pa eto, ja bih ovo djelo svrstala upravo u takvu skupinu.
Ja vjerujem da je autor Kurniawan na ovaj na?in uspio re?i sve ?to je mislio, iskritizirati sve one povijesne doga?aje u Indoneziji koje je ?elio i da je upravo zato knjiga do?ivjela ovakav uspjeh, ali, ja svako toliko pogledam njegovu sliku na kraju knjige i samo mi do?e ?elja (ne ba? da mu ?estitam) nego da ga pitam, "E, moj, Eka, na ?emu si ti?". :)
Uglavnom, ako ste ljubitelji epske fantastike u nadrealisti?nom stilu go for it! Pun pogodak! Meni ova knjiga ide na listu "nije to za mene".
November 25, 2016
Indonesian History as Fact and Fable
"One afternoon on a weekend in March, Dewi Ayu rose from her grave after being dead for twenty-one years." Not your usual opening for a novel, is it? Dewi Ayu, formerly the most sought-after prostitute in the district of Halimunda, walks back to her house, takes a bath, and is reunited with her daughter Beauty, who she had prayed would be born ugly¡ªas indeed she most certainly was. After a few dozen pages, the action slips back in time to Dewi Ayu's childhood, her experience of being forced into a brothel by the invading Japanese, her postwar success in the business on her own, the various suitors for her hand, and so on, covering most of Indonesian history from 1940 to the present.
Eka Kurniawan is a good storyteller, and most of the episodes are interesting in their own ways. Apart from Dewi Ayu herself, we meet a variety of characters who are each a little larger than life, such as the strongest man in the community, or the young former guerrilla leader who wants only to retire to a cave and meditate. We learn folk tales such as that of the beautiful Princess Rengganis who, tired of all the men seeking her in marriage, decided one day to throw open her shutters and wed the first person that she sees. Some of the stories, such as the girls' suffering in the Japanese prison camp, are truly horrible. But the vaguely comic tone of the whole, whether influenced by the folklore tradition or magical realism, makes it difficult to take it all seriously, or even to sustain much interest after a certain point.
A pity, because I genuinely wanted to know more about Indonesia, and also enjoyed the fabulous tone of many of the chapters. But for me, those two elements worked against one another instead of combining.
"One afternoon on a weekend in March, Dewi Ayu rose from her grave after being dead for twenty-one years." Not your usual opening for a novel, is it? Dewi Ayu, formerly the most sought-after prostitute in the district of Halimunda, walks back to her house, takes a bath, and is reunited with her daughter Beauty, who she had prayed would be born ugly¡ªas indeed she most certainly was. After a few dozen pages, the action slips back in time to Dewi Ayu's childhood, her experience of being forced into a brothel by the invading Japanese, her postwar success in the business on her own, the various suitors for her hand, and so on, covering most of Indonesian history from 1940 to the present.
Eka Kurniawan is a good storyteller, and most of the episodes are interesting in their own ways. Apart from Dewi Ayu herself, we meet a variety of characters who are each a little larger than life, such as the strongest man in the community, or the young former guerrilla leader who wants only to retire to a cave and meditate. We learn folk tales such as that of the beautiful Princess Rengganis who, tired of all the men seeking her in marriage, decided one day to throw open her shutters and wed the first person that she sees. Some of the stories, such as the girls' suffering in the Japanese prison camp, are truly horrible. But the vaguely comic tone of the whole, whether influenced by the folklore tradition or magical realism, makes it difficult to take it all seriously, or even to sustain much interest after a certain point.
A pity, because I genuinely wanted to know more about Indonesia, and also enjoyed the fabulous tone of many of the chapters. But for me, those two elements worked against one another instead of combining.
June 1, 2020
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??????? ?? ???? ???? ?? ??????? ?????? ?? ???????? ??? ???? ???? ??????? ? ????? ???? ?? ??? ??????? ?????????? ?????? ?? ???? ?????? ?? ?? ??? ??? ???? ?? ???? ???? ??????? ???? ???? ????? ??????? ?? ??????.
?? ??????? ??? ??? ??????? ??? ??? ?????? ?? ????? ???? ????? ???? ??? ?? ?????? ?? ??? ????? ????? ?????? ??? ???? ??? ?? ????????? ???????? ?? ???????? ???????? ????? ????? ?? ????????? ??? ???? ????? ??????? ???? ????? ??????? ???????? ????? ???? ???? ??????? ??? ????? ????? ?? ??? ???? ?????? ??? ?????? ????? ???? ????|????? ??? ??? ??.
???? ?? ??????? ???? ??????? ???? ?? ??? ??? ??? ?? ?????? ?????? ????? ?????? ??? ???? ???? ?????? ???? ???? ???????? ??? ???? ??? ??? ???? ???? ???????? ?????? ?? ???? ??????? ??? ????? ?????????? ???? ?? ??????? ?? ?????? ?????????? ?? ?? ????? ?????? ???????????? ???? ????? ???? ???? ???? ????????? ??? ???? ???? ????????? ??????????? ??????? ???????? ??????? ??? ?????? ???? ???? ??? ?? ?? ????? ???? ?? ????? ????? ?????.
????? ?? ??????? ?? ???? ????? ???? ????? ?????? ??????? ????? ???? ?? ???????? ???? ?????? ???????? ?? ???????? ?????? ?????? ??? ???? ????? ?????? ?? ??? ?? ????? ???? ??? ???? ??? ??? ????? ?? ???? ??????? ?????? ???????? ?????? ???? ???? ?? ?????? ??? ????? ???? ?? ???? ???? ?????? ??? ??????? ?????? ?? ?????? ?????? ?? ??????? ??????? ?? ?????? ?? ???? ??????? ????? ?? ????????? ?????? ???? ??? ???? ???????? ???????? ????????? ??????? ?????? ??? ?????? ?????? ????? ?????? ?????? ?????? ?????? ??? ?????? ???? ???? ?? ??? ????????? ???????? ??????? ??????? ?????? ??????? ?????? ?????? ?? ???? ????? ?? ???? ????? ????? ????? ?????? ??? ???? ?? ????? ???? ?? ??? ????? ???? ??? ???? ?? ????? ??? ??? ?????? ??? ??????? ?? ???????? ??????? ???? ????? ??? ?????? ???? ????? ?????? ???????? ??? ????.
????? ??? ???? ??? ????? ?? ??? ????? ???? ?????? ??????? ??? ?????? ????? ?? ????? ???? ????? ?????? ????? ????? ???? ??????? ??? ??? ?????? ??? ?????? ????? ????? ????? ?????? ???????? ?????? ?????.
?????: ???? ?????
??????? ?? ???? ???? ?? ??????? ?????? ?? ???????? ??? ???? ???? ??????? ? ????? ???? ?? ??? ??????? ?????????? ?????? ?? ???? ?????? ?? ?? ??? ??? ???? ?? ???? ???? ??????? ???? ???? ????? ??????? ?? ??????.
?? ??????? ??? ??? ??????? ??? ??? ?????? ?? ????? ???? ????? ???? ??? ?? ?????? ?? ??? ????? ????? ?????? ??? ???? ??? ?? ????????? ???????? ?? ???????? ???????? ????? ????? ?? ????????? ??? ???? ????? ??????? ???? ????? ??????? ???????? ????? ???? ???? ??????? ??? ????? ????? ?? ??? ???? ?????? ??? ?????? ????? ???? ????|????? ??? ??? ??.
???? ?? ??????? ???? ??????? ???? ?? ??? ??? ??? ?? ?????? ?????? ????? ?????? ??? ???? ???? ?????? ???? ???? ???????? ??? ???? ??? ??? ???? ???? ???????? ?????? ?? ???? ??????? ??? ????? ?????????? ???? ?? ??????? ?? ?????? ?????????? ?? ?? ????? ?????? ???????????? ???? ????? ???? ???? ???? ????????? ??? ???? ???? ????????? ??????????? ??????? ???????? ??????? ??? ?????? ???? ???? ??? ?? ?? ????? ???? ?? ????? ????? ?????.
????? ?? ??????? ?? ???? ????? ???? ????? ?????? ??????? ????? ???? ?? ???????? ???? ?????? ???????? ?? ???????? ?????? ?????? ??? ???? ????? ?????? ?? ??? ?? ????? ???? ??? ???? ??? ??? ????? ?? ???? ??????? ?????? ???????? ?????? ???? ???? ?? ?????? ??? ????? ???? ?? ???? ???? ?????? ??? ??????? ?????? ?? ?????? ?????? ?? ??????? ??????? ?? ?????? ?? ???? ??????? ????? ?? ????????? ?????? ???? ??? ???? ???????? ???????? ????????? ??????? ?????? ??? ?????? ?????? ????? ?????? ?????? ?????? ?????? ??? ?????? ???? ???? ?? ??? ????????? ???????? ??????? ??????? ?????? ??????? ?????? ?????? ?? ???? ????? ?? ???? ????? ????? ????? ?????? ??? ???? ?? ????? ???? ?? ??? ????? ???? ??? ???? ?? ????? ??? ??? ?????? ??? ??????? ?? ???????? ??????? ???? ????? ??? ?????? ???? ????? ?????? ???????? ??? ????.
????? ??? ???? ??? ????? ?? ??? ????? ???? ?????? ??????? ??? ?????? ????? ?? ????? ???? ????? ?????? ????? ????? ???? ??????? ??? ??? ?????? ??? ?????? ????? ????? ????? ?????? ???????? ?????? ?????.
February 12, 2016
Let me get this straight: Beauty is a wound, because it fosters ill-will and causes chaos among men?
Because men are such animals?
What I don¡¯t want to do is look at this story with the eyes of a haughty modernist, because this is meant to be an epic, and anyway its universe is not set in the rules of logic.
But mannnnnnnnn, what is with all the zoophilia and raping and all the ¡®making love¡¯ and all those lol-worthy ghosts, and I cannot even be done with listing all the depravities in this book. It really does make me just close the book sometimes and just blink blink blink.
And yes, it was very much like A Hundred Years of Solitude. The prose this time is clean and efficient, and even funny at times, and I can see a real parallel between the women in both books. Ever the pillars, ever the survivors of a long storm.
I wanted to like this book because reading it was never boring, but I found the passion comical and I greeted every depravity with an exasperated sigh, so I¡¯m gonna go sit on a fence.
P/S: Fair warning, lots and lots of rape.
P/P/S: My friend recommended this book to me, saying it's a 'whole other thing', which I thought meant 'something real good'. So having read this now, I think I owe him a right smack.
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