Incestuous relations between brother and sister, the front sitting room as a domain of male power, adopting a disguise in order to be 'recognized': these are a few of the prominent and sometimes seemingly bizarre features of novels in the Javanese language.
Many of Indonesia's most accomplished writers are ethnic Javanese. Pramoedya Ananta Toer, W.S. Rendra, Umar Kayam, Nh Dini, Y.B. Mangunwijaya, Linus Suryadi, Arswendo Atmowiloto, and many more have drawn on their Javanese cultural roots, or in some way have sought to give expression to Javaneseness, but have written in Indonesia's national language, Bahasa Indonesia. Their reputations and the domineering power of the national language have obscured recognition of another group of Javanese writers: those like Poerwadhie Atmodihardjo, Any Asmara, Yunani, Raden Soelardi, Suparto Brata, Sri Hadidjojo, and many more who have chosen to write in their mother tongue.
This study traces the development of novel writing in Javanese and describes the main discursive, ideological, and semiotic features of the genre. More than a dozen novels are summarized at length. The book concludes with a trenchant analysis of the political factors that have shaped perception of twentieth-century Javanese literature.
The Novel in Javanese will be of interest not only to students of Indonesia’s regional literatures but also to those who seek an understanding of the Javanese factor in Indonesia's national literature.
George Quinn (1943) is senior lecturer in Indonesian language and literature at the Northern Territory University, Darwin. His principal research interest is contemporary popular narrative in Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines.