This short story collection contains 13 short stories by Ahmad Tohari which were written between 1976 and 1986. Like his previous works, in this collection Tohari stays true to his path and presents the village life as well as the daily struggles of the poor and innocent people. As what has been described in the “Foreword”, Tohari’s strength lies in the village setting which is rich with intricate details about the local plants and animals. Apart from that, Tohari’s style is clear, direct, and simple although his stories also apply strong metaphors and irony. Reading Ahmad Tohari is like finding the real Indonesia. For this writer, a simple way of living is a major key for happiness. He presents Indonesia’s real value against the surge of market demands and expectations. -The Indonesia Journal
Author
Ahmad Tohari is Indonesia well-knowned writer who can picture a typical village scenery very well in his writings. He has been everywhere, writings for magazines. He attended Fellowship International Writers Program at Iowa, United State on 1990 and received Southeast Asian Writers Award on 1995. His famous works are trilogy of Srintil, a traditional dancer (ronggeng) of Paruk Village: "Ronggeng Dukuh Paruk", "Lintang Kemukus Dini Hari", and "Jantera Bianglala" On 2007, he releases again "Ronggeng Dukuh Paruk" in Java-Banyumasan language which is claimed to be the first novel using Java-Banyumasan. Toward his effort, he receives Rancage Award 2007. The book is only printed 1,500 editions and sold out directly in the book launch. Bibliography: * Kubah (novel, 1980) * Ronggeng Dukuh Paruk (novel, 1982) * Lintang Kemukus Dini Hari (novel, 1985) * Jantera Bianglala (novel, 1986) * Di Kaki Bukit Cibalak (novel, 1986) * Senyum Karyamin (short stories, 1989) * Bekisar Merah (novel, 1993) * Lingkar Tanah Lingkar Air (novel, 1995) * Nyanyian Malam (short stories, 2000) * Belantik (novel, 2001) * Orang Orang Proyek (novel, 2002) * Rusmi Ingin Pulang (kumpulan cerpen, 2004) * Mata yang Enak Dipandang (short stories, 2013)
