Jazz, Perfume & the Incident: Novel

On November 12, 1991, the Indonesian military opened fire on protestors in Dili, East Timor. Hundreds were killed and accounts of this massacre sparked international outrage. In Jakarta, a cover-up began immediately and the Indonesian mass media was cautioned to tow the official line. Seno Gumira Ajidarma refused to do so and transformed documentary evidence into semi-fictional form and published it as novel. This novel is a triptych, the first two of which “Jazz” and “Perfume” should be easily recognizable to most readers but “The Incident” is a collage of documents on an event in Indonesian history euphemistically referred to by the same name.

• Seno Gumira Ajidarma, Author

  Having published more than 30 books since the 1980s, Seno Gumira Ajidarma is one of Indonesia’s most prolific authors. As a novelist, essayist, and short story writer, Seno’s work often both document everyday life and criticize contemporary social, cultural, and political conditions. His writing style is varied, ranging from reportage and realism to fantasy. Once asked whether his work is surrealism, magical realism, fantasy or postmodern journalism, he answered simply, “Call it whatever you want. It’s what I do.” In 2014, along with various journalists and communications professionals, he launched a blog called PanaJournal that featured human interest stories.

• Gregory Harris, Translator