A lot of university students would create independent study groups because schools in general were useless. Some programs would avoid teaching Marxist theories because the 1966 ban on Marxism and communism had not been lifted. Many of my generation in the late 90s did not have this luxury. My advisor was feminist professor and activist Melani Budianta, and it was in college that I studied feminism, postcolonialism, and critical theory. I was lucky to have been educated as a student of the English Department at the University of Indonesia. There was music (we all grew up listening to Cobain, so having a super optimistic view in life was not the norm), an oppressive father (whom I later made peace with), and my formal education, which played a big part. These were the mantras of the student movement, and it coincided with a lot of things.
Intan: I was shaped by all the keywords thrown in the public sphere as soon as the authoritarian regime ended and the age of Reformasi (political reform) began in 1998: Freedom of expression resistance critical thinking. Norman: You grew up in the middle and the twilight of Soeharto's New Order. It’s a privilege to be able to talk with her. We all should be grateful for subversive writers like Intan Paramaditha.
And its "state ibuism," its glorified version of motherhood, which has domesticated Indonesian women for over 50 years now, is its most enduring "legacy". Recently there has also been a growing discussion about the return of the New Order, slowly rising up from its wide-open grave. It’s also quite timely, considering that in 2019 Indonesia will have a presidential election that might change everything. I’m happy that these stories finally come into its English-speaking readers. It asks us: what if the porcelain vase really goes shattered? The story speaks of a complicated Indonesian obsession with being “unscathed”, “pristine”, but also perhaps all the more: “virgin.” The story subverts those realities by making that allegorical comparison literal. It's about Yin Yin, a porcelain doll who gets shattered after an obedient cat called Sweetie nudges her. One of my favorite stories from the book is “Sejak Porselen Berpipi Merah itu Pecah”. I have been a long-time admirer and observer of her work ever since I read her first short story collection in 2005, Sihir Perempuan (Black Magic Woman, 2005). Last year in Brussels, I spent a week living under the same roof with Intan Paramaditha.
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