German title: Ein einsamer Tod und andere ErzählungenIndonesian title: Mati Sunyi dan cerita lainnyaCok Sawitri’sstories shed light on the lives of modern Balinese people and the variouschallenges they face. Readers are invited to examine the Balinese psyche,mainly their essential need for balance between traditional customs andmodern-day life. But external conflicts aren’t Sawitri’s only forte, she alsolooks into people’s hearts.

German title: Die Rote Schüssel und andere ErzählungenIndonesian title: Mangkok Merah dan cerita lainnyaZen Hae’s stories focus on Betawi people –the original inhabitans of Jakarta. His characters, often presented in empathetic descriptions, are common people: scavengers, land brokers, traditional artists and the like; people whose lives and fates are constantly being tested in the face of massive development and modernity.

German title: Ars Poetica und andere GedankenstückeIndonesian title: Ars Poetica dan esai lainnyaThebook’s title, Ars Poetica, clues youin: the essays herein constitute a reflection on the art of poetry. With theirlyrical language, Hasif’s essays are practically poems in disguise. Hasifwrites as if in conversation with a friend for whom there is no need to lectureor show-off.

German title: Vollkommen und andere ErzählungenIndonesian title: Sempurna dan cerita lainnyaAvianti’ssensibility as an architect is evident in her writing, with all the featuresand spaces of the modern urban landscape. In these landscapes, residents rangefrom single women, housewives, children, prostitutes, to adulterers andjetsetters at a swingers’ party.