Writing Worth Reading
Writing Worth Reading
Hardo is on the run from the Japanese who are occupying his home country, Indonesia. His revolt against their occupation ended in defeat unexpectedly, and after hiding for months in a cave, he longs to go home. He tries to travel back undetected, and the story describes the betrayal, disappointment and problems he encounters in the process. The novel is structured like a “wayang” (traditional shadow play), where the first couple of acts are usually slow, but then the drama speeds up right up at the end, ending with a rather violent denouement. It is the story of the colonial experience of southeast Asia.
The next book, The Fugitive, is less obviously about travel. Why have you chosen it?
One of the reasons I have chosen it is that Pramoedya Ananta Toer is probably one of the most important writers of contemporary times (although we don’t recognise him as such yet) and the best way to discover his genius is to read The Fugitive. The story is about travel within one’s own homeland. The hero and protagonist Hardo is displaced despite living in his own home country, Indonesia, because of the fact that he is a colonial subject (it is written at the time of the Japanese occupation); both his physical and mental space is occupied by the coloniser. Hardo travels within his own country, in search of home. The journey is internal, but nevertheless it is a journey towards a discovery.
And what happens in the book?
Hardo is on the run from the Japanese. His revolt against their occupation ended in defeat unexpectedly, and after hiding for months in a cave, he longs to go home. He tries to travel back undetected, and the story describes the betrayal, disappointment and problems he encounters in the process. The novel is structured like a ‘wayang’ (traditional shadow play), where the first couple of acts are usually slow, but then the drama speeds up right up at the end, ending with a rather violent denouement. It is the story of the colonial experience of southeast Asia.
Read full interview
Ziauddin Sardar is a journalist, author, documentary maker, cultural critic, scholar and travel writer. He comments on science, politics, Islam, philosophy, travel and the arts. He is currently editor of Futures, the monthly journal of policy, planning and futures studies, a commissioner of the Equality and Human Rights Commission of Britain, and visiting Professor of Postcolonial Studies at City University, London. His explorations of the Muslim world are documented in one of his more recent books, Desperately Seeking Paradise.
