Ordeal by Fire

Twenty-one stories, first printed in newspapers and magazines in Bali, Jakarta and abroad, by a writer who long worked as a journalist. They show a Bali that is not the black-and-white island of tourist brochures but full of grey areas and irony: a member of a noble house marries a commoner, villagers sell an old gamelan instrument, offerings are prepared, cleansing rites held and the rules of mourning kept. Told plainly, often with a twist at the end, they ask what the island's fame as a cultural destination brings its people besides prosperity.

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About the book

Form

Short stories

Set in

Indonesia

First published

2006 by Penerbit Buku Kompas

ISBN

9789791145282 (Arti Foundation, Indonesia)