Perantau

In the village of the title story, going away to make one's way, merantau, is a duty for every grown man, and mothers routinely send their sons off with the words "Go, my son." The story asks what that wandering really means and what the wanderers hope to find. Other stories turn to social criticism in carefully built metaphors: the central government drains the riches of the regions, hardship drives a woman into prostitution, and children are weighed down by a lopsided school curriculum. There are twelve stories in all, first printed in Kompas, Koran Tempo, Media Indonesia, Horison and Padang Ekspres.

AI-generated summary

About the book

Form

Short stories

Length

130 pages in the original

First published

2007 by Gramedia Pustaka Utama

ISBN

9789792227352 (original)