A post-colonial subversive

Since the release in the 1980s of Pramoedya Ananta Toers internationally acclaimed tetralogy, Iksaka Banus Semua Untuk Hindia (2014) has been Indonesias first and perhaps sole literary work that radically turns the national history upside down or inside out. As a piece of literary fiction, the anthology of short stories has earned the recognition it deserves. The Khatulistiwa Literary Award, Indonesias most prestigious literary body, selected it as the best prose fiction of the year. However, the book strikes me most profoundly for its achievements in three non-literary areas: a radically new perspective of history; a counter-narrative to the widely held view of Dutch colonialism; and a subversive critique of Indonesias hyper-nationalism. Ironically, the appreciative public has overlooked these elements within the anthology, which I see as perhaps its greatest contribution. To recognise them requires a leap of imagination. Examining the reasons why these non-literary achievements have so far gone unnoticed can provide insight into the dominant consciousness in contemporary Indonesia