Sastra wangi
Sastra wangi Sastra wangi is a label given to a new body of Indonesian literature written by young, urban Indonesian women who take on controversial issues such as politics, religion and sexuality. Initiating the movement was writer Ayu Utami's best-selling 1st novel, Saman (1998), a contemporary view of Indonesian society published two weeks before the downfall of President Suharto. Large numbers of similar works by young women have followed. The controversial label "sastra wangi" originated among predominantly male critics in the early 2000s to categorize such young, female writers as Ayu Utami, Dewi Lestari, Fira Basuki and Djenar Maesa Ayu. Feminist writer Julia Suryakusuma notes that reception of the label has been mixed. Those against the label argue that it demeans women, as if it "implies the authors are secondary and unintellectual, producing inferior works popular only because of looks and sensuality". Despite the controversy, the sastra wangi label...