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Book Launch: Ground Zero–When the Journey Takes You Home

  It’s TODAY! The launching of “Ground Zero: When the Journey Takes You Home”. When it comes to most people’s mind, traveling is about going somewhere. But here, we will discuss the other part, the most important part, of traveling: homecoming. Today I will share my journeys on the roads of Asian countries, including the adventures of sneaking as a Chinese citizen into Tibet and the years of living dangerously in Afghanistan, until my homecoming to Indonesia to face the reality of home. The other speaker in this program, Noor Sabah Nael Traavik had experienced a roller-coaster life journey from the war-ridden Afghanistan, being refugee in Iran, until becoming a Norwegian diplomat. Both of us will discuss the meaning of traveling, seeking and finding, the conflict of identities, and home. This panel will be moderated by Nathalie Indry. So, we are really looking forward to seeing you all guys there in Plaza Senayan, today at 4pm. Have a nice journey! Friday, November 20th 2015 4-6 pm Kinokuniya Bookstore, Sogo, Plaza Senayan, [...]

November 20, 2015 // 1 Comment

Pre-Order Ground Zero (Autographed Limited Edition)

  Ground Zero: When the Journey Takes You Home After ten years wandering the world, Agustinus Wibowo has finally come home. He is now forced to face a reality that he has always feared. His mother is on the brink of death, as cancer ravages her body. Not unlike Scherazade who reads through one thousand and one tales over as many nights, the traveller recounts his journey to his ailing mother, who has barely ever left their little village in Java, Indonesia. He talks about the illusory homeland of China, the holy Tibet, the spiritual Nepal, the dramatic India, the struggling Pakistan, and the surviving Afghanistan. And along with these stories, his mother finally finds a voice to recount her own life journey. Fragments of their lives come together, two distinctive roads spanning time and distance only to converge, to become a heart-wrenching tale of love and survival. “Relating his travels to his dying mother, Wibowo beautifully captures the bittersweet experience of solo travel.  The excitement of discovery, the shadow of a changeling identity and the low-grade thrum of the road not taken combine to produce this lyrical journey through time and place.” –Elizabeth Pisani, author of Indonesia Etc.: [...]

October 21, 2015 // 3 Comments

From Zero to Frankfurt: The Translating Process of Ground Zero

The journey began when a mother is lying on a hospital bed, dying. The son who has been years living overseas finally returns. Realizing not much time left, the son sits beside her, reads his diary about faraway lands he saw. About their ancestral land of China, about the Himalayas, about the Pakistani desert and the warzone of Afghanistan. Along with his stories, the mother starts to recount her stories that have been buried for long. About her childhood, her love, her awaiting, her struggle, her God, her life and death. Two journeys set in two dimensions of time and place intertwine, and eventually converge. In the final days, the mother and son share a journey of life together. This is the story of my travel-narrative memoir, Titik Nol: Makna Sebuah Perjalanan (lit. Point Zero: The Essence of a Journey), published in Indonesian language by Gramedia Pustaka Utama in 2013. It received quite warm welcome from Indonesian readers. Some months after the launching, Gramedia asked whether I was interested to translate this book into English. At that time Indonesia has been confirmed to be the Guest of Honor in the Frankfurt Book Fair 2015. This is the biggest book exhibition [...]

October 12, 2015 // 0 Comments

ChinaNews 中国新闻网 (2013): 印尼华裔青年作家出版新著 讲述游历多国经历

4月20日晚,印尼华裔青年作家翁鸿鸣(Agustinus Wibowo)在泗水敦绒望商厦Gramedia书店举行《零点》(Titik Nol)新书发布会。来自泗水市和外埠的读者,及泗水华社代表郑菊花、何婉芸、吴萌暄和陈新来出席了活动。

发布会上,翁鸿鸣介绍《零点》是他的新作。之前,他已经出版两本书《灰尘毯子》(Selimut Debu)和《界线》(Garis Batas)。《零点》讲述当年他当背包族(Backpacker)游览中国西藏、尼泊尔、印度和阿富汗的经历。

April 25, 2013 // 0 Comments

Jakarta Globe (2013): Detailing a Nomad’s Return to Point Zero

4 April 2013 http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/features/detailing-a-nomads-return-to-point-zero/583242/ Detailing a Nomad’s Return to Point Zero By Lisa Siregar on 3:24 pm April 4, 2013. Category Features, Travel Travel writer Agustinus Wibowo has walked many kilometers and dangerous turns during adventures in Afghanistan and across Asia — a long way from his childhood days in Lumajang, East Java, when he used to chase passing aircraft. After years away from his family, Agustinus eventually returned home to read the stories he had written about his experiences to his ill, bedridden mother. These previously unpublished tales of his journeys to Nepal, India and Pakistan, as well as the conversations with his mother in her final days, are the main themes of his new book, “Titik Nol” (“The Zero Point”, or “Ground Zero”). “To lose my mother is the worst thing that happened to me in my life,” Agustinus said at the launch of his book in Jakarta. “But I keep writing, because it is a spiritual healing for me.” “Titik Nol” is Agustinus’s third travel book. He has already published “Selimut Debu” (“Blankets of Dust”) in 2010 and “Garis Batas” (“Borderlines”) in 2011. For Agustinus, the zero point means self-discovery, which begins when one returns home. The [...]

April 4, 2013 // 0 Comments

Lipton Indonesia (2013): Titik Nol-Makna Sebuah Perjalanan

20 February 2013 http://www.lipton.co.id/moodBooster/225/titik-nol-makna-sebuah-perjalanan Titik Nol: Makna Sebuah PerjalananPosted on 20 February 13 By Lipton | Books   Cerita perjalanan seseorang ke tempat-tempat yang jauh dari tempat tinggal kita memang selalu menarik untuk disimak. Banyak sekali buku yang menceritakan kisah perjalanan traveling yang membawa kita bertualang ke tempat-tempat yang ingin kita singgahi. Agustinus Wibowo justru membawa kita ke sebuah titik awal perjalanan, yang ia sebut sebagai Titik Nol. Buku yang ia tulis ini membawa kita ke berbagai belahan dunia dengan segala ceritanya. Dari Beijing ke Tibet, India, dan Pakistan dengan segala suka duka yang dialami oleh wartawan foto ini dipaparkan dengan detil dan menarik. Agustinus juga memberikan hasil jepretan kameranya yang memberikan kepuasan visual bagi para pembaca buku ini mengenai berbagai hal yang ia ceritakan. Namun berbagai kisah petualangan perjuangan yang ia ceritakan, ternyata pelajaran hidup yang paling bermakna yang ia dapatkan justru di sisi sang ibunda. Agustinus memberikan pelajaran yang berharga bagi kita semua, bahwa tidak hanya perjalanan berkeliling dunia yang menjadikan kita kaya akan pengetahuan, tetapi justru apa yang ada di sekitar kita yang jauh lebih berharga. Sedikit kutipan dari buku Titik Nol ini yang berharga adalah: “Perjalanan adalah belajar melihat dunia luar, juga belajar untuk melihat ke [...]

February 20, 2013 // 0 Comments

Third Book, Titik Nol (Point Zero) is Coming

Faraway. Why everybody is obsessed by that word? Marco Polo traveled faraway from Venice to the Mongolian Empire. The explorers adventured through dangerous seven seas. The climbers put their life on the line just for a few moments conquering majestic peaks. He was also overwhelmed by the “faraway”. The Traveler decided to get involved in globetrotting journey. He sneaked to the forbidden land in Himalaya, staying in mysterious Kashmir, and became witness of warzones and massacres. Started by a dream, flowing like a series of dreams, this is a journey of a traveler searching for a meaning. Until to the point that he had traveled very, very far, he was forced to return home, kneel down besides his mother’s bed. And from the story of the very mother who has never traveled anywhere, little by little he revealed the meanings of journey that he was missing. Paperback, 568 pages Published February 2013 by Gramedia Pustaka Utama ISBN: 9789792292718 edition language: Indonesian For the details of this book, please visit : http://agustinuswibowo.com/TitikNol ——————————————————————————————————————————————– My third book, Titik Nol, is being released in Indonesia. This book is so special for me. It [...]

February 7, 2013 // 0 Comments

Detik Minggu (2012): Garis Batas, Manusia, dan Kehidupannya

11 Maret 2012 Detik Minggu Resensi: Garis Batas, Manusia, dan Kehidupannya Garis Batas, Manusia, dan Kehidupannya Resensi Detik Minggu http://edisi.hariandetik.com/default.aspx?iid=60458&startpage=page0000014 BAHARUDDIN ARITONANG (pencinta buku) Apakah kemerdekaan membawa mereka menjadi lebih baik daripada keadaan sebelumnya? Membaca buku ini amat men­gasyikkan. Ibarat membaca novel, tapi sarat ilmu peng­etahuan. Seperti judulnya, buku ini berkisah tentang perjalanan melintasi batas lima negeri di Asia Tengah: mulai Tajikistan, Kirgizstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, dan terakhir Turkmenistan. Buku ini juga bertu­tur tentang pergulatan manusia di kelima negara yang dikunjunginya itu. Manusia yang bergulat mela­wan garis batas kehidupan. Agustinus bukanlah pelan­cong biasa, la lebih tepat disebut pengembara, yang di dalam buku ini mahir mendeskripsikan negara, suku, ras, kebudayaan, agama, jenis kelamin, bahasa, serta keanekarag­aman yang unik di negeri-negeri yang dikunjunginya. Melalui buku ini, cakrawala pengetahuan kita menjadi lebih terbuka bahwa ada negara-negara seperti disebut di atas. Negara-negara yang ham­pir selama satu abad tidak pernah didengar namanya karena tertutup oleh kebesaran komunisme Uni Soviet Namun, sejak 1992, kelima negeri itu termasuk yang mandi­ri sebagai sebuah negeri sendiri. Apakah kemerdekaan itu mem­bawa mereka menjadi lebih baik daripada keadaan sebelumnya? Buku ini merupakan kelanjutan dari kisah perjalanan Agustinus di Afganistan [...]

March 11, 2012 // 0 Comments

A Blanket of Dust—New Edition

My first book, A Blanket of Dust (Selimut Debu) is going to be republished with new cover and new photos, to be launched by Gramedia Pustaka Utama this coming 29 September 2011. [Agustinus] tak ingin hanya menjadi penonton isi dunia. Ia mau terlibat sepenuhnya dalam perjalanan itu. Ia tak sekadar melihat pemandangan, berpindah dari satu tempat ke tempat lain, tetapi juga mengenal budaya dan berinteraksi dengan masyarakat setempat. –Kompas– Afghanistan. Nama negeri itu sudah bersinonim dengan perang tanpa henti, kemiskinan, maut, bom bunuh diri, kehancuran, perempuan tanpa wajah, dan ratapan pilu. Nama yang sudah begitu tidak asing, namun tetap menyimpan misteri yang mencekam. Pada setiap langkah di negeri ini, debu menyeruak ke rongga mulut, kerongkongan, lubang hidung, kelopak mata. Bulir-bulir debu yang hampa tanpa makna, tetapi menjadi saksi pertumpahan darah bangsa-bangsa, selama ribuan tahun. Aura petualangan berembus, dari gurun gersang, gunung salju, padang hijau, lembah kelam, langit biru, danau ajaib, hingga ke sungai yang menggelegak hebat. Semangat terpancar dari tatap mata lelaki berjenggot lebat dalam balutan serban, derap kaki kuda yang mengentak, gemercik teh, tawa riang para bocah, impian para pengungsi, peninggalan peradaban, hingga letupan bedil Kalashnikov. Agustinus Wibowo menapaki berbagai penjuru negeri perang ini sendirian, untuk menyibak misteri prosesi [...]

September 17, 2011 // 4 Comments

TraxFM (2011): Selimut Debu

http://www.traxonsky.com/trax-guide/book/1054-selimut-debu Kalau mendengar Negara Afghanistan, pasti yang tertanam di otak kita adalah negeri dengan perang tanpa henti, kemiskinan, kehancuran, dan bom tanpa henti. Dengan segala ancaman yang ada di Afghanistan, negeri tersebut tetap menyimpan banyak misteri. Misteri-misteri itulah yang menyebabkan Agustinus Wibowo, penulis buku ini, untuk menjelajahi negeri Afghanistan untuk menyibak misteri yang tersimpan di dalamnya, dan petualangan itu dia lakukan sendirian! Buku ini menarik banget buat dibaca, dengan alur yang juga nggak ribet dan jalan cerita yang bikin kita penasaran akan endingnya. Highly recommended! [...]

February 22, 2011 // 0 Comments

My First Book, “BLANKET OF DUST — SELIMUT DEBU” is Launched in Indonesia

Finally…. after long time of editing and rewriting, and editing again, and rewriting again, (I already have lost count about the process), my first travel narrative book will be launched by Gramedia Pustaka Utama, one of the leading publishers in Indonesia, by January 12, 2010. This book is about Afghanistan, based of my travel around the country by hitchhiking in 2006, but the contents are enriched with my contemplation after my two and half year stay in Afghanistan as a journalist. The first edition is in Indonesian, but hopefully an English version will come out soon as well. ——————————————– http://www.gramedia.com/buku_detail.asp?id=KAHI4419&kat=4 Selimut Debu – Agustinus Wibowo 468 halaman Rp69.000,- Dilengkapi foto-foto berwarna. No GM 40101100002 ISBN: 978-979-22-5285-9 Pada tahun 2006, Agustinus mulai melintasi perbatasan antar negara menuju Afghanistan, dan selama dua tahun ia menetap di Kabul sebagai fotografer jurnalis—catatannya di buku ini adalah hasil perenungan yang memakan waktu tak singkat. Selimut Debu akan membawa Anda berkeliling “negeri mimpi”—yang biasa dihadirkan lewat gambaran reruntuhan, korban ranjau, atau anak jalanan mengemis di jalan umum—sambil menapaki jejak kaki Agustinus yang telah lama hilang ditiup angin gurun, namun tetap membekas dalam memori. Anda akan sibuk naik-turun truk, mendaki gunung dan menuruni lembah, meminum teh dengan [...]

January 6, 2010 // 34 Comments