author

On Journey and Reconciliation–A Panel with Yu Hua in Beijing International Book Fair

Back in 2011, when the first time I read any of Yu Hua’s work, I would never imagine that one day I would share the same chair with this great man. Yesterday, in Beijing International Book Fair (BIBF)’s Literary Salon, we sit together in front hundreds of audience, discussing about my book, Zero: When the Journey Takes You Home. We shared ideas about the meaning of journey, conflict of identities, search for meaning, and reconciliation. Yu Hua started with a story, quoting a 1001-night story about a boy from Baghdad, who went all the way to Cairo to find a treasure, but then went home to Baghdad to find the real treasure. He mentioned that the boy’s journey is not unlike my journey–that journey is about going out and returning home. We also shared much about Chinese and Indonesian identity. Raised in 1965, when many Chinese-Indonesians were forced to leave and had to return to China because of racial discrimination, he used to hear bad news about Indonesia. The image of Indonesia among Chinese people reach its worst position after the 1998 riots in Jakarta, and it has never fully recovered, until today. In fact, among so many visas in [...]

August 25, 2016 // 0 Comments

[Detik]: Panggung Agustinus Wibowo dan Yu Hua di BIBF 2016

Detik Beijing – Bermula dari Beijing, Agustinus Wibowo bermimpi ingin melakukan perjalanan ke Afrika Selatan. Ia pun melakukan perjalanan dari Tibet, Nepal, India, Pakistan, dan negara-negara lainnya. Di ajang Beijing International Book Fair (BIBF) 2016, Agustinus bersama Yu Hua membicarakan tentang identitas, perjalanannya menulis dan soal budaya dua negara. Penulis ‘Titik Nol’ itu membicarakan tentang identitas ketika dirinya lahir. “Saya dibilang orang Cina dan ketika saya belajar di negara ini, saya dibilang Indonesia. Sebenarnya saya ini dari mana. Karena itu saya mau mencoba menjadi traveler. Selalu ada pikiran yang baru di setiap tempat dan saya mencari Indonesia itu seperti apa,” ucapnya ketika berbicara di sesi Writer’s Stage di BIBF 2016, Rabu (24/8/2016). Dengan berjalan mengunjungi banyak negara, Agustinus keluar dari zona nyamannya. Dia menceritakan ketika turis asing dilarang bepergian ke Tibet, pria asal Lumajang Jawa Timur justru ke sana. Saat dia belajar jurusan komputer, dia juga tak mau hanya menjadi sarjana dengan lulusan tersebut. “Saya mau jadi jurnalis tapi kuliah nggak sesuai yang di mau. Tapi saya bisa motret dan menulis, kenapa nggak jadi jurnalis saja. Kita traveling ke mana saja dan bersama siapa itu nggak penting, yang penting adalah merasakan kehidupan baru dan orang lain. Dan itu yang membuat [...]

August 25, 2016 // 0 Comments

[Detik]: Diskusi Buku Agustinus Wibowo dan Yu Hua Perkuat Hubungan Dua Negara

Detik Beijing – Duta Besar Indonesia untuk Republik Rakyat Tiongkok Soegeng Rahardjo hadir dalam sesi diskusi ‘Zero: When The Journey Takes You Home’ yang berlangsung hari ini di Beijing International Book Fair (BIBF) 2016. Sesi kali ini menampilkan dua penulis kenamaan dua negara, Agustinus Wibowo dan Yu Hua. Dalam sambutannya, Soegeng mengatakan hadirnya untuk pertama kali Indonesia di BIBF makin membuka peluang pengenalan sastra Indonesia ke publik dunia. Sekaligus, mempererat hubungan antar dua negara. “Dengan adanya Agustinus dan Yua Hua hadir untuk memberikan cerita-ceritanya tentang dua negara dan pesan yang disampaikan akan menyebar ke masyarakat Indonesia dan Tiongkok,” ujarnya di atas Writer’s Stage di gedung China International Exhibition Center (new venue), distrik Shunyi, Beijing, Rabu (24/8/2016). Di diskusi ‘Zero: When The Journey Takes You Home’ yang terselenggara berkat kerja sama Komite Buku Nasional Indonesia dan Paper Republic ini membicarakan tentang pengalaman mereka tentang Tiongkok, baik personal maupun sejarah. Karya Yu Hua ‘To Live’ telah diterjemahkan oleh Agustinus ke dalam bahasa Indonesia. Sedangkan karya lainnya tengah disiapkan untuk segera diterjemahkan dan diterbitkan di Tanah Air. Seperti apa hasil diskusi keduanya? Simak laporan [...]

August 25, 2016 // 0 Comments

[BIBF]中印对话的桥梁 ——走近印度尼西亚作家、翻译家翁鸿鸣

2016-08-23 纸托邦零点——走向回归的远行作为将余华作品翻译引入印度尼西亚的第一人，如同余华成名作《十八岁出门远行》，翁鸿鸣也在十八岁离开家门，踏上中国的土地，开始了他背负祖辈多代人乡愁的寻根之旅。始于寻根的旅行翁鸿鸣的父辈身在印尼，心念故国。由于印尼过去复杂的政治环境，华裔在印尼处境艰难，他们在印尼被当作外人，始终无法融入印尼主流社会，遭受各种形式的歧视和排挤。对翁鸿鸣的父辈来说，回归故土是一桩萦绕心头的难了心愿。翁鸿鸣生于印尼从未到过中国的外婆，曾看着一幅中国地图流泪伤心，“我们原来中国是一个很大的海棠叶啊，现在就是一个鸡的形状了。”正是这份叠加几代人的牵念，牵引着翁鸿鸣在十八岁时离开印尼，来到清华读书，由此也开启了他十余年不停歇的旅程。来到中国的翁鸿鸣发现，真正的中国现实和父辈口中传颂的故国形象之间，有着巨大的鸿沟。父辈对中国的“所有记忆也仅停留当初第一批移民华人离开中国时的样子”，“当初对中国所有印象和概念都是一片片”，“印尼华人当初对于自己的‘根’只是一个国家的概念，没有那个省市村，就是中国，地图上的那个版块”。他回到的不是祖辈魂牵梦萦的故土，而是一片崭新又陌生的土地。 [...]

August 24, 2016 // 0 Comments

The Weekend West Magazine (Australia): Ground Zero Book Review

Page turners WILLIAM YEOMAN Like so many travellers before him, Agustinus Wibowo left home in search of something intangible —in the case of this young Indonesian of Chinese heritage, who had long felt like a foreigner in his homeland, a place he would feel welcome, a place he could call his own. “In my pocket was an Indonesian passport and two thousand American dollars in cash, and in my heart was the dream of a colossal adventure: to travel overland from Beijing to the furthest destination possible: South Africa. I believed that somewhere out there, when I reached the end of the long and winding road, I would become a completely new man. There would be happiness there.” It was July 2005 and Agustinus had already been away from home for several years, studying computer engineering at university in Beijing, spending his days and nights in pursuit of high marks. This, he decided, was not the life for him. It took him months to wear down his angry father, who had such high hopes for his son in “the land of the ancestors”, but when Agustinus finally received his blessing, he bought a train ticket, loaded his backpack and headed [...]

August 22, 2016 // 0 Comments

“ZERO” in Beijing International Book Fair

ZERO—When The Journey Takes You Home Sponsored by: BIBF Curated by: Paper Republic Co-organized by: Paper Republic, Indonesia National Book Committee Date: Aug 24th, Wednesday, 13:00-15:00 Address: Writers’ Stage, BIBF Venue Guests: Agustinus Wibowo, Yu Hua Join Yu Hua and writer Agustinus Wibowo in conversation about stories of the Chinese experience, both personal and historical. Yu Hua needs no introduction: from early works such as To Live, to the more recent blockbuster Brothers, he is among China’s foremost portraitists of modern Chinese society. Wibowo is an Indonesian translator and author of Chinese descent: his translation of Yu Hua’s To Live is already published in Indonesia, and Brothers and Chronicle of a Blood Merchant are forthcoming. At a young age he ventured to China in search of his roots and, finding China not at all as he’d imagined it, embarked on a ten-year journey through the world, which is the subject of his new book, Zero: When the Journey Takes You Home. Yu Hua and Wibowo discuss their authorial relationship, the similarities between China’s recent history and the history of the Chinese in Indonesia, and the role of the individual in historical narrative. “零点：走向回归的远行” 主办：北京国际图书博览会(BIBF) 策划：纸托邦（Paper Republic）联合协办：纸托邦（Paper Republic）、印尼国家图书委员会时间：8月24日星期三13:00-15:00 [...]

August 21, 2016 // 0 Comments

DETIK: Agustinus Wibowo Hadir di Beijing International Book Fair 2016

Detik.com Jakarta – Sukses di Bologna Book Fair dan London Book Fair pada Maret serta April 2016 lalu, Indonesia akan hadir di ajang Beijing International Book Fair (BIBF) pada 24-28 Agustus mendatang. Salah satu penulis kenamaan Tanah Air Agustinus Wibowo untuk pertama kalinya hadir di pameran buku tersebut. Penulis ‘Titik Nol: Makna Sebuah Perjalanan’ merasa terhormat dapat menghadiri BIBF. “Eksibisi buku ini membawa penulis-penulis dunia untuk mengunjungi Tiongkok. Saya akan hadir menjadi penulis Indonesia pertama yang tampil di BIBF, dalam salah satu acara dari rangkaian program Literary Salon bersama penulis kenamaan Tiongkok, Yu Hua,” ucapnya, seperti dikutip dari situs resmi Agustinus, Senin (15/8/2016). General Manager Gramedia Pustaka Utama, Siti Gretiani mengungkapkan rasa bangganya terhadap salah satu penulis yang karyanya diterbitkan oleh Gramedia. “Ini panggung yang tepat bagi Agustinus Wibowo untuk mewakili Indonesia, karena selain fasih berbicara dalam bahasa Mandarin, Agustinus bisa memperkenalkan literatur Indonesia ke pasar Tiongkok,” katanya kepada detikHOT, belum lama ini. Karya-karya Yu Hua juga diterjemahkan oleh Agustinus ke dalam bahasa Indonesia serta diterbitkan Gramedia. “Sehingga ajang ini juga bisa menjadi semacam pertukaran budaya lewat literatur,” tambah Greti lagi. Di ajang BIBF, Indonesia akan menampilkan 200 judul buku pilihan dan memberikan wawasan tentang industri penerbitan di Indonesia. Agustinus [...]

August 21, 2016 // 0 Comments

Pulau Imaji: Penulis Indonesia Agustinus Wibowo Hadir di BIBF 2016

Setelah keberhasilan Indonesia di Bologna Book Fair dan London Book Fair pada Maret dan April 2016 lalu, buku-buku dari Indonesia kini hadir di Stand Indonesia dengan lokasi E2F28 di Bejing International Book Fair (BIBF 2016) pada 24-28 Agustus 2016. Inilah kali pertama penerbitan Indonesia tampil di BIBF secara kolektif karena sebelumnya anggota penerbit Indonesia hanya hadir sebagai pengunjung. Selama lima hari pameran di Beijing, Indonesia menampilkan 200 judul buku pilihan dan memberikan wawasan tentang industri penerbitan di Indonesia. Indonesia akan menghadirkan penulis Agustinus Wibowo yang didampingi penulis terkenal Yu ha dalam acara ZERO: When The Journey. Takes You Home disponsori BIBF bekerja sama dengan Paper Republic pada Rabu, 24 Agustus, pada pukul 13.00-15.00 bertempat di Writers’ Stage, BIBF Venue. Dalam acara Introduction to the Asean Market yang digelar di EAST HALL 2, Rabu 24 Agustus, jam 14.00-15.00, Ketua Komite Buku Nasional, Laura Prinsloo, hadir sebagai pembicara yang mempresentasikan Indonesia “Islands of Opportunity” menjabarkan potensi yang dimiliki negara ini dari berbagai sisi: seperti demografi, ragam bahasa, kebebasan berekspresi, dan pertumbuhan industri penerbitan di Indonesia. “Kami juga akan mengundang Duta besar Indonesia untuk Tiongkok, Soegeng Rahardjo untuk hadir dalam program-program yang kami adakan,” papar laura di kantor KBN, Kementerian Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan [...]

August 13, 2016 // 0 Comments

Jakarta Globe (2013): Learning By Traveling

http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/blogs/agustinus-wibowo-learning-by-traveling/ Agustinus Wibowo: Learning By Traveling By Annisa Dewi Yustita on 1:36 pm November 28, 2013. Category Blogs, Cultural Musings Tags: Indonesia author, travel Villagers traveling on the truck in Afghanistan western provinces. The central route of Afghanistan connecting Herat to Kabul is unpaved for about 900 km. (Agency Photo) Traveling is more than just spending time in a particular place. On a deeper level it enables us to learn many things from our destination, such as the language, culture and its people. Agustinus Wibowo is an Indonesian travel writer whose travel experiences have taken him through Asia and the Middle East. He said that he was fascinated by the world’s cultures and traditions and was curious about how the world works despite its historical and cultural divisions. Agustinus started his journey going around Asia with just US$2,000 from his savings during his study at Tshinghua University in Beijing, China. When he ran out of money, he stayed for a while with local people and worked with them to collect money and continued his journey again. “I loved traveling from when I was a student in China. I used to be a homeboy and scared of going around [...]

November 28, 2013 // 1 Comment