In the Name of Love (An Essay Poetry Book)
Atas Nama Cinta (Read: In the Name of Love: An Essay Poetry) is a book of essay poetry written by Denny Januar Ali and published in March 2012 in both print and web versions. This book consists of five long and conflicting chapters of poetry discussing issues of contemporary social dynamics that occur in Indonesian society.[1]
At the beginning of its appearance, this book has given rise to a new genre of Indonesian literature, namely poetry and essays, and is immensely appreciated by Indonesian literary figures. Literary artists also helped adapt this book into various forms of art and literature. In addition, responses were also given by readers from around the world.
The Author[edit]
Denny Januar Ali is the author of the essay poetry book In the Name of Love. Denny published this book in March 2012.[2] This book is published in both print and web versions. This book is the first literary work made by Denny since he quit the world of writing. This book clearly illustrates Denny's passion for giving something new and also sharing his life experiences, activism and commitment to fighting discrimination acts.[3]
The Contents[edit]
In the Name of Love contains five essay poems that examine discrimination in Indonesia; the subjects range from ethnic-based discrimination, an interfaith love story, story of a failed romance with a follower of the Ahmadiyah sect, the story of a gay santri, and the story of an Indonesian migrant worker who is abused by her boss while working in a Saudi Arabian household.
Essay Poem 1: Fang Yin's Handkerchief[edit]
The first essay poem, Fang Yin's Handkerchief, is mainly set during the post-1998 reformation period. Fang Yin is a Tionghoa Indonesian teenager who was brutally raped at the height of the anti-Suharto riots on May 14, 1998. After the house is ransacked, the family escapes Indonesia and seeks refuge in Los Angeles, where they try to forget the traumatic past. However, Fang Yin is mentally unable to relinquish herself from the tragedy she suffered. A decade later, she revisits the past and feels intense mixed emotions when her family decides to return to Jakarta. However, the sense of trauma is piqued by the news that her old boyfriend, Albert Kho, has betrayed her by marrying one of her best friends. Her main memories of Albert are a handkerchief that was soaked with tears and a few letters they had exchanged over the previous 12 years. The handkerchief was a parting gift from Albert, who had broken off his relationship with Fang Yin after finding out that she was raped. During her 13 years in America, she tries to sublimate her trauma. The unwarranted inter-ethnic hatred and violence her family had suffered from mobs (whose anger and frustration with Suharto had been misdirected against Chinese Indonesians) caused her to condemn Indonesia, the homeland of her youth, but she had also been deprived of her dignity.
Fang Yin's inner struggle culminates in burning the handkerchief Albert had given her so many years before, and thus she finally releases herself from her past suffering.
Essay Poem 2: Romi and Yuli from Cikeusik[edit]
This essay poem, Romi and Yuli from Cikeusik, is about the conflict regarding divergent religious interpretations in Muslim society. These irreconcilable differences affect and irreparably impair a romantic affair between two young adults, namely Juleha, a native Betawi woman who is called Yuli, and Rokhmat (or Romi), her fiancé. Their loving relationship is derailed due to differences in religious understanding. It is only when wedding plans are discussed that a terrible revelation is made: Romi's family are adherents of Ahmadiyah, a Shiite sect, that Yuli's father, a Sunni Indonesian religious teacher and community leader, abhors.
Their love is boundless. Yuli realizes that Romi had never asked to be the son of an Ahmadiyya administrator when he was born. Likewise, Yuli herself was innocently born into a family that was fanatically anti-Ahmadiyya. Yuli vacillates between her sincere love for Romi and the social reality that any member of Ahmadiyah would always remain her father's sworn enemy.
Although Yuli is finally able to appreciate the differences that separate her from Romi, her parents still insist that Ahmadiyah is a heretical sect whose teachings deviate from true Islam. Their love is forced to run aground. Sitting on her prayer mat, Yuli sobs and chants a poignant prayer.
Essay Poem 3: Minah was Still Beheaded[edit]
This essay poem, entitled Minah Tetap Dipancung (Minah was Still Beheaded) is about the suffering of an Indonesian migrant worker. Minah is a woman from Cirebon, West Java. Her husband is unemployed, and the small family is unable to afford the school tuition fees for their 8-year-old daughter, who remains unschooled. Eventually, Minah decides to seek work abroad, and the application fees for this require selling a rice-growing field that belongs to her parents. Minah is willing to do anything in the hope of improving her family's meager situation.
Minah becomes a domestic servant in Saudi Arabia; she works constantly for a married couple, and she never leaves the house. The husband takes a fancy to her and eventually rapes her. This intolerable behavior happens repeatedly and more violently. Minah's desperate situation ends one night when in self-defense she inadvertently stabs and kills her own employer in a society where she has no civil rights.
As punishment for her actions, Minah is sentenced to death by beheading. The ensuing dilemma involves difficulties in securing any legal protection through diplomatic intervention. This unfortunate situation is ironic because remittances from overseas workers are valuable to the Indonesian government, and desperate housewives like Minah are considered heroes in the foreign exchange market.
Essay Poem 4: Batman and Robin’s Forbidden Love[edit]
The next essay poem, entitled Cinta Terlarang Batman dan Robin (Batman and Robin's Forbidden Love), tells the story of the complex problems Indonesian homosexuals like Amir and Bambang experience. They have been carrying on a concealed relationship for many years. They are romantically involved because of the intensity of their close cooperation in carrying out their daily activities at a pesantren, a religious boarding school. Amir and Bambang are portrayed as being analogous to American superheroes, Batman and Robin. Both have philosophical significance.
The conflicts they experience in trying to maintain their covert affair are complicated, considering that they have to deal with strict religious doctrine and social stigma regarding homosexual relationships.
Amir is presented as a figure who is devout in worship but has an innate genetic predisposition that causes him to be sexually oriented toward other men. Despite following his mother's advice to propose to and marry one of the two women he knows, the marriage lacks any intimacy. Following the inevitable divorce, Amir still harbors feelings of love for Bambang and searches for him. However, it's too late; Bambang has already moved abroad and become an international gay activist.
Essay Poem 5: The Desiccated Flowers of Separation[edit]
This essay poem, entitled Bunga Kering Perpisahan (The Desiccated Flowers of Separation), tells the story of the problems faced by couples who love each other but encounter insurmountable obstacles due to the entrenched religious obstinance of Indonesian society. Dewi and Albert have to deal with the rigid beliefs of their parents, especially Dewi's parents, who strictly forbid Dewi from marrying a Christian man.
Dewi does not want to be called a disobedient child; hence, she submits to her parents’ demands and marries Joko, the son of her father's friend. Before the wedding, Dewi meets Albert, the man she truly loves. He gives her a box with red roses and a neatly rolled letter, which instructs Dewi to return the box to him in the future if she ever decides to live with him.
Dewi pursues married life without any feelings of love for her husband, Joko. A decade later, Joko dies without warning at a young age. At this point, Dewi recalls the box that Albert had given her, and she has the courage to return the box to Albert as he had instructed in his letter many years before.
However, Albert's mother unexpectedly delivers the box back to Dewi.
Responses[edit]
The publication of the essay poetry book In the Name of Love raises controversial conversations in the Indonesian literary world. The book presents essay poetry which is a new genre in the world of Indonesian literature. However, at the beginning of its emergence, three senior Indonesian literary figures appreciated it with full remarks written in the book's epilogue. The three figures are Sapardi Djoko Damono, Sutardji Calzoum Bachri, and Ignas Kleden. Sapardi revealed that Denny Januar Ali had created and offered essay poetry as a new way of writing that was useful for developing poetry in Indonesia. Furthermore, Sutardji considers essay poetry as “clever poetry” that contains data, facts, and arguments that make the readers smart. Meanwhile, Ignas argues that Denny's experiment, which deviates from the habit, deserves appreciation.[4]
The literary artists also showed appreciation for the essay book In the Name of Love. Hanung Bramantyo adapted all the essay poetry in this book poetry into five short films, while Putu Wijaya adapted it into the form of dramatical poetry reading. In addition, the essay poetry “Fang Yin’s Handkerchief” has been translated into Germany entitled "Das Taschentuch der Fang Yin" and being discussed in the 2015 Frankfurt Book Fair Discussion.[5] It is also adapted into a theatrical drama by Indra Tranggono, Isti Nugroho, and Monica Anggi JR. Responses also came from readers around the world.[6]
References[edit]
- ↑ Cantini, Cucum (2014). "Unspoken Dalam Puisi Esai "Atas Nama Cinta" Karya Denny JA". Bolak-Balik Bulaksumur : Bunga Rampai Kajian Sastra Program Pascasarjana Ilmu Sastra FIB UGM 2012. 1: 16 – via Fakultas Ilmu Bahasa, Universitas Gajah Mada.
- ↑ JR, Monica. "DENNY JA: A MODERATE MUSLIM VOICE ESPOUSING HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE WORLD'S LARGEST MUSLIM COUNTRY". Puisi Esai Network. Retrieved 2022-05-04. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Septiaji, Aji (2018). "Social Discrimination in Anthology of Essay Poetry Atas Nama Cinta Written by Denny JA". Doctoral Program of Language Education. 1: 12 – via State University of Jakarta.
- ↑ Bachri, Sutardji Calzoum (2021). Effecting Change Through Ideas. Jakarta: Cerah Budaya Indonesia. p. 175. Search this book on
- ↑ Andwika, Rizky (19 October 2015). "Denny JA talks about Tolerance at the Frankfurt Book Fair Discussion". Merdeka. Retrieved 2022-05-04. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ John, Robert (16 September 2019). "Voice of Indonesia-22 Poetry Books by Denny JA". Huffpost. Retrieved 2022-05-04. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help)
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