|
|
Article: Descriptions of female sexuality in Ayu Utami's Saman.(Saman: A Fragment of the Novel Laila Didn't Drop by New York )(Critical essay)
- Article from:
- Journal of Southeast Asian Studies
- Article date:
- February 1, 2007
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2007 Cambridge University Press. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
Written by Ayu Utami, a young female Indonesian, Saman: Fragmen dari novel Laila tak mampir di New York (Saman: A fragment of the novel Laila didn't drop by New York) was published in 1998. (1) The winner of a literary competition held by the Jakarta Arts Council in the same year, the novel is about an ex-priest named Saman, and four women--Laila, Shakuntala, Yasmin and Cok--all of whom are in their early thirties. Saman describes women's sexuality openly, a factor which caused some controversy in Indonesia. The novel, however, is not merely a discussion of female sexuality, it also addresses issues relating to religion (especially Christianity), as well as political and ...