Dewi Ayu grew up into a beautiful young lady that earned the admiration of everyone in Halimunda. Cognizant of their illicit relationship, Henri and Aneu eloped and when they had Dewi Ayu, they sent her to their father who ended up looking after her. Henri, two years older than Aneu, was Stammler’s son with his wife, Marietje while Aneu was his daughter with his native Indonesian concubine, Ma Iyang. Her parents, Henri and Aneu, were the children of Ted Stammler, a rich Dutch landowner in the fictional city of Halimunda. Twelve days following Beauty’s birth, Dewi Ayu passed away.ĭewi Ayu was no stranger to controversy, as even the circumstances of her birth made up for an interesting subject for gossipmongers. This scandal was not only because of the circumstances surrounding her birth but, Beauty, ironically, was a baby of grotesqueries, an anomaly in a family of four women endowed with great beauty. Beauty’s birth was the subject of scandal. Over two decades before rising from her grave, Dewi Ayu gave birth to her fourth and last daughter, whom she named Beauty.
It made readers wonder who Dewi Ayu was and why did she rise from her grave. This has has set the tone to the rest of the novel, easily piquing the readers’ interest. It was an impressionable opening line, equally as memorable and as compelling as some of the most powerful opening lines in the Pantheon of literature. “One afternoon on a weekend in March, Dewi Ayu rose from her grave after being dead for twenty-one years.“ It was this lush tapestry that Indonesian writer Eka Kurniawan laid the groundworks for his epic first novel, Beauty is a Wound. These influences, coupled with the nearly 350-year reign of the Dutch colonizers, make up for a rich historical tapestry. For centuries, it was a valuable part of various Hindu and Islamic dynasties which helped mold and influence its culture. It has a long history that is riddled with trade, colonialization, and power struggle. Within its realms is a multitude of races, a diverse mix of people, and a spectrum of colorful cultures.
Comprised of more than 17,000 islands, it is also the world’s largest archipelago. With a population of nearly 300 million, it is the world’s fourth most populous nation and the fourteenth largest country by land area. Nestled in between the Pacific and Indian Oceans is the island nation of Indonesia.
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