Novel
The Weaverbirds
Burung-Burung Manyar
Y. B. Mangunwijaya · 1981
Synopsis
Setadewa, known as Teto, son of an officer of the Dutch colonial army and a Eurasian mother, and Larasati, known as Atik, grow up together in the circle of the Mangkunegaran palace. Under the Japanese occupation, Teto's father is arrested and his mother becomes the mistress of a Japanese officer to protect him; Teto, who swears to avenge them, serves the Dutch during the revolution, while Atik works for the Republic. They love each other, but history separates them until Teto returns, an executive of an oil company, to the Indonesia of the seventies.
Context
The novel was published in August 1981 by Djambatan in Jakarta and spans nearly half a century, from 1934 to 1978, from the colony to the New Order, crossing paths with historical figures such as Sjahrir. Teto narrates most of it, and the title refers to weaverbirds, whose rejected male rebuilds his nest, an image of Teto rebuilding his life. Often reissued, it was translated into English by Thomas M. Hunter as The Weaverbirds, published by the Lontar Foundation in 1991; no French translation has appeared.
Who it is for
To read the Indonesian revolution from the side of those who fought against it, through a love story.
Prizes and reception
The novel received the S.E.A. Write Award, given to writers of Southeast Asia, in 1983.