Kooong

By Iwan Simatupang (author), Harry Aveling (translator)

Kooong (which, in Indonesian, is the sound a pigeon makes-much like “coo” in English) was the last of Iwan Simatupang’s four novels. originally written for a competition for young adult literature, it is a simple, almost childlike, work, which nevertheless has its own unique profundity. much of the book is taken up by Pak Sastro’s comic search for inner freedom and personal authenticity, symbolized by his mute pet pigeon. the bird has no call. the background to Pak Sastro’s search creates a vivid picture of rural Javanese society and the communal values it upholds at its best.

Like all of Simatupang’s works, Kooong contains his crazy sense of humor, his fascination with the ridiculousness of death, and his enormous respect for the so-called lunatic who lives outside the borders of conventional society. the novel stands on its own two pigeon feet. It is both funny and serious. But you cannot fully understand Iwan Simatupang’s other novels, or his distinctive outlook on life and death, until you have read this book. It is a book for teenagers and adults alike.