Winarta

The novel "Winarta," set during the Indonesian War of Independence, vividly and disturbingly depicts the downward spiral of blind violence that the titular protagonist, a fighter for his own cause, becomes entangled in. Initially driven by the desire to avenge the senseless murder of his parents, Winarta's actions increasingly reflect his own colonized desires. "Winarta" is the one true continuation of Hella Haasse's novel "The Black Lake," which was published five years earlier – and it even surpasses it literary-wise. Alfred Birney describes it as "a fascinating novel about freedom and the thirst for murder, raw in tone and relentlessly honest. It evokes both trembling and admiration." Adriaan van Dis.