Set shortly after Indonesia’s independence, a moral of this story by Pramoedya Ananta Toer acould be the grass always appears greener…. A struggling Javan farmer leaves his first wife and, with a “delicious” long-legged, light-skinned younger wife in tow, moves to Jakarta for what he thinks will be a better life. Instead, illiterate and with no trade skills, he falls into even more miserable circumstances. Distanced from his new wife and with nothing to go back to, he finds solace in playing his ketjapi. Themes include dreams vs reality, urbanization, alienation, urban poverty, disillusionment, the soothing power of music.

If you will forgive the pun, this semi-autobiographical story by Pramoedya Ananta Toer has a “sting” in the tail. Although apprehensive, a young Muslim boy views his upcoming circumcision with excitement… both for the gifts he will receive and the houri (young maidens) who will serve him in heaven. Asked afterwards if he now feels like a true Muslim, his answer is “no”. And with no prospect of being rich enough to make the pilgrimage to Mecca, the thought of becoming a true Muslim never again enters his head. Themes include tradition, religious identity, pride/smugness, fear, socioeconomic status, disillusionment.

This story by Pramoedya Ananta Toer is set in 1930s Java. A six-year-old boy’s best friend, an eight-year-old girl, is married off to a seventeen-year-old-man. The naïve girl, who has no idea what marriage entails, is excited only because of the new clothes and make-up she will wear at the ceremony. Her family are neighbors, and for months afterward the boy is kept awake by her screams at night. A year later she is divorced, a tainted “woman” facing a miserable future. Themes include cultural tradition, innocence, friendship, child marriage, brutality, patriarchy, shame, compassion vs. social correctness.