The Rose of Cikembang: Novel

by Kwee Tek Hoay, George A. Fowler

First published in 1927, Kwee Tek Hoay’s The Rose of Cikembang is an excellent example of the peranakan literature of the Netherlands East Indies that flourished between the 1900s and 1942 when the Japanese occupation in Indonesia began. Highly sentimental, the novel is rich in many of the controversial themes that Kwee was famous for: interracial love and the lives of its offspring, fate and karma, mysticism and reincarnation. In pre-war Indonesia, Kwee Tek Hoay’s novels were loved by urban readers. The Rose of Tjikembang , his most popular novel, was filmed twice, first in the early 1930s and again in the 1970s.

148 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[Lisa]

Review scheduled for Friday 27th 2020 at 9.00AM at anzlitlovers.com
Will come back here and post the review after that date. Remind me with a 'like' if I forget!

[Philippa]

This read like a folk or fairytale to me, simple and utilitarian prose with themes of karma, destiny, fate, and in that regard I found it very interesting of it's time. However, the idea that two women could be interchangeable based solely on their looks and that a woman's virtues are mainly based on her obedience and subservience to her lover/husband, of course feels extremely outdated and grates against my modern sensibilities.

[Aqlamirai]

Mungkin penilaian saya akan agak bias, karena saya suka pada sesuatu yang dramatis dan suasana hati sayapun membaca ini dengan rasa sedih pula. Sebenarnya buku ini cukup sulit untuk dibaca karena bahasanya masih dalam ejaan yang lampau sekali, dimana kata-kata seperti "semingkin", "mendoesin", dan "sigrah" bikin bingung. Cuman, diluar dari itu, kisah yang dibawakan kental sekali dengan kesedihan, kesengsaraan, hingga romansa yang dibawakan dengan kata-kata halus. Karakter yang ada disini pun, serta alur yang dibawakan kadang membuat saya berdecak sendiri, kenapa?
Yang pertama, karena kagum dengan ketulusan dan kebaikannya.
Yang kedua, karena iri dan malu pada kesabarannya yang luar biasa.
Karya ini membuat saya memahami bahwa manusia yang berbudi mulia dan berikhlas samudera, walau tubuh fisiknya tak lagi ada di dunia, akan terus mewariskan manfaat pada yang masih hidup.

[Darcel Anastasia]

"If you've read this story to the end,
Pray do not reflect too deeply,
Let your tears now dry and mend,
And shed them not so carelessly."

[Maryati Dimursi]

Baca ini gara-gara ikut kuliah Kesustraan Melayu Klasik :)

[Kathryn Berla]

Interesting for its historical perspective but that's about it.