Beauty is a Wound

by Eka Kurniawan, Annie Tucker (Translator)

The English-language debut of Indonesia's rising star.

The epic novel Beauty Is a Wound combines history, satire, family tragedy, legend, humor, and romance in a sweeping polyphony. The beautiful Indo prostitute Dewi Ayu and her four daughters are beset by incest, murder, bestiality, rape, insanity, monstrosity, and the often vengeful undead. Kurniawan’s gleefully grotesque hyperbole functions as a scathing critique of his young nation’s troubled past:the rapacious offhand greed of colonialism; the chaotic struggle for independence; the 1965 mass murders of perhaps a million “Communists,” followed by three decades of Suharto’s despotic rule.

     Beauty Is a Wound astonishes from its opening line: One afternoon on a weekend in May, Dewi Ayu rose from her grave after being dead for twenty-one years....  Drawing on local sources—folk tales and the all-night shadow puppet plays, with their bawdy wit and epic scope—and inspired by Melville and Gogol, Kurniawan’s distinctive voice brings something luscious yet astringent to contemporary literature.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Magical Realism, Asia, Indonesian Literature, Novels, Historical

495 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 12, 2002

About the author

Eka Kurniawan was born in Tasikmalaya in 1975 and completed his studies in the Faculty of Philosophy at Gadjah Mada University. He has been described as the “brightest meteorite” in Indonesia’s new literary firmament, the author of two remarkable novels which have brought comparisons to Salman Rushdie, Gabriel García Márquez and Mark Twain; the English translations of these novels were both published in 2015—Man Tiger by Verso Books, and Beauty is a Wound by New Directions in North America and Text Publishing in Australia. Kurniawan has also written movie scripts, a graphic novel, essays on literature and two collections of short stories. He currently resides in Jakarta.

Eka Kurniawan, seorang penulis sekaligus desainer grafis. Menyelesaikan studi dari Fakultas Filsafat Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta. Karyanya yang sudah terbit adalah empat novel: Cantik itu Luka (2002), Lelaki Harimau (2004), Seperti Dendam Rindu Harus Dibayar Tuntas (2014), dan O (2016); empat kumpulan cerita pendek: Corat-coret di Toilet (2000), Gelak Sedih (2005), Cinta Tak Ada Mati (2005), dan Perempuan Patah Hati yang Kembali Menemukan Cinta Melalui Mimpi (2015); serta satu karya non fiksi: Pramoedya Ananta Toer dan Sastra Realisme Sosialis (1999).

Reviews

[Rowena · Rating 5 out of 5]

"One afternoon on a weekend in March, Dewi Ayu rose from her grave after being dead for twenty-one years."- Eka Kurniawan, Beauty is a Wound

This book has one of the best, most memorable opening sentences I've ever read. And it definitely set the stage for one of the most compelling and engrossing stories I've read in a long time. Over 500 pages of prose and I enjoyed every page. Even without having any knowledge of the history of Indonesia, I loved it.

Indonesia seems to have had a turbulent history of colonization, first by the Dutch, then the Japanese. I find the same theme in a lot of novels that focus on colonized subjects who become involved in proxy wars: confusion over what exactly is happening:

"Look," she said to another woman next to her, "they must be confused by two foreign nations making war on their land."

I'm always a fan of anyone who writes compelling, multi-dimensional women. This book traces the history of Indonesian-Dutch prostitute Dewi Ayu and her four daughters and their characters are written so well. It's a complicated family history, complicated even further by wars, colonialism, communism, independence struggles, and love. In addition, fairy tales and legends are mixed in to this funny yet tragic story.

I like stories that focus on small communities like this. Imagine being part of a community that you were born and raised in, one where everyone knows you and makes room for you because they know they have no choice but to put up with you since migration isn't a common practice. Something Elizabeth Alexander wrote in her "The Light of the World" has always stuck with me, something regarding African societies (told to her by her late husband) about how the village always makes room for everyone, including the mentally ill, and I saw that in this book; people adapting to each other.

Kurniawan is a great writer, really exceptional. I enjoyed the way he presented Indonesia's history in a fictionalized account, making it accessible, as well as interesting and educational.. I had no idea, for example, that Indonesia had a history with communism:

"Comrade Salim admitted that he was not a good Marxist, that he didn't understand all that class theory yet, but he was fairly certain that injustice had to be fought in any way possible. There are no Marxists in this country, he said, but there are plenty of starving masses, who work more than what they get for it in return, who have to bend their knees every time a big man appears, who know nothing expect that the only way to be free from all of that is to rebel."

I already touched upon the compelling female characters in this book. Cynthia Enloe wrote a bit about brothels in Asia during World War 2 and the Vietnam war and it was something I'd never really thought about before but it was interesting to see that although war is often in the masculine domain , there is a lot about the involvement of women that isn't considered or that is glossed over. We know women and children are always the biggest victims in war and this book at least lends some warmth and a richer narrative to the stories that aren't often mentioned, those that are seen as peripheral to the war. This line, "The colonel came to believe that the brothel built up his men's morale and was good for their fighting spirit...", reminds us of how women are used in times of war.

Indonesia as a locale for this story was interesting: the dichotomies of native Indonesian vs. Dutch, interspersed with some magical realism, myths, humour and wit, bawdiness, as well as great insights, made the story really come alive. Also, to me the history seemed to be very much like that of many countries where the needs of the people are quite basic, yet are still out of reach due to bad governance:

"Long ago he had heard an imam in the mosque talk about heaven, about rivers of milk that flowed at your feet, about beautiful ever-available virgins, nymphs, about everything being there for the taking and nothing forbidden. All of that seemed so beautiful, really too beautiful to be believed. He didn't need anything as grandiose as all that--it would be enough for him if everyone got the same amount of rice. Or maybe that wish was really the most grandiose wish of all."

Prepare to be shocked, outraged, and delighted.

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

**Content advisory for discussion of multiple rapes.**

My enjoyment of this book followed a kind of reverse bell curve, with a really weak back end. :( I started out really digging it--a magic realist family fable about a Dewi Ayu, a Dutch-Indo woman who comes back to life twenty-one years after she died (and after she gave birth to her fourth daughter, a monstrously ugly girl she named Beauty.) The prose felt solid and the voice was coming from an interesting, unusual place--the story had the feel of folklore.

I hung with it for a couple hundred pages, following Dewi Ayu through the early years of her life and the chaos of war, in which she and other Indonesian women were forced into prostitution (aka, systematic rape under the guise of "comfort women") by occupying Japanese soldiers. Rough stuff, and hard to read, but the narrative voice seemed to understand that these were war crimes, and that the women suffered--and the story still felt like it was following a through-line. Indonesian history, between the Dutch and the Japanese, isn't always pretty.

Then things got weirder. The story skipped around, visiting different characters related by blood or marriage to Dewi Ayu and her daughters, and while there was still some historical context (the rise of Communism, the massacre of Communists, power struggles through the 1960s and 1970s), the voice seemed to get repeatedly distracted by minor household stuff. There were some entertaining myths and some stories that seemed like retellings of myths, and they mostly wound back around again, sooner or later, to the Dewi Ayu clan--although I couldn't always tell why we'd taken that particular tangent.

About three-quarters of the way through the book, the story seems to fall apart. We drop into the lives of a handful of different men who marry Dewi Ayu's daughters or otherwise get involved in her family life--and Dewi Ayu herself disappears almost completely from the picture. Instead, we spent pages and pages dwelling on these men's obsessive lust-relationships with young girls, complete with meticulous, extended sex-fantasy descriptions of the girls' bodies.

And then we get tons and tons of rape. Men are tempted by women, obsessed by women, driven wild by their lust for women. (And livestock. One guy goes nuts and repeatedly rapes chickens to death, as well as countless dogs and kine.) They drug, kidnap, and rape girls and women, rape their wives...it goes on and on. Women get pregnant from rape, are forced to marry their rapists, die of pain and regret and rape. And the rapes are often described in bizarrely explicit, extended, almost blissfully pornographic passages that in any other context would be meant for titillation. Phrases like "make love" and "have sex" are used interchangeably with rape, albeit mainly through the perspectives of the rapists themselves. But honestly, it felt to me like the narrative voice also conflated these things at some points, or at the very least was playing fast and loose with the ideas.

I almost didn't finish the book, because...what the #$!*? The latter third of the book (or thereabouts) reads like a bizarre masturbatory rape-dream written by someone with serious sexual issues. I understand that colonization--the occupation and forcible exploitation of a region by a foreign power--is a kind of rape, although I take issue with the old-hat analogy of colonial occupation to actual rape of the female body. I understand the title of the book equates beauty with pain and injury. But given the execution, I don't understand what I was supposed to feel or learn from most of this book.

I was left feeling like the author had taken a promising setup and driven it down a gross, personal back alley for his own purposes--or maybe to be more charitable, had lost control of what he was doing and gone way off the rails (and no one, including his editor at New Directions or his female translator, had told him.) I didn't feel like the book ended with anything like a justification for the bizarre saturnalia it indulged in for so long, or like it ever adequately reassured me that it understood the distinctions between colonization and actual rape, or the problems of using graphic, extended, repeated depictions of rape to make a literary or political point.

This book started out feeling exciting and interesting and new. Somewhere in the middle it folded in on itself like a crappy cake, and by the end what I had was something I mostly wanted to spit out.

[Kevin Ansbro · Rating 5 out of 5]

"One afternoon on a weekend in March, Dewi Ayu rose from her grave after being dead for twenty-one years."

Now that's the kind of beginning that will grab my attention!
If you like the magical realism of Márquez (as I do), then this could be your cup of Colombian coffee - although it's set in Indonesia (I know. It's an idiom that I drove into a cul-de-sac).

Dewi Ayu, the village prostitute and local misanthrope, gives birth to a hideous little baby and dies twelve days later, without setting eyes on her unfortunate progeny.
There ensues a magical, folkloric riotous story that would be beyond the imagination of most writers.
Hilarious, cruel, bawdy, highly offensive and fantastically otherworldly.
I loved it!
Many will not.

[Viv JM]

DNF @ 40%

This is a very rapey book and I really don't want to continue any further, specifically after a scene where a woman, after being gang raped on multiple occasions, is then consumed by lust for her "rescuer". No. Just no. I get that this book is satirical and allegorical and symbolic, but still. The author doesn't graphically describe the rape scenes but there are just so many and I am really not convinced that they are necessary to the plot. It's a shame, because I really liked the beginning of this book - it has one of the best opening lines I have ever read - and I enjoyed some of the folkloric quality to the writing, but this kind of rape fantasy myth is just too far out of my comfort zone.

[Sawsan · Rating 4 out of 5]

الجمال فتنة وقوة وجرح
عالم من الحكايات في بلدة هاليموندا الخيالية
يحكي الكاتب إيكا كورنياوان عن اندونيسيا بين الحقيقة والفانتازيا
من خلال شخصية ديوي آيو التي قامت من قبرها بعد 21 سنة من موتها
ينتقل في المكان والزمان ويتتبع مسار حياة الشخصيات ومصائرهم
ويعرض أحداث وفترات تاريخية مهمة في اندونيسيا على مدى مائة عام تقريبا
لم يُفلت الكاتب خيوط الحكي السلس برغم كثرة وتشابك الشخصيات والأحداث
السرد مغرق أحيانا في الحسية والعنف لكن في العموم الرواية ممتعة
وخاصة في المزج بين واقع السياسة والتاريخ والأحداث الغرائبية والأساطير

[Nicole~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eka Kurniawan, said to be following in the giant steps of Indonesia's most famous author, Pramoedya Ananta Toer (known for his anti-colonial and social realism tetralogy, Buru Quartet), is a popular literary young blood who could be as heavily influenced by a host of literary icons. His novel Beauty is a Wound is a 20th century Indonesian historiography told in the rich folklore of her culture; in gothicism that awakens memories of Lafcadio Hearn's chilling Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things; in magic realism reminiscent of Gabriel Garcia Marquez's epic tale of Latin America, One Hundred Years of Solitude or Salman Rushdie's mesmerizing novel of India, Midnight's Children; and in the taut rendering of wartime atrocities, it is more explicitly a depiction of abuse and violence against women as similarly narrated in Mo Yan's hallucinatory novel of China's history, Big Breasts and Wide Hips.


Far off at the edge of the South Seas, lies the port city Halimunda - the Land of Fog, so named by the beautiful, mythical princess Rengannis who pledged to marry the first person she saw at her window...

But there was no one as far as the eye could see, no one except a dog who was looking back over his shoulder in her direction after hearing the sound of the window creaking open. The princess was stunned for a moment but, remember, she never went back on her word, so from the bottom of her heart she promised she would marry that dog.

The novel represents 'Beauty' in both binary and opposing stories of Halimunda - a hypnotic land possessively controlled for 3 centuries by the Dutch; savagely violated by the hands of the Rising Sun; betrayed and abandoned by her two-faced 'friendly rescuers', and left exposed like a carcass to be devoured by homegrown wild dogs known as aka; and the multi-generational saga of Dewi Ayu - an exotic beauty of Dutch and Indo mixture, abducted and forced into the role of comfort woman for the Japanese, eventually becoming the most intoxicating prostitute in the village. The 'demon seed' took root four times in Dewi Ayu's womb, the result was four 'beautiful' daughters.

I should open my own whorehouse....There’s no curse more terrible than to give birth to a pretty female in a world of men as nasty as dogs in heat.

Through the daughters' lovers evolve Halimunda's post WWII violent political and social struggles. In 'Beauty's' presence, they are irresistibly drawn in, but, like the creature in a Venus fly trap, to touch the treasure could be fatal, may be scarring and mutilating, excruciatingly painful, unendurable or gruesomely deadly.

In Halimunda (thought to be Jakarta ), Kurniawan explores and resurrects his nation's bloodstained past - her struggle for self identity in the aftermath of WWII and survival in the wake of Suharto's brutal genocidal massacre of thousands of Communists - blending with it Indonesian beliefs in the 'potent dead' who, thought powerful enough to influence the living, return as ghosts from the otherworld, for "the wretched don’t die easy" and ghosts have unfinished business; and so the commanding ghost of Dewi Ayu, rises from her grave 21 years after she died to contrast, it would appear, a mysterious and vengeful evil spirit - unknown until the last chapters - dead set to unleash its seething wrath upon her family. War, it seems, plays out on many realms in Halimunda.

Kurniawan delivers a compelling tale ripe with Southeast Asian folklore, supernatural horror and the explicit violent history of a region beaten down by the heinousness of war and a corrupt, murder-driven regime, urging the reader - who might otherwise equate Indonesia with devastating earthquakes or the explosive volcanic eruption of Krakatoa in 1883 - to be more informed of her political past. Kurniawan is already setting a blazing path and a brilliant future as a notable writer of Indonesian fiction, and has completely slain me with this novel of 'Beauty.'

[Lena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exotic family saga from the place hugely known as popular tourist destination. I love this kind of books. European and American authors have dominated for so long that anything from eastern parts can absolutely blow my mind. Indonesian culture and history is so rich and eclectic. I could barely comprehend this crazy mixture of superstitions, Islam and Mahabharata. Through five generations we witness country's bloody history. From the fall of white colonialism, WWII, communism till gaining independence. All just to finally break the family curse and end chain of deaths and suffering. The book is compared much to the One Hundred Years of Solitude, and I also recognized the style from the first pages. So you'll like this novel if you enjoined Marquez' book. But trigger warning: this story has very graphic descriptions of rape and sexual deviations.

[Perry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating Allegorical Tale of Indonesia f/k/a Dutch East Indies
If you like tales of political/social allegory, such as Animal Farm and One Hundred Years of Solitude, that exercise your brain, without overly challenging to the point of losing intrigue, the kind of story in which you delight in discovering (or trying to) the metaphorical meaning of actions, characters and things within, then I recommend you put this on your list of books to check out.

This brilliant novel reflects and criticizes the turbulent history of the world's 4th most populous country Indonesia, a country of more than 14,000 islands and of terrible tsunamis. Indonesia's native citizens suffered under three and a half centuries of Dutch rule, Japanese occupation for 3 years during WWII, the mass slaughter of possibly a million citizens after the failed Communist coup in 1965, followed by the despotic rule of Suharto for 3 decades.


Indonesia: Tsunami


1965 - Communists Being Led En Masse to Slaughter after Failed Revolution/Coup

Kurniawan tells the tempestuous history by means of an epic allegory which is, by turns, ridiculous, magical, hilarious and always captivating. The centerpiece is Dewi Ayu, the stunningly beautiful 3/4 Dutch and 1/4 Malaysian girl forced into prostitution in her late teens upon Japanese occupation, her four daughters (each with different fathers), their lovers and husbands, Dewi Ayu's 3 grandchildren, and the village of Halimundo, which is reminiscent of the village of Macondo in One Hundred Years of Solitude. Kurniawan also weaves in colorful, intriguing local folklore to make his points.


Suharto - Despot who Ruled for 30 Years

While the novel contains some scenes of the grotesque and of rapes, they did not seem gratuitous or unnecessary to reflect the tragedies befallen Indonesia and its residents.

It is haunting and has solidly stayed with me nearly 5 months after reading it. You can accuse me of being off my rocker but, I think this book is destined, 50 years from now, to be deemed a classic. Really.



Attempt at Representation of Protagonist: Gorgeous 3/4 Dutch, 1/4 Malaysian Dewi Ayu

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This falls somewhere between a 2.5 and a 3.5. When I first started it I thought I was going to love it. It had many shades of One Hundred Years of Solitude. There were many things I did really like. The historical backdrop of Indonesia was fascinating and I ended up googling lots of things to learn more about the history. A lot of this book is political satire which never really works for me. I found some of the characters to be fascinating and I loved their stories but in the end there was far to much "blah blah blah rape blah blah blah whore blah blah blah rape all the women etc" Oh and then there was the part where they killed all the dogs (yes I get the symbolism but no don't kill the dogs!) There were several places along the way where I considered a DNF. Despite my somewhat negative comments I am actually glad that I read this book and that I finished it. It's not a bad thing to a read a book that pushes you beyond your comfort zone.

[Brianna · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is so much rape in this book. I'm not necessarily averse to that but I have questions about how and why sexual violence functions as both plot point and constantly revisited method of characterization, as nearly all of the women in this novel - both primary and secondary- are defined and characterized by their brutal and repetitive violations.

The novel was often beautiful and really well written. I can understand why it has drawn so many glowing comparisons to One Hundred Years of Solitude, but unlike Marquez' book I think Beauty topples under the weight of its own ambition and its many narrative threads. I did not buy the ending nor the message the author seemed to underline as the moral heart of the story. It rang false to me, and, considering the amount of sexual violence and the emphasis on a certain type of femininity, left me somewhat disturbed. I can't really discuss it without spoiling the whole plot but this is a book that I feel like I would need to revisit or discuss with someone else in order to parse out my complicated feelings. Probably one of the books I feel most conflicted about that I've read all year.

[Repellent Boy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Normalmente, a la hora de dar mi opinión sobre un libro, me gusta empezar por dar algunos detalles de la trama, a modo de introducción para luego hablar de mis impresiones y las cosas que me ha hecho sentir la lectura. En este caso, me ha cabreado tanto este libro, que tengo ganas de pasar directamente a enumerar todas las cosas que me han horrorizado de “La belleza es una herida”. Por empezar por algún detalle bueno diré que al inicio pensaba que me iba a gustar mucho, ya que tiene un toque muy parecido al realismo mágico latinoamericano que tanto suelo disfrutar. También creo que la pluma del autor parece bonita, y digo parece, porque lo que cuenta me ha dado tanto asco, que me cuesta ser objetivo en este punto.

¿Qué nos podemos encontrar en este libro? Principalmente mujeres siendo violadas, eso es lo que más tiene el libro. Prácticamente todos los personajes femeninos que salen, y son muchos, ya que es una saga familiar, son violadas en uno o varios momentos. De hecho, la violencia sexual hacia la mujer y sus efectos se minimiza hasta tal punto, que parece que nos estén contando chorraditas y no las barbaridades que están ocurriendo. También nos vamos a encontrar una romantización brutal de la prostitución, además de otra romantización más, esta vez de la pederastia.

Uno de los primeros temas de los que habla esta historia son las mujeres de solaz, todas estas mujeres de diferentes partes de Asia, que fueron raptadas por el ejército japonés antes y durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial, a las que posteriormente violaban en grupo. Ya he leído unos cuantos libros que tratan sobre ese horrible hecho, algunos centrando mucho la historia en él, otros solo de pasada, y siempre he encontrado crudeza y realidad, pero con respeto y, sobre todo, empatía hacia las mujeres que vivieron algo así. Casualmente, todas estas obras estaban escritas por mujeres. No es casualidad que la primera sobre el tema que leo escrita por un hombre, Eka Kurniawan, sea la única donde encuentro una narración poco respetuosa, que invalida el relato de las mujeres que han sufrido y sufren esta violencia, y que incluso llega a tratar las agresiones sexuales como una cosita sin importancia.

Durante la primera parte de la novela me chocaba mucho ver una especie de desajuste entre lo que narraban las mujeres que eran violadas, con lo que la voz narrativa iba contando, quitándole “hierro al asunto”, invalidando la voz de estas mujeres y sus vivencias, e incluso, juzgándolas. Es una de las veces que más me ha chocado ver una voz narrativa que juzga tanto a sus personajes. No es un libro en el que pasan cosas malas porque sus personajes son malos, es un libro en el que los peores comentarios posibles son hechos por un narrador omnisciente.

Me resulta muy chocante ver tantísimas buenas críticas en un libro donde casi todas las mujeres son violadas en algún momento, donde se dice constantemente que la mujer bella provoca al hombre, o que ni uno solo hombre en la tierra, por bueno que fuese, podría resistirse y no violar a una mujer atractiva. De hecho, no solo todos lo personajes femeninos son violados, es que todos los personajes masculinos o violan a diferentes mujeres o se “enamoran” de niñas de 8 o 12 años. Y repito, todos estos comentarios asquerosos que tiene la novela, que son CIENTOS, son realizados a través de la narración. Es más, la historia tiene pocas escenas de sexo consentido, pero las pocas que tiene son descritas de manera escueta y rápidamente se pasa a otra cosa. Eso sí, las escenas de violaciones son descritas al dedillo, con un lenguaje muy soez, con símiles muy desagradables, e, incluso, con un tufillo morboso que me removían las tripas.

Y lo peor es como trata a las mujeres el autor. Hay cierto momento donde una mujer que es brutalmente violada en grupo, horas después se "tira al cuello" de uno de los protagonistas para mantener relaciones sexuales. Una madre casa a su hija de doce años con su amante de treinta. Hay otra que después de ser violada continuamente por hombre, acaba enamorándose de él. El autor llega a usar las palabras "sexo", "unión" o "follar", cuando está hablando de violaciones mientras nos narra la historia. Las mujeres son vejadas por los hombres durante toda la historia, desde la primera página hasta la última. Y también son vejadas por el narrador.

En fin, que no me voy a alargar más, porque es una historia que ni este tiempo gastado merece. ¿Peor libro del año? Sin lugar a dudas. Es una de las historias más desagradables que he leído en mi vida, y no porque sea dura, estoy acostumbrado a historias así, sino porque se normalizan y romantizan barbaridades continuamente, empezando por el mismo título “La belleza es una herida”. La mujer es violada “por culpa” de esta belleza, como bien se dice muchas veces en el libro. Los hombres son provocados por esta belleza y no pueden frenarse. Ni un solo hombre en el planeta. Ni uno. Valiente pereza de discurso rancio que tiene el señor Kurniawan.

[Missy J · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Beauty Is a Wound" is the debut novel of Eka Kurniawan, which was originally published in 2002. This is the second time for me to read a work by Kurniawan (earlier this year I read Lelaki Harimau). "Beauty Is a Wound” is a grand and quite over-ambitious satire. With the historic backdrop stretching from the end of Dutch colonialism of the Indies to the end of the 20th century, Kurniawan tells the story of an Indo (mixed Dutch-Javanese) woman called Dewi Ayu and her three daughters. The family is cursed and is struck by one catastrophe after another.

First of all, I think it’s important to clarify that this is more of a horror novel rather than magical realism. The first sentence of the book goes like this: "One afternoon on a weekend in March, Dewi Ayu rose from her grave after being dead for twenty-one years." But pay attention to what happens next. People are terrified and run away from Dewi Ayu. If this were magical realism, people would glance at Dewi Ayu and then continue doing whatever they were doing. But no! People are running away because it’s a nightmare. The reader is about to come across a lot of rape, incest, bestiality, murder, male chauvinism and even more rape! This book is not for the faint of heart.

I think it’s justified that Kurniawan present Indonesia's history in a horrific manner. Indonesian history is permeated with sexual violence. It happened during 300 years of Dutch colonization, what the Japanese army did to the comfort women (throughout Asia and which most Japanese still won’t recognize), the killings and rapes of 1965 (which the Indonesian government still won’t claim responsibility for), the horrific invasion and rape of East Timor by the Indonesian army, the violence and rapes against ethnic Chinese in 1998… I don't even want to get started on the multinational corporations and their trickery raping the soil and natural wealth of Indonesia. Kurniawan really succeeds in weaving Indonesia’s turbulent history into this novel. I loved his description of communist ghosts haunting the murderers.

Unfortunately, the chronology of the characters’ stories and development is somewhat sloppy. Better editing could’ve improved the narration. But I can forgive the author because he was only 25-27 years old and his second novel has shown that his writing improved.

Finally, I appreciate the psychology behind this novel. The reader is outraged, angry and frustrated with the many rapes and how women are merely treated as sex objects. But that’s what we should feel. When we are enraged by these actions, it proves that we are still human and sane. Most of these horrific crimes were never recognized and will probably go unpunished. The eerie thing is that many Indonesians stay mum about this part of history. Most people want to move on, because it’s too painful to talk about the past and most victims are ashamed. I don’t know what term psychologists use, but it’s important to talk about this so that the oppressors won’t oppress again. So, I thank Kurniawan for writing this novel. Beauty is indeed a wound!

[yun with books · Rating 5 out of 5]

BUKU INI GILA. SAKIT JIWA. EDAN. NGERI. WAHHHHHH. WOOOOOWWWW
Gak bisa berkata apa-apa lagi, dan mau nge-review juga bingung harus mulai dari mana.
Cantik itu Luka benar-benar membuktikan bahwa Cantik Itu Luka, cantik itu membawa penderitaan.

Buku ini bercerita tentang kehidupan nan tragis dari anak-anak manusia, menurut saya karma menjadi "tokoh utama" dari alur cerita di buku ini. Karakter-karakter yang kuat, tragis, sadis, mesum dan tidak bersimpatik menjadi kekuatan dari buku ini.
Dewi Ayu, Alamanda, Adinda, Maya Dewi, Si Cantik, Sang Shodhancho, Kamerad Kliwon dan Maman Gendeng.Semua karakter itu "sakit".
Alur cerita yang membuat dahi saya mengrenyit berkali-kali, BERKALI-KALI! 100 halaman pertama memang banyak adegan mesum, perkosa sana sini, sangat amat eksplisit. Tapi itu lah manusia, tidak ada beda dengan binatang kalo soal berahi.
Kehidupan Dewi Ayu, sang pelacur terkenal yang tragis hingga turun temurun ke anak-cucunya.
Kisah cinta tragis antara Alamanda & Kamerad Kliwon.
Obsesi Maman Gendeng terhadap Rengganis.
SEMUANYA SAKIT JIWA

Tidak lupa dengan tragisnya akhir kehidupan masing-masing karakter; Alamanda, Adinda, Maya Dewi yang semuanya menjadi janda. Kamerad Kliwon yang bunuh diri. Sang Shodhancho yang meninggal dimakan anjing. Mungkin hanya Maman Gendeng yg kematiannya tidak tragis, hanya seperti Yesus dan Yudas Iskariot.

Cantik itu Luka buku karya Eka Kurniawan pertama yang saya baca, dan saya ketagihan membaca karya-karya beliau selanjutnya. Historical fiction dalam buku ini kuat sekali, walaupun nama kota begitu fiksi, yaitu Halimunda.
Tidak heran kalo buku ini sudah diterjemahkan ke puluhan bahasa dan Eka Kurniawan digadang sebagai penerus Pramoedya. Saya suka sekali dengan karya sastra ini dan beruntung bisa membacanya.

Buku ini sangat amat saya rekomendasikan untuk kalian baca, minimal SEKALI SEUMUR HIDUP.

[merixien · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kitap, bir zamanlar Halimunda’nın en güzel fahişesi olarak ün salan Dewi Ayu’nun, ölümünden 21 yıl sonra mezarından kalkıp yine “güzelliğin” açtığı yaraları kapatıp işleri tekrar yoluna koymak için evine geri dönüşü ile başlıyor. Dewi Ayu’nun hayatının İkinci Dünya Savaşı’ndan itibaren günümüze kadar sürecini anlatırken aslında Endonezya’nın tarihini de takip ediyorsunuz. Endonezya’nın bir Hollanda sömürgesi olduğu dönemden itibaren, yerli halkın ikinci sınıf insan görülmesi, kadınların sömürülmesi, aile içi şiddet, iç savaş, askeri darbe, toplu katliamlarla dolu korkunç tarihiyle yüzleşiyorsunuz. Ancak yazarın büyülü gerçekçilikle kara mizahı harmanladığı kitapta zaman zaman kahkahalarla gülüyor iki sayfa sonra da insanlıktan nefret edebiliyorsunuz. Şiddet, tecavüzler, ensest, delilik, iradesiz erkekler, acı çeken kadınlar, kinci kötü ruhlar ve komünist hayaletlerle dolu yetişkinlere yönelik, sarkastik bir peri masalı. Benim Endonezya edebiyatından okuduğum ilk kitaptı ve çok beğendim. Bir aile tarihiyle ülke tarihini aktarması ve büyülü gerçeklikten dolayı Marquez’in Yüzyıllık Yalnızlık kitabı ile çok kıyaslanıyor ancak bire bir benzer olduğunu düşünmüyorum. Zira Yüzyıllık Yalnızlık’tan hoşlanmayanların dahi sevebileceği bir kitap bence. Kapak sizi aldatmasın, mutlaka okuyun.

“Çaresizlik içinde ‘Komünist mi oldun yoksa?’ diye sordu. ‘Ancak bir komünist böyle kederli olabilir.’
‘Aşık oldum.’ dedi Kliwon annesine.
‘Daha kötüymüş.’ dedi annesi.”

“Öldükten sonra hatırlanacağınızı ummayın” dedi, “inanın insanlar doğrudan kendilerine dokunmayan hiçbir şeyi hatırlamazlar.”

[Hugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this for a group discussion this month in the 21st Century Literature group, and I don't want to say anything that will preempt that discussion at this stage, so I'll try to keep this review fairly short.

This was the Javanese author's first novel, published in Indonesia in 2002. It is an epic magic realist story in which events in the small fictional coastal town are to some extent a microcosm of the history of Indonesia since the 1930s.

At its heart it is a family story, and at its heart is Dewi Ayu, a child of Dutch settlers who supports her family through prostitution. In the striking first chapter she rises from the grave after 21 years, and finds her youngest daughter Beauty, who was a baby at the time of her death, now a young adult. Beauty is the product of a wish, brought on by the tragic fates of Dewi Ayu's first three beautiful daughters, that her unborn baby should be as ugly as possible. After the first chapter we go back to Dewi Ayu's own youth under Dutch colonial rule, her experiences of the Japanese invasion that led her into prostitution, and the lives of her three eldest daughters and the men they marry.

The story is by turns funny and brutal, with many violent incidents, deaths and rapes. Supernatural elements abound - ghosts are everywhere and play a crucial part in the plot.

Not a book I would recommend to everyone without reservations, but overall I found it quite impressive.

[ESRAA MOHAMED · Rating 4 out of 5]

" في عصر عطلة أسبوعية من مارس ، وبعد موتها بإحدي وعشرين سنة ، نهضت ديوي آيو من قبرها "
عندما تقرأ هذه الجملة في أول فصل من رواية اعلم أنك بصدد عالم واسع من الخيال والفانتازيا فلا توجد حدود للواقع أو المنطق ..
الرواية من أدب الواقعية السحرية المدمج بها أحداث تاريخية وسياسية لإندونيسيا عن طريق تمثيله في بلدة ساحلية تدعي هاليموندا فتجد نفسك تقرأ عن الاحتلال الهولندي والياباني وحرب العصابات ومأساة الشيوعيين في قصة عن الحب والكره والعهر والأشباح والسحر والانتقام ..
اقتربت كثيرا من رائعة ماركيز مائة يوم من العزلة ولكن بطعم إندونيسي خاص فهي عن ثلاث أجيال من عائلة ديوي آيو وحياتها واللعنات التي حلت علي أسرتها من شبح ناقم كاره لنصف أصولها الهولندية فقد سلب جدها الهولندي عشيقته وقررأن ينتقم من نسله الباقي وهو ديوي آيو ..
في نهاية كل فصل يُفتح باب يعطيك مدخلا علي جزء آخر من المشهد ومن قصة إلي قصة تجد ترابط متينا بين أول وآخر كلمة وتكتشف لوحة متكامة ساحرة عن كل شخص وزمان ومكان كل حدث فكانت أشبه بضفيرة من الخيال والسياسة والتاريخ كلما سحبت طرفها انزلق طرف آخر في يدك فتجد نفسك في عالم يختلط به الواقع مع الخيال ...

منذ فترة وأنا أريد اعادة قراءة مائة عام من العزلة عندما وقعت في يدي هذه التحفة الفنية ..
إلي عشاق الواقعية السحرية أهديكم هذه الرواية التي قد ترضي شغفكم لعالم ماركيز ولكن بقلم كورنياوان ...

استمتعواا ..
دمتم قراء ❤️❤️❤️

[cypt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Turbūt pirma skaityta knyga iš / apie Indoneziją. Tuo svetimos kultūros vaibu tolimai vis ataidėdavo Jean Rhys ir "Wide Sargasso Sea", bet tik tokiu dekoratyviniu lygmeniu, nes čia nėra - bent aš neatpažinau - nei dialogo su kolonistų kultūra, nei didelės priespaudos.

Knyga visam įmanomam pijare lyginama su Marquezu (100 metų), ir ne veltui. Sugeba būti labai panaši į Marquezą (vietom net citatų lygmeniu), bet sykiu ir nesijausti gryna kopija ar mėgdžiojimas.
Pagrindinis iš panašumų - magiškas realizmas, čia sutraktuotas visai gražiai: jo nėra daug ir didžioji dalis jo pasirodymų susiję su mirtimi - žmonės tai, užuot mirę, išskrenda į orą, tai bendrauja su vaiduokliais (nužudytųjų šmėklomis), tai tuos vaiduoklius valgydina ar iš jų renka info, o kartais būna išvis atsparūs mirčiai, kulkoms ir kitiems pavojams. O dar - mirę grįžta kartu pabūti su mylėtais žmonėm ir atsisveikinti. Tai ne visai markesiškas mag.realizmas, bet gražus. Gal labiau primena visokias El dia de los muertos.

Kaip ir pas Marquezą, čia - vienos šeimos saga (nuo pradžios iki galo); tiesa, ji vienaplaniškesnė - susijus su vienos šeimos moterimis ir jų likimais, kurie galiausiai visi suvienodėja. Čia panašiau ne tiek į romaną, kiek į kokią labai išplėtotą sakmę ar legendą.

Kaip ir pas Marquezą, visas romanas persisunkęs ironijos ir linksmo, atsainaus tono. Nuo komunisto sūnaus, kuris pats tampa komunistu, o vėliau - smulkiu kapitalistu, iki draugų, kurie kasdien lošia kortom ir dalinasi rūpesčiais, bet galiausiai vienas jų be galo džiaugiasi gavęs galimybę nužudyti kitą. Ir tt tt tt.

Skaitydama galvojau du dalykus, nežinau, ar jie susiję.
1. Ant kiek šitoj knygoj yra visiškai easy pateikto prievartavimo. Jei kas nors susiparina - nubėga paprievartauja žmoną/pažįstamą/vaiką/gyvūną/šeimos narį. Jei dėl ko nors nesutaria ar kas nors įžeidžia - vėl ten pat paprievartaut. Galiausiai pagrindinės personažės prostitutės darbas ir likimas ima atrodyti pavydėtinas ir labai patogus. Skaičiau ir mąsčiau: kaži, kiek tas gali būti kultūrinis dalykas? Ar gali prievarta ir smurtas turėti tiek kitą reikšmę kitoj kultūroj, kad skambėtų taip...nebaisiai? Kiek tas yra realistiška? Mes šiurpstam nuo Lolitos, bet skaitom Kurniawan ir visai linksma. Nes juk visiems ir tikrai visoms (!!!) baigiasi laimingai. O gal Kurniawan - toks vietinis Tarantino (nenoriu sakyt Vėlyvis), kuriam smurtas - visai gera medžiaga, provokatyvi, sykiu ir bauginanti, leidžianti pasijausti didžiuoju subversintoju? Ką supratau - kad šito tikrai nesuprasiu ir, neturėdama ir tikrai neturėsianti platesnio konteksto, turbūt šitos knygos atžvilgiu liksiu tik egzotinių iškamšų muziejaus apžiūrinėtoja.

2. Ar magiškasis realizmas nėra kažkoks postkolonializmo dalykas? T. y. ar tai nėra tokia ne tik šiaip simpatiška ir linksma, bet ir šiokia tokia savisauginė strategija? Tokia anti-mimikrija. Dar labiau save suegzotini ir tampi toks įdomus ir egzotiškas. Galvodama apie tai ir apie tiek daugelį panašumų į Marquezą, prisiminiau, kaip univere viena dėstytoja analizuodavo Almodovaro filmą ir baigdavo išvada: "tai receptas, kaip sukurti šedevrą, laimėsiantį visokius apdovanojimus". Ar Marquezas, magiškas realizmas+egzotika = toks pat receptas? Nežinau, gal ne. Bet kažkoks tolimas jausmas, kad čia kažkas maždaug tokio, man liko.

Šiaip knygą skaityt, man atrodo, verta, ji savotiška, galinti sunervuot, vietom plokštoka, o vietom graži, simpatiška muilo opera. Vertimas labai žodingas ir gražus.
Kalbant apie vertimą - JIS DARYTAS IŠ ANGLŲ, nors originalas nėra angliškas. Suprantu, kad LT nėra turbūt daug originalo kalbos žinov(i)ų... Ir, matyt, taip neretai daroma, jei buvo su agentais susitarta, nusipirktos autorinės, ir tt. (Plius angliškasis vertimas visoks toks premijuotas.) Bet..nžn. Ar nereikia to kažkaip aiškiau pažymėti, aiškiau aptarti? Ar tik man vienai atrodo čia biški feikas? Gal prisigalvoju. Bet kažkaip užsijautrinau, galvodama apie visas kolonijines saviegzotizavimo praktikas, kurių kontekste tas gal atsitiktinai, bet vis tiek truputį ironiškai atrodo.

[hans · Rating 5 out of 5]

Novel yang aneh dan gila. (mengucap panjang)
Aku tak gemar sangat baca benda-benda berkait hal perang, pemberontakan, komunisme apatah lagi hal pelacuran tapi jalan cerita buku ini disusun sungguh rapi dan teratur menjadikan ia satu bacaan yang tidak membosankan. Penulis sangat pandai mengolah setiap watak sehingga setiap watak dan karakter di buku ini sama penting dengan Dewi Ayu. Dari kisah Maman Gendeng ke Sang Sodancho terus ke Kamerad Kliwon juga perihal anak-anak Dewi Ayu sendiri malah sehingga ke cucu-cucunya- penulis sungguh teliti dan bijak mengemas alur cerita sehingga aku rasa buku ini tak perlukan seorang editor.

Recommended- walau endingnya pada aku kurang memuaskan, tapi ada pengajaran juga ya!

[Cher 'N Books · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 stars - I didn't like it.

After an incredible opening paragraph, this one has begun to just disappoint and bore. DNF'ing around 75 pages / 15% in. I have had my fill of rape, incest and bestiality and am choosing to move on to another book on my never-ending TBR list. This one's just not for me.

-------------------------------------------
First Sentence: One afternoon on a weekend in March, Dewi Ayu rose from her grave after being dead for twenty-one years.

[I. Mónica del P Pinzon Verano · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 estrellas

Una lectura que tenía que hacer con urgencia. No recuerdo cómo me llegó este título del cual ni siquiera hice el intento de desprenderme. “La Belleza es una Herida” para mi es de los títulos más seductores que he podido encontrar para una novela. Sentí que era un asunto prioritario leerla, y más cuando su autor Eka Kurniawan es de Indonesia, un país lejano y cuya literatura es territorio virgen para mí. Desde luego, también estaba el tema del género “realismo mágico”, más cuando ha sido comparada con “Cien Años de Soledad”.

La historia se desarrolla en una ciudad de la misma naturaleza de Macondo, Halimunda; y cuenta a través de las historias personales de las mujeres de una misma estirpe el paso de la violencia en Indonesia con sus diferentes actores; desde antes de la primera guerra mundial, hasta los noventa. El contenido histórico, es una promesa que hace E. Kurniawan en su preludio:

…”Dewy Ayu y sus hijas volvieron a ver la brutalidad de la que era capaz el hombre , vieron las calles de su pueblo convertidas en ríos de sangre y los ríos en fosas comunes.
Esta es la historia de nuestro país. Una historia de fantasmas…Pasen y disfruten”.

Y la novela arranca con uno de los mejores intros que he leído; la resurrección de Dewy Ayu, su protagonista:

“Una tarde, un fin de semana de marzo, Dewy Ayu se levantó de su tumba tras haber pasado veintiún años muerta” …

Y ya con esto para mí la novela tiene un despliegue épico, y pese a que parezca difícil, el ritmo y la solvencia no decaen. A mi juicio E. Kurniawan da lecciones soberbias de movimiento, fluidez, buena escritura y de creatividad. Nunca me aburrí, la novela es una mezcla de ingenio, violencia, humor, romance, mitología, ocultismo y fantasías. Pero esto no es suficiente para sostener esta historia.
El autor, al igual que en otras novelas de realismo mágico Latinoamericano (La casa de los espíritus, como agua para chocolate, cien años de soledad), le da voz y protagonismo a la mujer, siendo esta la que conduce la historia no de una forma pasiva, sino desafiando las normas sociales y teniendo una posición concreta ante la realidad que las rodea. Adicional a esto, en “La Belleza es una Herida”, la mujer es objeto de la violencia, no solo de la guerra sino también de los efectos colaterales de la misma, y así mismo se expresa. Concretamente “la mujer” son las mujeres de una estirpe familiar maldita, bellas, bellísimas, sobrenaturalmente hermosas, que no llegan a ser felices. Si bien, todas tienen participación en la novela, Dewi Ayu (quien me recordó a Pilatos de La Canción de Salomón de Tony Morrison), la prostituta más bella es la que lleva la batuta en la novela; no solo por ser la que empieza a narrar o la que termina el relato, sino porque con el paso de las páginas parece un fantasma omnipresente, que todo lo sabe. Y es que Dewy Ayu, resulta un personaje resabiado y mañoso, es la testigo, es la contadora, pero en su forma no se distancia de los otros personajes. Porque así son los demás personajes, parcos, mañosos y resabiados, los cuales no expresan emoción ni llevan al lector a la misma, generan más bien distancia. Y está todo lo demás…están los conflictos y las muertes en Indonesia, pero solo como parte de la ambientación de la novela, lo que creí que me iba a contar el autor se diluyó en el paso del tiempo y de las situaciones/representaciones fantásticas que tiene el libro por doquier. Porque es como escribí anteriormente, el libro está lleno de ocurrencias muy ingeniosas y creativas, pero su espectacularidad termina en mucho ruido, están bien integradas en la novela pero no logré integrarme yo a ellas, o verlas como algo maravilloso; más bien, llegue a asociarlas con una estrategia publicitaria…así de abrumadora puede ser la situación.
Si bien, esta novela se ambienta en un contexto histórico-social, tiene ficciones (lo sobrenatural lo percibo más como fantasias u ocurrencias, no como una realidad mágica) y evoca la mitología ancestral, no puedo ubicarla dentro del realismo mágico. Es cierto, no puedo definir el realismo mágico, pero otra verdad es que no puedo compararla con Cien Años de Soledad o La Casa de los Espíritus; más bien si encuentro similitud con el realismo mágico de Tony Morrison.


La lectura de este libro me deja inquietudes, como si será que estamos ante diferentes matices de lo que se llama el realismo mágico o si el realismo mágico también evoluciona ó está en plena evolución (?). Otra inquietud que me deja el libro es la obvia ¿por qué la belleza es una herida? No creo que Eka Kurniawan sea un tipo machista o misogeno, incluso estoy segura que no fue su intención; pero al final del libro el mensaje que llega a mí, es que la belleza es una herida porque las mujeres bellas son las que sufren, o por lo menos las que más.

Al terminar estas líneas no sé si tuve equilibrio entre lo subjetivo y lo objetivo, o si estaré siendo maniquea. El caso, es que si bien no termino de encajar en esta realidad de La Belleza es una Herida, me parece importante que la novela sea leída porque Indonesia es un país al que casi no recurrimos para leer y porque me gustaría conocer mas apreciaciones de este libro, porque eso si, el libro es múltiple en lecturas e interpretaciones, y eso me parece valioso.

[Marianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

“It’s true that oppressed people only have one tool of resistance: run amok. And if I have to tell you, revolution is nothing more than a collective running amok, organized by one particular party”

Beauty is a Wound is one of only two (so far) works by Indonesian journalist, writer and designer, Eka Kurniawan that have been translated into English. Twelve days after she gave birth to her fourth daughter (ironically named Beauty), Dewi Ayu, even at fifty-two still the most beautiful and desired prostitute in the Javan city of Halimunda, wrapped herself in a burial shroud and died. Twenty-one years later, she rose from grave, to the shock of the neighbourhood. Her reasons for doing so were not immediately apparent.

Kurniawan’s epic tale extends over almost a century and, against the backdrop of Dutch Colonial days and the Japanese wartime occupation through the struggles for independence to the modern day, tells the story of an extended Indonesian family: births, marriages, deaths and everything in between. There is plenty of humour and some sweet romance, but this family (like many in Indonesia) also suffers its share of tragedies, or perhaps even moreso. There is quite a lot of violence, again an accurate reflection of life in those times in that country: rapes, massacres, murders and beatings are described in a very matter-of-fact style.

Kurniawan’s tale demonstrates how corruption, propaganda, the power of petty despots, the impotence of the Police force and control of the media are all accepted aspects of everyday life in Indonesia. The attitude of those petty despots is summarised thus: “’Comrade Kliwon … is quite sympathetic and works hard to remedy the misfortunes of others….sometimes I think he’s the only person in this city who looks toward the future with hope.’ ‘That’s what communists are like. Pathetic people who don’t realise this world is destined to be the most rotten place imaginable. That’s the only reason God promised heaven, as a comfort to the wretched masses’”

This is a rambling story that is certainly reminiscent of Garcia Marquez and Rushdie, although, while Rushdie tends to never use two words when three or five will do, Kurniawan is much more succinct. Some elements of the supernatural feature: mainly ghosts and channelling of the dead, and of course, folklore and superstition are commonplace. The prose is quite basic, the dialogue often rather earthy: it is easy to read; a background knowledge of Indonesian history and politics is helpful, but not essential. Translation of this impressive work from the Indonesian has been achieved by Annie Tucker. An original and thought-provoking read. 4.5★s

[Midori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Không có tai họa nào kinh khủng hơn là sinh ra đứa con gái xinh đẹp trong một thế giới của những gã đàn ông dâm dục như bọn chó đang động cỡn

-- Cô cần đặt cho con bé một cái tên hay
-- "À," Dewi Ayu nói. "Tên nó là Đẹp."
-- "Ồ!" mọi người kêu lên, bối rối tìm cách khuyên can bà . "Thế còn tên Nỗi Đau thì sao?"
-- "Thôi Nào, tên con bé là Đẹp."

Họ bất lực nhìn theo khi Dewi Ayu quay trở lại phòng bà để mặc đồ. Họ chỉ còn biết nhìn nhau, buồn bã hình dung cảnh một cô gái trẻ đen như nhọ nồi với cái ổ cắm điện chình ình giữa mặt bị gọi bằng cái tên Đẹp. Đúng là một sự sỉ nhục.

Rating: 7.5/10
Genre: Fiction | Magic Realism
Độ khó: 6.5/10

Dewi Ayu - một ả gái điếm năm mươi hai tuổi, đã chết hai mươi mốt năm, đột nhiên đội mồ sống dậy. Bà là ả gái điếm đẹp nhất vùng, là khao khát hằng đêm của mọi gã đàn ông ở Halimunda. Dewi Ayu có bốn người con, đều là gái. Ba đứa con đầu của bà đều đẹp, duy chỉ có đứa con gái út là xấu - vì bà đã chán những đứa con đẹp đẽ rồi nên bà cầu xin ông trời ban cho một đứa con xấu xí.

Cuốn sách trải dài từ thời niên thiếu của bà điếm xinh đẹp Dewi Ayu, đến khi số phận đưa đẩy khiến bà phải làm gái điếm rồi hạ sinh 3 đứa con gái xinh đẹp tuyệt trần mà chẳng đứa nào chung cha. Số phận của ba đứa trẻ lại tiếp nối khi chúng yêu và sinh ra ba đứa con cũng với vẻ đẹp mê muội lòng người. Đẹp là một nỗi đau kể câu chuyện của ba thế hệ, quanh quẩn ở vùng đất hư cấu Halimunda, Indonesia. Tác giả đã dùng lịch sử đau thương của đất nước mình để kể câu chuyện của vùng đất Halimunda.

Đây có lẽ là cuốn sách đảo lộn nhân sinh quan nhất mình từng đọc, bởi mình phải đánh vật với logic của bản thân trong khi theo dõi câu chuyện. Tác giả viết nên Đẹp bằng lối kể hiện thực huyền ảo (Magic Realism), câu chuyện đan xen và thường đột ngột chuyển từ hiện thực sang những yếu tố huyền hảo và ngược lại khiến logic thường tình của mình khó mà theo kịp được. Suốt hơn 400 trang sách, câu chuyện được đan xen với rất nhiều câu truyện huyền thoại dân gian, những chi tiết hoang đường như lợn biến thành người, người nhảy xuống vực rồi mọc cánh bay lên trời hay các chi tiết quỷ dị như hồn ma vất vưởng chờn vờn người sống, con người chết đi sống lại nhiều lần. Các chi tiết 18+ như tình dục, cưỡng hiếp hay các chi tiết gây khó chịu trong cuốn sách cũng là điều mà bạn nên cân nhắc trước khi quyết định đọc.

Đặt những yếu tố đó sang một bên, nếu bạn có hứng thú tìm hiểu tiếp thì Đẹp là một nỗi đau có chương đầu được viết rất hay và ấn tượng:

"Một buổi chiều cuối tuần tháng Ba, Dewi Ayu bước ra khỏi ngôi mộ của bà sau khi đã chết hai mươi mốt năm. Một thằng bé chăn cừu bừng tỉnh...

[Spoiler alert] - Cân nhắc phần dưới có thể tiết lộ nội dung của sách

Đẹp là một món quà của Thượng đế (hoặc gene di truyền). Đẹp là một phước lành. Đẹp là một niềm hân hoan.
Đẹp cũng là một nỗi đau,
hay cái đẹp trở thành thứ thù nghịch, là thứ cám dỗ những hiềm khích, những giành giật và bạo loạn, ...

Ngay từ tựa đề của cuốn sách, độc giả đã có thể mường tượng rằng rồi cái "Đẹp" sẽ dần bóp nghẹt tất cả mọi bản chất tốt đẹp của nó. Trong Đẹp là một nỗi đau, cái đẹp là chứng nhân lịch sử, là nguồn cơn của mọi giao tranh, là dấu tích của mọi tội lỗi.

Dewi Ayu xuất thân là một cô gái gia giáo, vì chiến tranh nổ ra mà số phận đưa đẩy tới ngục tù. "Nhờ" Đẹp, Dewi Ayu được chọn để đưa tới nhà thổ, chính thức trở thành một ả gái điếm. Chấp nhận như số phận đã an bài, mọi điều tới với cô dù là niềm vui hay sự bất hạnh, cô đều thản nhiên bước qua. Cái đẹp mụ mị của Dewi Ayu như một chứng tích lịch sử của Halimunda.
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Mình muốn viết rất nhiều thứ nhưng chẳng hiểu sao "tắc" đến cả tháng nay rồi. Ý đã gạch ra rồi vẫn không thể viết nốt được. Thôi thì đành đặt ở đây một đoạn lửng lơ :(

Cuốn bày không phải gu mà mình thích, nhưng hỏi có hay không thì mình vẫn nhận là nó có cái hay của nó. Vậy nên cảm quan sẽ để 7.5, để thấy rằng hay nhưng không phải hay tâm đắc. Có khi trừ 0.5 nữa vì giống Trăm năm cô đơn quá...

[Emmy Hermina Nathasia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have NO choice but to give it a 5. There is probably less than 3% of pages where I rush through my reading, but 97% of the plot and its characters intrigues me. The plot is ridiculous to the point that I have to close my book many, many times for me to take a breather, to take it all in before continuing with my reading. You really need to understand the mysticism of the culture and to be open to all possibilities before you read this. Otherwise you might not be able to accept what the writer tried to bring. Also, it helps that the many characters introduced in the book, their stories are divided by chapters, otherwise you might lose sight of who that person is, its connection etc. But oh my gosh, what a ludicrously beautiful book!

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an unexpectedly good book. Interesting, riveting, surprising, and by the end, all consuming. I listened to this on audible because at this time of the year, reading time is a premium. Simply put, I loved it and Jonathan Davis did a very fine job at narration. Not sure what I was anticipating, but this book took hold of me and would not let go. I would go so far as to call it epic. Part folklore, part Indonesian history, part magical realism, part allegory, part (fictional) memoir, it was just captivating. The imaginary town of Halimunda and the lead character Dewi Ayu endure the Dutch and Japanese occupation and eventually the country's own dictatorship where they mow down the Communists. The foundations of the story are rooted in historical fact. Many of the milestones in the novel, really did occur in history. The magical realism comes in the form of spirits and ghosts and small bits of magic that pepper the book. This story is in effect a family saga as they endure all of these historical changes.

The book is oddly whimsical. I say that because is is full of suffering and misfortune and yet many of the characters are quirky and strange and somehow are able to remain somewhat amiable through everything. These people are callous and reckless and have very little regard for other people; but they aren't malevolent. They are not acting the way that they do out of hate, anger or bitterness, it's just the way things are and have always been. The prose is austere, yet so good and descriptive. You feel like you know the characters and care about what happens by the end of the book. None of the characters are especially good people, nor are they all bad (though Shodancho is pretty close to all bad). All of the male characters are man-childs. Among the many male characters in the book, the leads include a commanding officer in the army, a common thug, and a Communist. All are infantile in different ways in their behavior and need to fight, have sex, be in charge, be the alpha male and all of them (in fact all of the male characters in this book) have conflated visions of love which they confuse with lust, obsession and enslavement. The sole purpose of a wife is to fulfill sexual lust and propagate the species. If she is coveted by others, then these men are hopelessly in love (their definition not mine). If she keeps a good home...bonus!! The female character's understanding of love is every bit as superficial where the only real proclamations of love are for the handsomest man in the village. Otherwise, they are dutiful and devoid of passion. The female characters are all long suffering, beautiful, objects to be possessed. This is the best they can hope for in life and they are pragmatic. The lead character is forced into prostitution (during the Japanese occupation) eventually transforms her assets (her breathtaking beauty) into a commodity desired by all. She is the most desirable prostitute and eschews marriage because in her words she'd rather be paid for sex than to give it for free to one man. To her sex is a means to an end. She manages to find some measure of success and comfort without the confines of marriage. For her daughters though, she wants them to have a normal (by Indonesian standards) life. The story chronicles their struggles, needless to say nothing is normal about their lives.

The entire story is a satire. Kurniawan is exposing some well rooted mindsets that seem to have driven the country in ways that defy logic. He seems to be saying, this is why the country is the way that it is. This is how we got here. Not for the faint of heart. This story contains a lot of rape, violence, incest and subjugation of people in general and women in particular. In this world "Beauty" is a commodity coveted above all things. You'll have to read the book in order to understand the title. For me, a fascinating take on a culture I knew nothing about. I want to read more by this author.

4.75 Stars

[jeremy · Rating 5 out of 5]

a beautiful, stirring, and powerful epic of indonesian politics and family, eka kurniawan's beauty is a wound (cantik itu luka) must surely be considered as one of the year's finest works of translated fiction. sweeping across decades and generations, beauty is a wound is a violent, enchanted saga, compelling on account of both its impressive breadth and storytelling verve. kurniawan, an indonesian journalist and author, published this remarkable novel when he was 27 years old (released in english concurrently with his 2004 novel, man tiger).

threaded throughout with traces of magical realism, beauty is a wound is a lively, vigorous work with a large, yet unforgettable cast of well-drawn characters. rape, incest, slaughter, massacre, brutality, war, and revenge loom heavily in the story (though never excessively so), but kurniawan tempers these darker elements with humor, rich history, and fantastical occurrences. exploring themes of fate, customs, heroism, loyalty, folklore, communism, cultural/national legacy, and a host of interpersonal relationships intimate, familial, and professional, beauty is a wound is a self-contained world established, perhaps, to make sense of the larger one it inhabits (or has descended from).

spanning the better part of a century in indonesian history, kurniawan's encompassing tale never dulls or languishes under its own ambitious weight. beauty is a wound, despite its copious violence, is somehow reminiscent of jorge amado's exceptional 1958 novel, gabriela, clove and cinnamon, replete as it is with multiple voices, brilliant intensity, and depth of imagination. beauty is a wound is a vibrant tapestry of village life, colonial rule, political independence, and generational drama. kurniawan's first novel translated into english shimmers with the luster of literary accomplishment, offering a gorgeous, at times harrowing glimpse into a country with a long, tumultuous past.

"do you believe in god?" asked kliwon tentatively.
"that's irrelevant," salim replied. "it's not man's job to think about whether god exists or not, especially when you know that right in front of your eyes one person is stepping on another's neck."
"so you are going to hell."
"i'd rather go to hell, because i have spent my whole life trying to eliminate any man's superiority over other men." he continued, "if i might share my opinion, this world is hell, and our task is to create our own heaven."

*translated from the indonesian by annie tucker (recipient of a 2013 pen/heim translation grant for her english translation of beauty is a wound)

[Nhi Nguyễn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dewi Ayu - nàng điếm nổi tiếng một thời của thị trấn ven biển Halimunda - đã chết hai mươi mốt năm, nay đột nhiên sống lại. Từ sự kiện tưởng như hoang đường quỷ dị trong cái thế giới của Halimunda ấy, “Đẹp Là Một Nỗi Đau” dẫn dắt người đọc đi qua hơn nửa thế kỷ lịch sử đầy biến động của đất nước Indonesia bằng câu chuyện nhuốm màu bi kịch của những thế hệ phụ nữ trong gia đình của Dewi Ayu.

Hơn nửa thế kỷ lịch sử ấy đã chứng kiến một đất nước Indonesia là thuộc địa của Hà Lan, rồi sau đó trải qua Thế chiến thứ hai với sự hiện diện kinh hoàng của phát xít Nhật. Đến thời kỳ độc lập, Indonesia lại tiếp tục chứng kiến xung đột giữa thế lực tư bản đang nổi lên và những người cộng sản kiên trung. Lịch sử với đầy những biến cố đó chính là chất liệu quan trọng giúp “Đẹp Là Một Nỗi Đau” khám phá những ngõ ngách đau đớn và khủng khiếp nhất của mảnh đất hư cấu Halimunda. Những đau đớn ấy vận vào Dewi Ayu, vào những đứa con gái xinh đẹp của bà, và thế hệ những người cháu của bà, như thể cả gia đình bà ngay từ đầu đã bị nguyền rủa. Lịch sử trong cuốn tiểu thuyết được khắc họa qua cái nhìn và số phận của những người phụ nữ, những người dẫu có làm gì, dẫu có bị người đời nhìn nhận như thế nào, thì họ vẫn là những người phụ nữ thật đẹp. Cái đẹp của họ, nghiệt ngã thay, lại biến họ trở thành tâm điểm, thành công cụ, thành những mảnh thịt da để đàn ông giày xéo và cưỡng hiếp. Số phận đã không đối đãi tử tế những người đàn bà trong gia đình Dewi Ayu, đã đáp lại vẻ đẹp của họ bằng nỗi đau, bằng những sự kiện bi thảm nhất.

Được xem như “Trăm Năm Cô Đơn” của châu Á, “Đẹp Là Một Nỗi Đau” đã vận dụng một cách hoàn hảo những hình ảnh, chi tiết đặc trưng của chủ nghĩa hiện thực huyền ảo trong văn chương, đặc biệt là những chi tiết huyền ảo, phi thực như người bay lên trời rồi biến mất, hay Dewi Ayu sau nhiều ngày sống lại, viếng thăm nhà cũ của bà rồi hóa thành cánh bướm. Tất cả được lựa chọn và viết ra nhằm tạo dựng một thiên sử thi gia đình choáng váng và khôn cưỡng, theo đúng như cái cách mà Gabriel Garcia Marquez đã làm say lòng người đọc trong “Trăm Năm Cô Đơn”. Bằng cách trao cho mỗi nhân vật một chương truyện, tác giả đã có thể khắc họa hình tượng của từng nhân vật trong mối tương quan với các nhân vật khác. Những dây mơ rễ má, những mối quan hệ chồng chéo, đan xen cũng từ đó mà được phơi bày.

Câu chuyện trong “Đẹp Là Một Nỗi Đau” hấp dẫn người đọc không chỉ bởi tính sử thi đặc trưng của nó, hay những chi tiết về tình yêu và tình dục được miêu tả một cách trần trụi mà không hề thô tục mà còn cuốn hút độc giả bởi những chuyện tình dở dang, những cặp tình nhân bất hạnh, không đến được với nhau vì sự nghiệt ngã của số phận và sự bạo tàn của con người. Nỗi bất hạnh và dở dang ấy đã xuất hiện ngay từ đoạn đầu của cuốn tiểu thuyết, trong câu chuyện đau lòng của Ma Gedik và Ma Iyang, để rồi tiếp nối trong những gì đã diễn ra cho Alamanda và đồng chí Kliwon.

“Đẹp Là Một Nỗi Đau” còn hấp dẫn độc giả ở chính cái cách mà tác giả kể lại câu chuyện trải qua nhiều thế hệ của gia đình Dewi Ayu, với những sự kiện mới, những hứa hẹn về ẩn ức đau lòng và bi kịch sắp sửa diễn ra, buộc người đọc phải liên tục dõi theo câu chuyện từ chương này đến chương khác. Và còn đó những cái chết, những sự kiện kỳ dị mà nguyên do hoặc người gây án chỉ được tiết lộ ở những đoạn sau, tăng thêm phần bí ẩn và cuốn hút cho câu chuyện, phả vào thiên sử thi vốn đã rất hấp dẫn một chút sắc màu trinh thám, một chút đáng sợ đến từ những suy nghĩ và hành động của một số nhân vật.

Sau tất cả, “Đẹp Là Một Nỗi Đau” đã soi chiếu vào nhiều thế hệ gia đình Dewi Ayu để đưa đến một sự giác ngộ cho độc giả, đúng như tên gọi của tác phẩm, rằng đẹp là một nỗi đau. Đó là thông điệp chung, toàn vẹn nhất nhưng cũng xót xa nhất, mà Eka Kurniawan muốn truyền tải thông qua cuốn tiểu thuyết của mình. Đối với Dewi Ayu, những đứa con cùng những đứa cháu của bà, rộng hơn cả là những cư dân của Halimunda, thì sắc đẹp luôn đi song hành cùng nỗi đau. Đó là nỗi đau của những người đàn bà xinh đẹp nhưng lại trót sinh ra trong một thế giới được vận hành bởi những gã đàn ông xem phụ nữ chỉ như đối tượng để chiếm đoạt.

Như Nhã Nam đã chỉ ra ở bìa sau cuốn sách: “Nếu sắc đẹp là một trong những đặc tính vĩnh hằng của gia tộc này và có lẽ của cả Halimunda, quê nhà họ, thì nỗi đau cũng là một đặc tính vĩnh hằng.”, nỗi đau là một đặc tính mãi mãi di truyền trong gia đình Dewi Ayu, cũng như sắc đẹp mà chỉ có nguyện ước mãnh liệt của bà mới giúp đứa con gái út tránh khỏi. “Đẹp Là Một Nỗi Đau”, sau rốt, là một tác phẩm đẹp, đau, và khó quên như chính cái cách mà người dân Halimunda không bao giờ có thể quên được Dewi Ayu.

[Morana Mazor · Rating 1 out of 5]

Rijetko se meni dogodi da odustanem od knjige i ne pročitam je do kraja jer si već nekako znam procijeniti što bi mi se svidjelo, a što ne bi... Ali, u ovom sam se slučaju grdno prevarila (događa se i najboljima.. ;) )..
Isto tako, želja da pišem osvrt i da svima pričam o nekoj knjizi najčešće me uhvati kada me neka knjiga oduševi.. Ove druge eventualno spomenem, u nekoj raspravi ili, ako me netko baš upita za mišljenje o određenoj knjizi koja meni, eto, nije sjela... Ali, ovaj put ću vam baš napisati ...hmmm...ne osvrt (jer nije ok pisati osvrt na knjigu od koje si pročitao 40-50str.) nego, recimo, svoje iskustvo... A mislim da to mogu, jer, nakon svog dugogodišnjeg čitalačkog staža, imam pravo nakon nekoliko stranica zaključiti da li mi se knjiga sviđa ili ne.. Jer, bez obzira na sadržaj (koji će kasnije možda postati super zanimljiv), stil pisanja ostaje isti..to se vrlo brzo uoči..).
Dakle, riječ je o knjizi "Ljepota je njezina rana", indonezijskog pisca Eka Kurniawana... Knjiga je doživjela jako velik, svjetski uspjeh, osvojila niz nagrada, a NY TImes i The Guardian su je čak uvrstili među najznačajnije knjige godine. I ja ne kažem da to nije zasluženo, samo, eto, po meni to baš i ne bi bilo tako.. Ali, tko sam ja?! Ja sam iznosim svoje (skromno) mišljenje...
Po onome što sam pročitala o knjizi kao i po sadržaju knjiga mi je djelovala baš super i tako je ja krenuh čitati...E, a onda... Kuku lele..
Čak i to što počinje time da se žena, nakon 20 god. smrti ustaje iz groba i vraća svojoj kući (i nastavlja normalno dalje živjeti, samo, jel', 20god. starija) me nije toliko zasmetalo, rekoh, ok.. Tako i tako u "blurbu" (tekstovi na koricama) piše da je ovo "fantazmagorična epska pripovijest". Onda detalj kako čovjek na umoru dolazi kod prostitutke jer želi izdahnuti u njezinom, recimo, naručju.. ;) , a nema love pa joj za to daje svoju (nijemu!) kćerkicu (koja čak prostitutki napiše "dajte spavajte s njim može brzo izdahnuti) sam, ono, pročitala i rekla, ajde dobro.. Ludo, ali ok. No, da vam sad ne pišem još neke takve detalje, samo ću reći da sam odustala kada sam došla do dijela gdje čovjek, koji je ludo zaljubljen u ženu koju su udali za drugoga (bogatog kolonizatora- ovo je u stvari kritika tadašnjeg indonezijskog društva) poludi, ali onako fino poludi. Između ostalog tako je lud da počinje općiti sa životinjama.. I kada sam pročitala da je njegova majka morala ujutro zadaviti pet jadnih kokoški koje su se tresle, a iz "čmara su im izlazila crijeva" (od silne "strasti" ludog sina), e tu više nisam mogla.. Ja sam 'em vizualni tip, 'em sam jaaako, jaaako, "slaba" na životinje.. Tu smo se ova knjiga i ja rastale..
Znam što je nadrealizam i koliko je cijenjen kao pravac.. Isto tako znam da su, neke od karakteristika nadrealizma odstupanje od estetike i težnja tome da djela budu provokativno neugodna, pa eto, ja bih ovo djelo svrstala upravo u takvu skupinu.
Ja vjerujem da je autor Kurniawan na ovaj način uspio reći sve što je mislio, iskritizirati sve one povijesne događaje u Indoneziji koje je želio i da je upravo zato knjiga doživjela ovakav uspjeh, ali, ja svako toliko pogledam njegovu sliku na kraju knjige i samo mi dođe želja (ne baš da mu čestitam) nego da ga pitam, "E, moj, Eka, na čemu si ti?". :)
Uglavnom, ako ste ljubitelji epske fantastike u nadrealističnom stilu go for it! Pun pogodak! Meni ova knjiga ide na listu "nije to za mene".

[Em Lost In Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*

[Fatoni M · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aku penasaran, apakah para wanita yang membaca buku ini tidak capek?

Aku suka gaya bertutur Eka Kurniawan sejak membaca Lelaki Harimau. Kalimat-kalimatnya panjang, tapi enak untuk dibaca. Dia bukan tipe showing yang bisa membuaiku dengan deskripsi latar, tapi lebih banyak merangkum peristiwa (telling), dengan apa yang dia rangkum selalu peristiwa-peristiwa yang ajaib--yang kadang lucu, sekaligus gelap. Belum lagi kelihaiannya dalam menyusun alur tak lurus dan menyatukannya dengan hebat di akhir buku.

Premis buku ini agak sedikit susah dijelaskan. Aku mungkin akan menyederhanakan premis buku ini menjadi sebuah cerita epik tentang seorang pelacur bernama Dewi Ayu dan keturunan-keturunannya. Latar waktu cerita ini begitu panjang dari awal masa pendudukan Jepang, kemerdekaan, masa revolusi, masa pembantaian orang-orang komunis, sampai beberapa belas tahun setelahnya. Tokohnya pun tak kalah banyak: dari Dewi Ayu, keempat putri dan suami-suami mereka, serta anak-anak mereka. Walau begitu, tenang saja, di akhir buku, semua akan masuk akal dengan satu tema yang menjadi dasar peristiwa-peristiwa sepanjang buku ini.

Sejatinya aku suka beberapa aspek buku ini: gaya tulisan, latar sejarah, dan tokoh-tokohnya. Namun, ada satu hal yang membuatku lelah--dan hal ini justru mayoritas isi buku ini. Hampir semua tokoh di buku ini mengalami cinta yang teramat sangat, tergila-gila akan wanita, dan kemudian berhubungan badan seperti hewan. Eneg banget pokoknya--inilah kenapa aku menanyakan hal di awal review.

Buku ini tak berhasil menggeser Lelaki Harimau dan O sebagai karya favoritku dari Eka Kurniawan. Walau dia selalu menulis hal yang sama di hampir setiap karyanya (selalu ada saja yang jatuh cinta secara gila-gilaan), sepertinya aku akan tetap suka dengan narasi ajaibnya. Aku rekomendasikan ini untuk kamu yang sudah mengenal Eka Kurniawan dan jadi penggemarnya. Untuk yang awam Eka, mending baca Lelaki Harimau saja.

[Roger Brunyate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Indonesian History as Fact and Fable

"One afternoon on a weekend in March, Dewi Ayu rose from her grave after being dead for twenty-one years." Not your usual opening for a novel, is it? Dewi Ayu, formerly the most sought-after prostitute in the district of Halimunda, walks back to her house, takes a bath, and is reunited with her daughter Beauty, who she had prayed would be born ugly—as indeed she most certainly was. After a few dozen pages, the action slips back in time to Dewi Ayu's childhood, her experience of being forced into a brothel by the invading Japanese, her postwar success in the business on her own, the various suitors for her hand, and so on, covering most of Indonesian history from 1940 to the present.

Eka Kurniawan is a good storyteller, and most of the episodes are interesting in their own ways. Apart from Dewi Ayu herself, we meet a variety of characters who are each a little larger than life, such as the strongest man in the community, or the young former guerrilla leader who wants only to retire to a cave and meditate. We learn folk tales such as that of the beautiful Princess Rengganis who, tired of all the men seeking her in marriage, decided one day to throw open her shutters and wed the first person that she sees. Some of the stories, such as the girls' suffering in the Japanese prison camp, are truly horrible. But the vaguely comic tone of the whole, whether influenced by the folklore tradition or magical realism, makes it difficult to take it all seriously, or even to sustain much interest after a certain point.

A pity, because I genuinely wanted to know more about Indonesia, and also enjoyed the fabulous tone of many of the chapters. But for me, those two elements worked against one another instead of combining.