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Kitchen Curse: Stories
Nominated for the Man Booker International, Eka Kurniawan brings his short stories into English for the first time.
Kurniawan’s freewheeling imagination explores the turbulent dreams of an ex-prostitute, the hapless life of a perpetual student, victims of an anti-communist genocide, the travails of an elephant, even the vengeful fantasies of a stone.
In Kitchen Curse, Maharani goes to her local museum looking for old recipes; her husband is abusing her, because she is a terrible cook. Instead of a recipe, she finds the old story of Diah Ayu, a peasant woman who becomes a Dutchman’s mistress during colonial times. Maharani goes home no longer wanting to be a better wife, but determined to free herself of the ‘kitchen curse’ of domestic life, plotting her husband’s murder.
The Stone’s Story is an unusual whodunit: a stone used to drown a woman in a river vows revenge on her killer. In Don’t Piss Here, Sasha, infuriated by the stench created by miscreants who piss outside her boutique, spends a night in the car park determined to find out who they are but discovers an unexpected sexual pleasure instead.
Dark, sexual, scatological, violent, and mordantly funny, each one of the sixteen stories in this collection bury themselves in the mind. Kurniawan’s fractured fables span city and country, animal and human, myth and politics; his characters and insights are at once hauntingly familiar, peculiar and twisted.
Kurniawan’s freewheeling imagination explores the turbulent dreams of an ex-prostitute, the hapless life of a perpetual student, victims of an anti-communist genocide, the travails of an elephant, even the vengeful fantasies of a stone.
In Kitchen Curse, Maharani goes to her local museum looking for old recipes; her husband is abusing her, because she is a terrible cook. Instead of a recipe, she finds the old story of Diah Ayu, a peasant woman who becomes a Dutchman’s mistress during colonial times. Maharani goes home no longer wanting to be a better wife, but determined to free herself of the ‘kitchen curse’ of domestic life, plotting her husband’s murder.
The Stone’s Story is an unusual whodunit: a stone used to drown a woman in a river vows revenge on her killer. In Don’t Piss Here, Sasha, infuriated by the stench created by miscreants who piss outside her boutique, spends a night in the car park determined to find out who they are but discovers an unexpected sexual pleasure instead.
Dark, sexual, scatological, violent, and mordantly funny, each one of the sixteen stories in this collection bury themselves in the mind. Kurniawan’s fractured fables span city and country, animal and human, myth and politics; his characters and insights are at once hauntingly familiar, peculiar and twisted.
145 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 1, 2019
53 people are currently reading
1830 people want to read
About the author
Eka Kurniawan
56 books1,648 followersEka 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).
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).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 129 reviews
December 21, 2021
It’s very rare to find translated works for Indonesian literature, and just by virtue of that fact alone, I highly recommend that readers dip their toes by at least reading Eka Kurniawan. However, a forewarning—Kurniawan’s Kitchen Curse is a deeply-political short story collection of the grotesque and scatological kind. Be prepared to read about feces (lots of it), piss, cum, genitals, chopped up bodies, rotting corpses and death. Normally, I would turn away from readings like it, but Kurniawan always utilizes this type of imagery for a greater political purpose or discourse. There’s strong commentary to be had on philosophy, political revolutions (and moreover the always-deferred appeal towards liberation during dictator’s Suharto’s reign), patriarchal violence, colonialism and sexual politics. For readers unfamiliar with Indonesia and its past, it’s a book that will ultimately leave one guessing due to Indonesia’s intensely unique formation—an archipelago filled with overlapping and contradictory richness which stems from the nation’s engagements with colonialism, communism, Indigenous ways-of-knowing and being, Islam, Southeast Asian traditions, and tribally-specific creatures from oral-storytelling. It’s uniqueness in itself from its use of the urban sprawl, to the village, to the rainforest makes for an important read.
Here are a list of my favorite stories:
Don’t Piss Here – A beautifully gross story of anti-patriarchal expression, it starts with a woman trying to dissuade strangers from peeing in the front of her clothing boutique, who comes to develop a fetish of her own.
Caronag – Perhaps the second most haunting and disturbing tale, but my personal favorite. This story tells of a Javanese farmer who finds a dog that walks upright and is said to be an ancient creature, having gone extinct on the island long ago. Although they initially take it in as a pet, the creature ends up being more intelligent than anything they ever expected, knowing how to draw in colouring books and shower itself. The caronag ends up befriending the families’ four-year old son.
Rotten Stench – This one is gorgeous and is the most haunting tale of the collection. A nine-page, one sentence, stream-of-consciousness narrative, this one is about the mass-killing of communists, or those affiliated with them (accidental or otherwise), in the fictional city of Halimunda and reflects the atrocities of the anti-communist purge during 1965-66. These mass-killings, done by the government (who themselves were funded by America and other Western countries), also included other groups including leftist organizations, Indigenous and other ethnic communities, and feminist organizations. I think this one struck home quite a bit, seeing as how I have stories from my grandmother and mother during the time of Dutch and Japanese colonization and also the proceeding communist and/or authoritarian movements. Extremely hard times.
Auntie – I knew what would be the twist the minute I started reading this. But it really highlights the patriarchal culture that has become embedded into the society, one which would have arguably been matriarchal if people knew how to let people be as they were, but I digress. The story is about a girl and her relationship to her Auntie, who she compares to as better than her mother.
The Stone’s Story – This one was hilarious! A stone plots revenge after being a forced accomplice to the murder of a woman.
My Lipstick is Red, Darling – This one tells the story of an ex-prostitute and her marriage, this one gutted me.
Kitchen Curse – Oof, as someone whose an archivist, I was so there for this one. Not to mention the story touches on the history of the spice trade and colonization. The narrative is about a woman, who goes through a city archive, in order to learn new recipes. She ends up researching about the colonial history of Indonesia and the Dutch-East Indies in the 1870’s. Her reading takes her to the story of Diah Ayu, a native woman who was sold to a Dutch plantation owner to work as a house slave (birthing two of the Dutch owner's children in the process) and ends up killing 50 or so Dutch guests of the house overtime. This was the sauce.
Here are a list of my favorite stories:
Don’t Piss Here – A beautifully gross story of anti-patriarchal expression, it starts with a woman trying to dissuade strangers from peeing in the front of her clothing boutique, who comes to develop a fetish of her own.
Caronag – Perhaps the second most haunting and disturbing tale, but my personal favorite. This story tells of a Javanese farmer who finds a dog that walks upright and is said to be an ancient creature, having gone extinct on the island long ago. Although they initially take it in as a pet, the creature ends up being more intelligent than anything they ever expected, knowing how to draw in colouring books and shower itself. The caronag ends up befriending the families’ four-year old son.
Rotten Stench – This one is gorgeous and is the most haunting tale of the collection. A nine-page, one sentence, stream-of-consciousness narrative, this one is about the mass-killing of communists, or those affiliated with them (accidental or otherwise), in the fictional city of Halimunda and reflects the atrocities of the anti-communist purge during 1965-66. These mass-killings, done by the government (who themselves were funded by America and other Western countries), also included other groups including leftist organizations, Indigenous and other ethnic communities, and feminist organizations. I think this one struck home quite a bit, seeing as how I have stories from my grandmother and mother during the time of Dutch and Japanese colonization and also the proceeding communist and/or authoritarian movements. Extremely hard times.
Auntie – I knew what would be the twist the minute I started reading this. But it really highlights the patriarchal culture that has become embedded into the society, one which would have arguably been matriarchal if people knew how to let people be as they were, but I digress. The story is about a girl and her relationship to her Auntie, who she compares to as better than her mother.
The Stone’s Story – This one was hilarious! A stone plots revenge after being a forced accomplice to the murder of a woman.
My Lipstick is Red, Darling – This one tells the story of an ex-prostitute and her marriage, this one gutted me.
Kitchen Curse – Oof, as someone whose an archivist, I was so there for this one. Not to mention the story touches on the history of the spice trade and colonization. The narrative is about a woman, who goes through a city archive, in order to learn new recipes. She ends up researching about the colonial history of Indonesia and the Dutch-East Indies in the 1870’s. Her reading takes her to the story of Diah Ayu, a native woman who was sold to a Dutch plantation owner to work as a house slave (birthing two of the Dutch owner's children in the process) and ends up killing 50 or so Dutch guests of the house overtime. This was the sauce.
October 30, 2019
Kitchen Curse, a collection of 16 very short stories will keep you enthralled with the sheer audacity that brims forth in them. The first story ‘Graffiti in the Toilet’ takes readers through a war of words on the walls of a toilet but read deeper and you see the political undercurrents bursting behind the words written by young people and how they look at ‘the revolutions’ in Indonesia.
There are some crazy stories in this collection: ‘The Stone’s Story’ told from the viewpoint of a stone used to drown a woman in a river who seeks revenge on her killer; ‘Making an Elephant Happy’ where an elephant who is trying to get into a refrigerator is being helped by small children whose helping hands lead to the most unexpected result and its rationalization and ‘Caronang’ that tells us about a mythical almost dog that walks upright and does strange antics,including shooting with a gun…all bordering on magic realism but steering clear of being absurd. The tittle story is a wicked nod to the agency of women and how underrated they are in political history and is one of my favourites.
I will recommend this for every reader who is interested in discovering writers who have a distinct style of writing.
There are some crazy stories in this collection: ‘The Stone’s Story’ told from the viewpoint of a stone used to drown a woman in a river who seeks revenge on her killer; ‘Making an Elephant Happy’ where an elephant who is trying to get into a refrigerator is being helped by small children whose helping hands lead to the most unexpected result and its rationalization and ‘Caronang’ that tells us about a mythical almost dog that walks upright and does strange antics,including shooting with a gun…all bordering on magic realism but steering clear of being absurd. The tittle story is a wicked nod to the agency of women and how underrated they are in political history and is one of my favourites.
I will recommend this for every reader who is interested in discovering writers who have a distinct style of writing.
March 1, 2020
Having heard great things about Eka Kurniawan’s Beauty is a Wound I was keen to try this collection of short stories but it really wasn’t for me. Rotten Stench is by far the superior story, written in one long sentence like a stream of consciousness about political mass murders. I’m told this one is the most like Beauty is a wound and has therefore meant I’m still keen to read that novel but the rest pale into comparison. The stories are often almost childlike in their narration, in their themes and in their language, the endings trail off or try to make you think but don’t and I just can’t understand why there are comparisons to Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Dostoevsky on the back. The titular story is one of the best and Night Watchmen and Dimples scrape a like but I was just so underwhelmed by the rest I probably should have put this down much earlier.
October 6, 2019
while eka kurniawan's
beauty is a wound
was one of the best books of 2015, his new collection of short stories, kitchen curse, leaves a little to be desired. with far more in common with
vengeance is mine, all others pay cash
than beauty is a wound, the sixteen pieces that make up kitchen curse are dark, profane, violent, and sexual, but maintain the indonesian author's irreverent and wicked sense of humor. many of the stories in this slim collection are but seven or eight pages long and it seems kurniawan thrives best when writing within a longer format.
*translated from the indonesian mostly by annie tucker (beauty is a wound, pen/heim translation fund award-winner), with additional translations by tiffany tsao, maggie tiojakin, and benedict anderson
...because history has taught us to endure all kinds of horror and evil and we are used to forgetting it all just as quickly as we forget every act of piety, because everyone ultimately dies in the end and all corpses ultimately give off a rotten stench, and we will still read our newspapers and drink our coffee and play soccer and make babies, in other words we will continue to enjoy our lives in the middle of this rotten stench...
*translated from the indonesian mostly by annie tucker (beauty is a wound, pen/heim translation fund award-winner), with additional translations by tiffany tsao, maggie tiojakin, and benedict anderson
March 26, 2024
Eka Kurniawan’s story story collection “Kitchen Curse” is as quirky as I like it. This slim volume of only 137 pages contains 16 succinct yet impactful stories, many of which are terrifically original in their concepts.
I’m not the person who needs to relate to the cultural context but one who prefers to learn. Books are not mirrors but windows for me. Therefore, I appreciate references to Indonesian mythology and the realm of ghosts here, subtle (and sometimes less subtle) political allusions, between-the-lines commentary on gender roles and the class system. Many of the stories’ characters are villains: mean, misogynistic men who take advantage of the system or traditions and disrespect women. Kurniawan, though, looks at the disenfranchised and subverts the stories in such a way as to make readers question their biases and assumptions.
My favourite “Rotten Stench” talks about the trauma of the past and violent historical events that still permeate the streets: “We the people of Halimunda don’t care how many you kill or how horrible they smell, because history has taught us to endure all kinds of horror and evil and we are used to forgetting it all just as quickly as we forget every act of piety, because everyone ultimately dies in the end and all corpses ultimately give off a rotten stench, and we will still read our newspapers and drink our coffee and play soccer and make babies, in other words we will continue to enjoy our lives in the middle of this rotten stench, if you really think that the way this air smells can in fact be described as a rotten stench.” This is probably the most serious story; many others seem to be quite light even if they talk about atrocious reality. In fact, I was often taken aback by the light, entertaining tone contrasted with the grimness of the tale.
Eerie in their unpredictability and plot twists, brilliantly constructed, these stories leave readers feeling quite uncomfortable and I believe there is no better way to describe the world Kurniawan cares so deeply about.
I’m not the person who needs to relate to the cultural context but one who prefers to learn. Books are not mirrors but windows for me. Therefore, I appreciate references to Indonesian mythology and the realm of ghosts here, subtle (and sometimes less subtle) political allusions, between-the-lines commentary on gender roles and the class system. Many of the stories’ characters are villains: mean, misogynistic men who take advantage of the system or traditions and disrespect women. Kurniawan, though, looks at the disenfranchised and subverts the stories in such a way as to make readers question their biases and assumptions.
My favourite “Rotten Stench” talks about the trauma of the past and violent historical events that still permeate the streets: “We the people of Halimunda don’t care how many you kill or how horrible they smell, because history has taught us to endure all kinds of horror and evil and we are used to forgetting it all just as quickly as we forget every act of piety, because everyone ultimately dies in the end and all corpses ultimately give off a rotten stench, and we will still read our newspapers and drink our coffee and play soccer and make babies, in other words we will continue to enjoy our lives in the middle of this rotten stench, if you really think that the way this air smells can in fact be described as a rotten stench.” This is probably the most serious story; many others seem to be quite light even if they talk about atrocious reality. In fact, I was often taken aback by the light, entertaining tone contrasted with the grimness of the tale.
Eerie in their unpredictability and plot twists, brilliantly constructed, these stories leave readers feeling quite uncomfortable and I believe there is no better way to describe the world Kurniawan cares so deeply about.
May 4, 2023
The idea of Verso Fiction is v timely and welcome - political but not party-political fiction, especially fiction not from the USA or the UK, is a joy to read after all the tedious hot takes of the last few years - even if the actual books aren't always what one might hope they might be. But this is a very good choice: incredibly brief, surreal, often vicious little parables, deceptively simple and with an intense locality.
July 19, 2020
He quickly joined a small list of my favorite contemporary authors. (4stars, only because short story collections are usually never perfect. But I really enjoyed most of the stories in this book.) It’s a pity only 4 books have been translated into English at this point. More Kurniawan, please.
February 21, 2025
Dziwactwo, ale bardzo mi się podobało. Mnóstwo nawiązań politycznych. Szkoda, że nie ma jej po polsku (i w ogóle żadnej książki Kurniawana BEZPOŚREDNIO tłumaczonej na język polski). Indonezja ma w sobie coś, co mnie niesamowicie przyciąga.
Brakowało mi też przypisów.
Brakowało mi też przypisów.
September 25, 2024
this book was truly unique. its wit combined with kurniawan's incredible storytelling and creativity is a match made in heaven. i will say as someone with a lack of knowledge about indonesia, reading this was confusing at times due to a lack of knowledge, but im not going to knock the book for my ignorance. this book was incredibly written, mixing sardonic stories about pissing with incredibly fucked up stories like the caronang, which i cant even describe without giving massive spoilers. as i do with other short stories, ill be giving my ratings. here we go.
graffiti in the toilet: depraved. what an insane way to start a book. a chapter about a toilet's graffiti. i loved the underlying political message, although ill be honest i didn't get it (i do not know much about indonesia's political history). overall was enjoyable. 3/5
don't piss here: what in the fawk. i started reading this and had a feeling piss was a major theme of this book and im thankful i was wrong. anyways um what the fuck was that ending. this was an enjoyable story but tbh compared to the rest of this novel it fell flat. 2/5
easing into a long sleep: this one was mid too. i found this one to be forgettable. like out of all the stories i had to go back and skim the book to remember my thoughts on this one. it kinda ate but kinda didn't interest me as well. 2/5
caronang: incredible amazing show stopping never done before. i loved this. its so insane and then the ending is so abrupt and batshit crazy. a masterpiece. 5/5
rotten stench: i really enjoyed this one too! i enjoyed the cycle of the town, it felt like to me this story and story number 6 are linked (they're not), which was nice. i liked the language used too. 4/5
no crazies in this town: enjoyable story, i didn't get the ending though. like i *got* it, but i didn't get the... motives? i guess is the best word for it. 3/5
auntie yet again also did not understand the ending. there's multiple interpretations for me but i feel like a definitive ending was created that im just too silly to get. oops. 3/5
pigpen meh. i mean #Relatable but also like. this one grossed me out & not in an enjoyable way honestly. i was just waiting for the next story. i don't even know why i just didn't vibe with it. 2/5
the otter amulet: insane. loved it. i think the stories with a looping nature were my favourite. this was incredibly poetic and i fucked with it soooo hard. ending came out of nowhere tho lol 4/5
dimples: i had fun with this! i liked the ending, i will admit i had no idea what was happening for half of this which says a lot when its like 7 pages. 3/5
the stone's story: it feels out of place in this anthology? like its such a goofy story. i mean i didn't hate it but i wasn't losing it over how good it was! 3/5
my lipstick is red, darling: i don't exactly know why but i liked this. i enjoyed the bittersweet ending & yet again the cyclical nature. sue me. 4/5
peter pan: sorry im a hater i got bored. why is she called the princess? why is bro obsessed with stealing books? mid. 1/5
making an elephant happy: the shortest story, being only 3 pages, yet it also ate soooo hard. so goofy so silly so enjoyable. ending is a bit lacklustre tho. 4/5
night watchman:i liked this! the atmosphere was incredibly strong and spooky, i liked how it was a smidge longer to build up the story more, and i liked the ending! it felt like it was missing something. 4/5
kitchen curse: ok this was my least favourite. it felt so out of place in this anthology. like it was accidentally plopped in. it kinda ruined the vibe for me. story itself was cute but it lowkey didn't belong. 1/5
overall, i enjoyed the short stories, but the endings were usually incredibly abrupt and random, with the themes not having long enough to be fleshed out due to the shortness of the stories. i know short stories are... short. but the longest story in this was 8 pages i think. i needed more. the stories that excelled shone so bright, but the ones that flopped did so hard.
overall i had a good time, but i did expect a bit more due to the rave reviews. i felt like especially due to the translation, i could not truly connect with characters due to the distanced writing style. also there was no time for character development (obv), so i didn't care too much about the cast of characters, as they all wizzed by so fast. oh well to each their own!
graffiti in the toilet: depraved. what an insane way to start a book. a chapter about a toilet's graffiti. i loved the underlying political message, although ill be honest i didn't get it (i do not know much about indonesia's political history). overall was enjoyable. 3/5
don't piss here: what in the fawk. i started reading this and had a feeling piss was a major theme of this book and im thankful i was wrong. anyways um what the fuck was that ending. this was an enjoyable story but tbh compared to the rest of this novel it fell flat. 2/5
easing into a long sleep: this one was mid too. i found this one to be forgettable. like out of all the stories i had to go back and skim the book to remember my thoughts on this one. it kinda ate but kinda didn't interest me as well. 2/5
caronang: incredible amazing show stopping never done before. i loved this. its so insane and then the ending is so abrupt and batshit crazy. a masterpiece. 5/5
rotten stench: i really enjoyed this one too! i enjoyed the cycle of the town, it felt like to me this story and story number 6 are linked (they're not), which was nice. i liked the language used too. 4/5
no crazies in this town: enjoyable story, i didn't get the ending though. like i *got* it, but i didn't get the... motives? i guess is the best word for it. 3/5
auntie yet again also did not understand the ending. there's multiple interpretations for me but i feel like a definitive ending was created that im just too silly to get. oops. 3/5
pigpen meh. i mean #Relatable but also like. this one grossed me out & not in an enjoyable way honestly. i was just waiting for the next story. i don't even know why i just didn't vibe with it. 2/5
the otter amulet: insane. loved it. i think the stories with a looping nature were my favourite. this was incredibly poetic and i fucked with it soooo hard. ending came out of nowhere tho lol 4/5
dimples: i had fun with this! i liked the ending, i will admit i had no idea what was happening for half of this which says a lot when its like 7 pages. 3/5
the stone's story: it feels out of place in this anthology? like its such a goofy story. i mean i didn't hate it but i wasn't losing it over how good it was! 3/5
my lipstick is red, darling: i don't exactly know why but i liked this. i enjoyed the bittersweet ending & yet again the cyclical nature. sue me. 4/5
peter pan: sorry im a hater i got bored. why is she called the princess? why is bro obsessed with stealing books? mid. 1/5
making an elephant happy: the shortest story, being only 3 pages, yet it also ate soooo hard. so goofy so silly so enjoyable. ending is a bit lacklustre tho. 4/5
night watchman:i liked this! the atmosphere was incredibly strong and spooky, i liked how it was a smidge longer to build up the story more, and i liked the ending! it felt like it was missing something. 4/5
kitchen curse: ok this was my least favourite. it felt so out of place in this anthology. like it was accidentally plopped in. it kinda ruined the vibe for me. story itself was cute but it lowkey didn't belong. 1/5
overall, i enjoyed the short stories, but the endings were usually incredibly abrupt and random, with the themes not having long enough to be fleshed out due to the shortness of the stories. i know short stories are... short. but the longest story in this was 8 pages i think. i needed more. the stories that excelled shone so bright, but the ones that flopped did so hard.
overall i had a good time, but i did expect a bit more due to the rave reviews. i felt like especially due to the translation, i could not truly connect with characters due to the distanced writing style. also there was no time for character development (obv), so i didn't care too much about the cast of characters, as they all wizzed by so fast. oh well to each their own!
June 28, 2020
Inventive premises, bold experimentation, sly humor, political parables about the relationships between the individual and the authorities, and between men and women. The storytelling puts an ironic distance between the storyteller and his characters, and so the reader feels his or her own distance from them too. The result, for me at least, is a sense of respect, but not of warm admiration nor of profound connection.
August 26, 2020
I saw Kitchen Curse in the Strand. I let the book speak for itself. My previous exposure to Indonesian literature was limited, I’d read the first book (This Earth of Mankind) of Pramoedya Ananta Toer’s Buru Quartet in college. This is a powerful work. How does The Poet become Peter Pan? How does spice kill? Dark, slim, comic. A great read meant to be savored.
March 12, 2024
Jo’s review captures my feelings about this book perfectly —looking forward to reading Kurniawan’s Beauty is a Wound, because Rotten Stench was a standout in this collection.
Also, LOVE love the graphic design for the cover/end-paper, very fun. Let's have more fun people!
Top stories from this collection:
- Rotten Stench —fun to read, Kurniawan handles the challenge of 1-sentence, 10-page story well (impressive and effective).
- Dimples and Caronang —definitely had 'something,' but like many of the stories in this collection, left me desiring more.
- My Lipstick is Red, Darling
I found this book, for the most part, pretty challenging to finish simply because of the way that women are portrayed by and large (it took me 2mos... much to the dismay of both me and the library).
This is clearly an intentional choice of the author, and, I am assuming, with select stories like My Lipstick is Red, Darling, they are providing a contrast to show some (significant) nuance in role of women and the expectations/limitations that are placed on women (by occasionally spotlighting the perspective that women may have of themselves, and their own autonomy within a unique cultural context —and, if it’s not a total stretch to suggest this, the book as a whole, could even be seen as a case study to be compared cross-culturally depicting the universality of gender based oppression/discrimination, opening a broader discussion of how women are treated/viewed and how that dictates the ease by which they move through society/life/aging/inter&intra personal relationships etc etc etc….am I going too far, guys? I saw some upsetting, very relatable parallels).
The select stories that served as counterpoints to the vast majority, helped me re-frame the collection in a different light, and develop a greater appreciation for the intentional imbalance that was struck between male and female POVs; depictions of power and control; and the clearly considered contrast made between the portrayals of physical, emotional, and psychological violence (whether man-made; nature-wrought; or, instead the darkness that lies beyond the metaphysical, which dwells in the realm of mysticism and relies on different means of understanding and vanquishing).
All of these terrors (regardless or intentionality, or whether they are self-inflicted, or imposed upon others) are driven by a different interpretation of ‘the fear of the unknown,’ and that which goes bump in the proverbial (and quite literal) night —forces that can’t be controlled through will alone, regardless of how hard we try to master them, and ones that often outwit us despite our efforts to intervene.
Again, unless I am reading too much into this, there seems to also be a discussion of Fates that underlies this struggle of Fear and Control: the fate of women and men, the fate of actions uninterrupted and un-thwarted, and the fate of reckonings come due. I liked these themes very much, and it’s only in my review, after some reflection, that I learned to appreciate them and the work that went into crafting these through-lines (again, your girl could be squinting. Am I seeing things that aren’t there?).
However, with that being said, this was still pretty hard to work through, and I unfortunately overlook what does work in this book, because the reading experience wasn’t very enjoyable. And, there were several stories (most) that left me feeling like not enough was developed to feel fully executed (regardless of the page length).
I can’t quite pinpoint why it’s not working for me (other than what I’ve already outlined), but I am considering that this lasting impact that the collection had on me could also be due to a sequencing/pacing issue.
Quite early on I found the portrayal of women to be very off-putting and repetitive, so that by the time I was offered the rare alternative, I felt kind of resentful that it had taken so long.
Again, maybe that’s also intentional —the repetition highlights the disparity and the differences between different gender realities—, but unfortunately, it made the experience difficult (simply the activity of finishing it felt like a considerable task, and not because of subject-matter alone). Which is regrettable, because regardless, the impact of the collection —due to what I found were missteps in execution— was kind of lost on me.
If it hadn’t been such a short book, and I hadn’t had a physical copy, I don’t think I would have been as motivated to finish it.
That all being said, I am still excited to read more by the author!
Also, LOVE love the graphic design for the cover/end-paper, very fun. Let's have more fun people!
Top stories from this collection:
- Rotten Stench —fun to read, Kurniawan handles the challenge of 1-sentence, 10-page story well (impressive and effective).
- Dimples and Caronang —definitely had 'something,' but like many of the stories in this collection, left me desiring more.
- My Lipstick is Red, Darling
I found this book, for the most part, pretty challenging to finish simply because of the way that women are portrayed by and large (it took me 2mos... much to the dismay of both me and the library).
This is clearly an intentional choice of the author, and, I am assuming, with select stories like My Lipstick is Red, Darling, they are providing a contrast to show some (significant) nuance in role of women and the expectations/limitations that are placed on women (by occasionally spotlighting the perspective that women may have of themselves, and their own autonomy within a unique cultural context —and, if it’s not a total stretch to suggest this, the book as a whole, could even be seen as a case study to be compared cross-culturally depicting the universality of gender based oppression/discrimination, opening a broader discussion of how women are treated/viewed and how that dictates the ease by which they move through society/life/aging/inter&intra personal relationships etc etc etc….am I going too far, guys? I saw some upsetting, very relatable parallels).
The select stories that served as counterpoints to the vast majority, helped me re-frame the collection in a different light, and develop a greater appreciation for the intentional imbalance that was struck between male and female POVs; depictions of power and control; and the clearly considered contrast made between the portrayals of physical, emotional, and psychological violence (whether man-made; nature-wrought; or, instead the darkness that lies beyond the metaphysical, which dwells in the realm of mysticism and relies on different means of understanding and vanquishing).
All of these terrors (regardless or intentionality, or whether they are self-inflicted, or imposed upon others) are driven by a different interpretation of ‘the fear of the unknown,’ and that which goes bump in the proverbial (and quite literal) night —forces that can’t be controlled through will alone, regardless of how hard we try to master them, and ones that often outwit us despite our efforts to intervene.
Again, unless I am reading too much into this, there seems to also be a discussion of Fates that underlies this struggle of Fear and Control: the fate of women and men, the fate of actions uninterrupted and un-thwarted, and the fate of reckonings come due. I liked these themes very much, and it’s only in my review, after some reflection, that I learned to appreciate them and the work that went into crafting these through-lines (again, your girl could be squinting. Am I seeing things that aren’t there?).
However, with that being said, this was still pretty hard to work through, and I unfortunately overlook what does work in this book, because the reading experience wasn’t very enjoyable. And, there were several stories (most) that left me feeling like not enough was developed to feel fully executed (regardless of the page length).
I can’t quite pinpoint why it’s not working for me (other than what I’ve already outlined), but I am considering that this lasting impact that the collection had on me could also be due to a sequencing/pacing issue.
Quite early on I found the portrayal of women to be very off-putting and repetitive, so that by the time I was offered the rare alternative, I felt kind of resentful that it had taken so long.
Again, maybe that’s also intentional —the repetition highlights the disparity and the differences between different gender realities—, but unfortunately, it made the experience difficult (simply the activity of finishing it felt like a considerable task, and not because of subject-matter alone). Which is regrettable, because regardless, the impact of the collection —due to what I found were missteps in execution— was kind of lost on me.
If it hadn’t been such a short book, and I hadn’t had a physical copy, I don’t think I would have been as motivated to finish it.
That all being said, I am still excited to read more by the author!
May 28, 2021
This was not my cup of tea, and I'm hoping his much-lauded novel, which has been compared to Garcia Marquez's, will be different from this. I've long had a copy of "Beauty is a Wound," but I wanted to start with something shorter. The stories feel stilted, most likely because of the translation. I look forward to seeing how he's been compared to the former writer, as well as Dostoevsky, and even hailed as the next Ananta Toer. That's a mouthful, and as nice as it feels to be compared to "literary giants" (as the blurb goes), sometimes it does the author a disservice. Here we have a Southeast Asian new voice, whom everyone tries to pin on and compare with classical authors. How does one find a new voice, if every literary magazine dubs you as "the next so-and-so" or "compared to this guy everyone has read"? I understand the marketing aspect, and the automatic reaction of comparing one with another that's more well-known (we do it in all aspects of our lives, not just in the arts) but with everyone getting excited about diversity in literature, I find it ironic how everyone is quick to find a classical (male) author to compare these new authors to. Still, let's concentrate on the positive and think that he might make me enjoy his works as much as I enjoyed the works of Garcia Marquez and Dostoevsky. 2.5 rounded up.
Read
May 31, 2023there are two EXTREMELY man writing women stories, but based on the last and titular story i’ve decided Eka Kurniawan supports women’s rights, he just hasn’t grasped the human female biology. knowing this helps me feel better for appreciating his art although of course he has no excuse!
Kitchen Curse is a tight anthology of political stories. Eka Kurniawan writes with confident vision and style. consistent themes tie the collection together.
standouts for me are: The Otter Amulet, Peter Pan, Caronang. i also like Making an Elephant Happy despite it being heavy handed. the comparisons to Gabriel García Márquez because Kurniawan borrows from indonesian folklore (+ some structural similarities, eg: Rotten Stench) made me realized that i’ve been approaching magical realism from a (very white?) Wow This is So Weird And Quirky perspective when it’s actually just FOLKLORE. the same folklore people look down on because it’s unscientific and signals a lack of education and therefore poverty. you win some (unlearn colonized thinking), you lose some (forced to swallow sexism in 2023).
i want to give this book a 4 or 5/5 but the 2 stories scored negative points, so it will remain unrated.
Kitchen Curse is a tight anthology of political stories. Eka Kurniawan writes with confident vision and style. consistent themes tie the collection together.
standouts for me are: The Otter Amulet, Peter Pan, Caronang. i also like Making an Elephant Happy despite it being heavy handed. the comparisons to Gabriel García Márquez because Kurniawan borrows from indonesian folklore (+ some structural similarities, eg: Rotten Stench) made me realized that i’ve been approaching magical realism from a (very white?) Wow This is So Weird And Quirky perspective when it’s actually just FOLKLORE. the same folklore people look down on because it’s unscientific and signals a lack of education and therefore poverty. you win some (unlearn colonized thinking), you lose some (forced to swallow sexism in 2023).
i want to give this book a 4 or 5/5 but the 2 stories scored negative points, so it will remain unrated.
April 26, 2020
2.5 stars
Overall, I don't think this collection was quite for me. I enjoyed a few of the stories (and they're all short, at 5-15 pages) but found the tone weird. The writing was nice but not my favourite.
There's definitely elements of magical realism (or similar) in some of the stories, but based off his short fiction only, I don't see the comparison to Gabriel García Márquez.
This had a lot of potential to be a collection I really enjoyed, and I'll definitely give his novel (Beauty is a Wound) a try, but ultimately I was a little disappointed.
The stories I liked the most:
The Caronang
Rotten Stench
Dimples
Pigpen
Kitchen Curse
The Night Watchman
Overall, I don't think this collection was quite for me. I enjoyed a few of the stories (and they're all short, at 5-15 pages) but found the tone weird. The writing was nice but not my favourite.
There's definitely elements of magical realism (or similar) in some of the stories, but based off his short fiction only, I don't see the comparison to Gabriel García Márquez.
This had a lot of potential to be a collection I really enjoyed, and I'll definitely give his novel (Beauty is a Wound) a try, but ultimately I was a little disappointed.
The stories I liked the most:
The Caronang
Rotten Stench
Dimples
Pigpen
Kitchen Curse
The Night Watchman
August 20, 2022
3.5/5! a study in magical realism, grotesque, and political and historical fiction. reading kurniawan's books is like being dragged into a dark river which throws you around makes you hallucinate and spits you out violently sometimes on soft sand sometimes on hard pointy rocks. some of these stories felt pointless and some of them seemed like they're only supposed to prove a certain point with the story as a secondary component. nevertheless "caronang", "rotten stench" and "pigpen" will definitely stay with me for a long time. rotating them in my head as we speak
April 1, 2024
Although none of the stories were necessarily mind blowing or life changing, I really thoroughly enjoyed every single one, and I absolutely love Eka Kurniawan’s writing style.
Read
October 20, 2021Beautiful, and the translators did an amazing job at effectively retaining the uniquely Indonesian spirit of Kurniawan’s writing throughout this collection. And it looks like Benedict Anderson was one of the translators: I swear there are like five people in the English-speaking world who work on Indonesian history and culture lol it’s the same guys every time
December 17, 2019
‘Kitchen Curse’ is a delightful and quirky collection of short stories from Indonesian writer Aka Kurniawan. There are quite a large amount of stories in such a slim volume with 16 stories being crammed into 137 pages. The short length of the stories coupled with the less-than-serious style Kurniawan writes in can often make the stories feel like short fables or parables. Also, the inclusion of magical realism and quite often some sort of moral punchline in a lot of these stories can often contribute to this. They’re the kind of stories that don’t always fully make sense until you reach the very end and in a sentence or two, the real concept is brought out expertly. They are genuinely absurd stories, but never cross the line into completely nonsensical and still remarkably manage to stay on message.
The majority of the stories in this collection are genuinely successful. The first story, ‘Graffiti in the Toilet’ shows how a simple tale about a public bathroom can convey the strong political feelings of the time and ‘Carnonang’ is a great comment on the relationship between humanity and animals. ‘Rotten Stench’ is maybe the most well executed story of the bunch, a flawless commentary on how people explain away terrible things and continue with their lives unperturbed. Other than this, some of the stories are just really good stories. ‘My Lipstick is Red, Darling’ is perfect, it’s exactly what short stories exist to do and was definitely my favourite in this collection. The titular story, ‘Kitchen Curse’ is also just genuinely very, very good.
Due to the abstract nature of these stories, I didn’t always quite understand what some of them were aiming at. The story ‘Don’t Piss Here’ was one that felt like it didn’t fully achieve it’s goal. Though strange throughout I was still engaged until the story then also took a further left turn until it had completely left me behind wondering where the hell it went and why. I felt similarly about ‘No Crazies in this Town’ and ‘The Otter Amulet’. These were few and far between however, with the majority of the stories really selling their concept well. Due to their abstract nature, it’s hard to tell if these particular stories genuinely don’t quite achieve their goal, or if it’s more personal. It could be just that I don’t personally get them and with this type of style, it definitely feels like that’s a strong possibility. Not every single one of these stories is going to be for everyone by virtue of the fact they are so wildly different and off the wall.
Generally speaking, I thought ‘Kitchen Curse’ was a truly a great read. A raft of genuinely unique and captivating short stories all pulled together in a neat, cohesive collection. Often times gritty and a little crude, these stories always manage to convey Kurniawan’s unconventional style expertly and always, always have something truly interesting to say.
The majority of the stories in this collection are genuinely successful. The first story, ‘Graffiti in the Toilet’ shows how a simple tale about a public bathroom can convey the strong political feelings of the time and ‘Carnonang’ is a great comment on the relationship between humanity and animals. ‘Rotten Stench’ is maybe the most well executed story of the bunch, a flawless commentary on how people explain away terrible things and continue with their lives unperturbed. Other than this, some of the stories are just really good stories. ‘My Lipstick is Red, Darling’ is perfect, it’s exactly what short stories exist to do and was definitely my favourite in this collection. The titular story, ‘Kitchen Curse’ is also just genuinely very, very good.
Due to the abstract nature of these stories, I didn’t always quite understand what some of them were aiming at. The story ‘Don’t Piss Here’ was one that felt like it didn’t fully achieve it’s goal. Though strange throughout I was still engaged until the story then also took a further left turn until it had completely left me behind wondering where the hell it went and why. I felt similarly about ‘No Crazies in this Town’ and ‘The Otter Amulet’. These were few and far between however, with the majority of the stories really selling their concept well. Due to their abstract nature, it’s hard to tell if these particular stories genuinely don’t quite achieve their goal, or if it’s more personal. It could be just that I don’t personally get them and with this type of style, it definitely feels like that’s a strong possibility. Not every single one of these stories is going to be for everyone by virtue of the fact they are so wildly different and off the wall.
Generally speaking, I thought ‘Kitchen Curse’ was a truly a great read. A raft of genuinely unique and captivating short stories all pulled together in a neat, cohesive collection. Often times gritty and a little crude, these stories always manage to convey Kurniawan’s unconventional style expertly and always, always have something truly interesting to say.
June 19, 2020
gorgeous. i’m lost for words. an absolutely talented writer who stole my heart eyes and attention by the every first story. each story had a glorious ending that would leave me thinking for longer than usual. but the one that i don’t think i will ever get over is “rotten stench”. that was simply chilling and i have a feeling i will reread that story again because of it’s devastating proximity to reality. i also give my appreciation to the translators of this. what a beautifully interpreted piece. i have no doubt in my mind that it did eka’s style of writing a lot of justice. wow.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 4, 2023
10/10💫
#11days11bookschallenge
Eka Kurniawan benim en sevdiğim yazar o yüzden birazcık taraflı olabilirim ama öykü kitapları da en sevdiğim kitap türü olduğu için yine biraz taraflı olabilirim.
Magical reality ve geçmişi anlatmak Kurniawan'ın özel yeteneği, öykülerde müthiş bir background ve müthiş bir edebi anlatım var. Çoğu ürkütücü, creepy ya da ezberbozan öyküler bunlar, okuması size sürekli sağ gösterip sol vurduğu için inanılmaz keyifli. Karakterlerin hepsi en kısa öyküde bile çok özgün aynı şekilde öykülerin konuları da öyle.
Kurniawan'ın hayata acı bakış açısı beni edebi açıdan cidden doyuruyor. Acıların ve kötülüklerin bu kadar net bir şekilde ifade edilmesi ve yer yer sarkastik anlatım tarzını çok beğeniyorum.
Endonezya'nın tarihinden gelen bir isyankarlık var Kurniawan'da, bir devrimcilik var. Bunun izlerini sık sık yazılarında da görüyoruz. Yazarın topluma bu derece netlikle bakması ama kendi tarafını da yedirmesine hayranım.
Bununla birlikte çevrilmiş son Kurniawan'ı okudum, umarım babam yeni bir kitap yazar tez zamanda çünkü dayanabilecek gibi değilim.
bookstagram: @ orangeyoureading
#11days11bookschallenge
Eka Kurniawan benim en sevdiğim yazar o yüzden birazcık taraflı olabilirim ama öykü kitapları da en sevdiğim kitap türü olduğu için yine biraz taraflı olabilirim.
Magical reality ve geçmişi anlatmak Kurniawan'ın özel yeteneği, öykülerde müthiş bir background ve müthiş bir edebi anlatım var. Çoğu ürkütücü, creepy ya da ezberbozan öyküler bunlar, okuması size sürekli sağ gösterip sol vurduğu için inanılmaz keyifli. Karakterlerin hepsi en kısa öyküde bile çok özgün aynı şekilde öykülerin konuları da öyle.
Kurniawan'ın hayata acı bakış açısı beni edebi açıdan cidden doyuruyor. Acıların ve kötülüklerin bu kadar net bir şekilde ifade edilmesi ve yer yer sarkastik anlatım tarzını çok beğeniyorum.
Endonezya'nın tarihinden gelen bir isyankarlık var Kurniawan'da, bir devrimcilik var. Bunun izlerini sık sık yazılarında da görüyoruz. Yazarın topluma bu derece netlikle bakması ama kendi tarafını da yedirmesine hayranım.
Bununla birlikte çevrilmiş son Kurniawan'ı okudum, umarım babam yeni bir kitap yazar tez zamanda çünkü dayanabilecek gibi değilim.
bookstagram: @ orangeyoureading
March 23, 2024
“I hope God burns off his little pee-pee!”
Tinpot despots, Jakarta Method streams of consciousness and a dog with a gun.
A highly political collection of short stories with bizarre characters and circumstances that are hardly ever remarked on. Life is like that.
One short is a single run-on sentence that concisely sums up the brutality of Indonesia's anti-communist purges, while another reads more like a fairy tale. Another still is from the perspective of a rock out for revenge (which is one of my favorites). This is one of the better collections of short stories I've read in a while, and I liked it enough to get a physical copy.
Tinpot despots, Jakarta Method streams of consciousness and a dog with a gun.
A highly political collection of short stories with bizarre characters and circumstances that are hardly ever remarked on. Life is like that.
One short is a single run-on sentence that concisely sums up the brutality of Indonesia's anti-communist purges, while another reads more like a fairy tale. Another still is from the perspective of a rock out for revenge (which is one of my favorites). This is one of the better collections of short stories I've read in a while, and I liked it enough to get a physical copy.
May 19, 2020
These stories were incredibly written, some of them were just s little gross for me (body fluids and such, similar to Palahniuk). Overall I'm really glad that I read it though! Some of the stories were funny, some were haunting, and some were grotesque but accurate depictions humanity. I'm overall really glad that I read it.
May 18, 2024
I adored this book, love the blending of political and social themes and topics with sometimes absurd sometimes whimsical and sometimes fantastical storytelling. I have it as a 5 but probably closer to a 4.5 for me. A few stories didn't quite hit as hard or make as much sense as I would have liked, but the first five stories in particular were phenomenal.
December 27, 2020
3.5
Rotten stench (written as one long sentence) was quite good.
The first few stories were not great, picked up as the boom went on!
Rotten stench (written as one long sentence) was quite good.
The first few stories were not great, picked up as the boom went on!
September 28, 2021
My debut in reading anything Indonesian. Some of the stories were pretty good.
October 13, 2021
All good things begin the kitchen, including, in many ways, the friendship that brought me this book :-)
November 22, 2022
quirky grotesque funny little collection of short stories. unfamiliar with the political commentary. enjoyed it more than i expected to. #indonesiatanahairku 🙌🔥
September 7, 2023
Didn’t fancy this, it’s nothing personal but I think there are better Indo perspectives out there. Abandoned this book.
June 5, 2024
This book would be good for the type of person who likes reading collections of creepy short stories. Unfortunately I am not that type of person.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 129 reviews