2013
All about to happen
13 October 2013
Ubud is like a big butterfly park with its fluttering flags in yellow and white at every venue. And they are all over town. I am one of those who can remember the simple affair ten years ago that was the first festival. Now there is not only the main four-day program (now taking place over 3-4 venues) and the special events of lunches, dinners and cocktail parties featuring close encounters with the big-name authors, but a huge range of other activities. There are cooking demos throughout the day in The Kitchen, a film program, concerts and poetry evenings, an extensive program of children's workshops, a youth program, writing workshops and half a dozen book launches to choose from each day. Apart from the main program, which has a flat fee of $375 (I get a free pass because of the translation work I do for the festival - very nice!), most other things have a price tag. Some quite expensive. I find the main program keeps me busy enough (I hate missing sessions), with book launches in the early evening to top off the day and perhaps the poetry slam. Maybe I'll get to one special event at a 5-star hotel I have never been to before, Kamandala, on the last day. It features the US ecologist Stephen Lansing who helped set up the heritage status of the rice terrace valley Jati Luwih that I just visited - and also historian Ian Burnet of Spice Islands fame. It will be a rice-based lunch with dishes from all over the archipelago. Will see if there are any tickets left.
The theme of the festival is "Through Darkness to Light" as it was ten years ago. It honours Kartini, Indonesia's first feminist back at the beginning of the 20th Century. She died young in 1904 at 25, but her amazing writings in the form of letters live on. She wrote in Dutch and they have been translated under the title Through Darkness to Light – and an earlier version, Letters of a Javanese Princess. Kartini was a great pioneer of education for girls. Well worth reading. The festival is emphasising writings by and for women, though of course not exclusively. And there are several sessions about Kartini's writings which I want to go to. Google her and you will get an idea of what an extraordinary person she was, coming from an aristocratic Javanese background with all its cultural conservatism.
Lionel Shriver is the biggest name of the festival (We Need to Talk About Kevin). However, unlike at previous festivals with big name authors, she does not appear to be scheduled on any of the panel sessions of the main program, so if you want to hear her you have to pay more and go to an evening session and buy your own drinks! She is being interviewed by our very own Jennifer Byrne (much loved Australian TV book club personality, for those of you readers who are not Aussies).
I have volunteered to join in with the Bahasa Breakfasts- short morning meetings at 8 am each day where festival participants can come to learn a little language. They are put on by Cinta Bahasa, the language school here in Ubud run by friends of mine. Will require setting out early on a half hour walk down to the venue as Josh will have left for the States and I won’t have him to prevail upon for a lift.
I have an invitation to the Opening extravaganza at the Ubud Palace tonight. All the authors and the big names of the Ubud community will be there. It is always crowded but you get to see everyone you want to catch up with, but due to the crowd and bustle, you can't really do more than wave and grin at each other. Lots of speeches and dances.
Jazz is very upset about daddy leaving tonight. Have no idea when I'll get time to write next! Let the show begin!
The theme of the festival is "Through Darkness to Light" as it was ten years ago. It honours Kartini, Indonesia's first feminist back at the beginning of the 20th Century. She died young in 1904 at 25, but her amazing writings in the form of letters live on. She wrote in Dutch and they have been translated under the title Through Darkness to Light – and an earlier version, Letters of a Javanese Princess. Kartini was a great pioneer of education for girls. Well worth reading. The festival is emphasising writings by and for women, though of course not exclusively. And there are several sessions about Kartini's writings which I want to go to. Google her and you will get an idea of what an extraordinary person she was, coming from an aristocratic Javanese background with all its cultural conservatism.
Lionel Shriver is the biggest name of the festival (We Need to Talk About Kevin). However, unlike at previous festivals with big name authors, she does not appear to be scheduled on any of the panel sessions of the main program, so if you want to hear her you have to pay more and go to an evening session and buy your own drinks! She is being interviewed by our very own Jennifer Byrne (much loved Australian TV book club personality, for those of you readers who are not Aussies).
I have volunteered to join in with the Bahasa Breakfasts- short morning meetings at 8 am each day where festival participants can come to learn a little language. They are put on by Cinta Bahasa, the language school here in Ubud run by friends of mine. Will require setting out early on a half hour walk down to the venue as Josh will have left for the States and I won’t have him to prevail upon for a lift.
I have an invitation to the Opening extravaganza at the Ubud Palace tonight. All the authors and the big names of the Ubud community will be there. It is always crowded but you get to see everyone you want to catch up with, but due to the crowd and bustle, you can't really do more than wave and grin at each other. Lots of speeches and dances.
Jazz is very upset about daddy leaving tonight. Have no idea when I'll get time to write next! Let the show begin!