“In short, to survive a heartbreak a young poet only needs: (1) A dazzling dress/shirt, no need to be new, (2) a piece of premium tissue, (3) a pair of undented running shoes, (4) a novel by an author with a visibly long name, (5) an empty instant noodles cardboard box, (6) the album Blue by Joni Mitchell, and (7) a book that is undeterred by the confusing rules of Indonesian spelling because it is written in a foreign language, say, Finnish.”
— Norman Erikson Pasaribu
This book is a compilation of short stories, poems, and essays by a selection of Asia-Pacific’s most talented writers, including from Indonesia, Vietnam, South Korea, and Australia, all of whom were part of the WrICE (Writers Immersion and Cultural Exchange) residency program.
While I personally think that not all the writings were on the same “level” — some were rather dry for me — it’s still great to read such a rich, cross-cultural collection of writings.
However even after reading the whole thing, I still loved the Indonesian ones the most (🇮🇩 represent!); my favourite being Norman’s ‘A Heartbreak Survival Kit for Young Poets’ (am I biased because he’s my friend? I think not!! 😂).
My rating: 3.5/5.
shaffira gayatri 