The Emma Press will publish Indonesian author Reda Gaudiamo’s translated short stories
The Emma Press will publish Indonesian author and musician Reda Gaudiamo’s short story collection About Us, translated by Ikhda Ayuning Maharsi Degoul and Philippa Barker, on 16 November 2023.
This is the first time Gaudiamo’s adult fiction has been translated into English. Two of her novels for children, The Adventures of Na Willa and Na Willa and the House in the Alley, translated by Ikhda Ayuning Maharsi Degoul and Kate Wakeling, were published by The Emma Press in 2019 and 2021.
Author Reda Gaudiamo says: “About Us is a book of the family stories we don’t tell. We tend to see other people’s families as the ‘perfect’ ones, but every family has its secrets.”
James Trevelyan, acting director, says: “We are thrilled to be translating and publishing Reda Gaudiamo’s collection of short stories for adults from Indonesian into English. The Emma Press has an established tradition of supporting our writers to publish work for different audiences and age groups, and this dark & unsettling work for adults is a bold counterpoint to Reda’s charming and inimitable Na Willa children’s series. We are excited to introduce this new voice to readers interested in contemporary Southeast Asian fiction.”
‘A taxi ride, a train trip, a family photo: in About Us, seemingly unremarkable journeys and mundane objects ripple with the repercussions of past decisions. All is not what it seems at a family wedding, a regretful father risks estranging his daughter, and a young woman is tormented by the cries of a baby that her partner cannot hear.
Reda Gaudiamo’s characters charm, chafe and confound in a series of intimate snapshots of domestic relationships. With twists shifting from the comically mischievous to the abruptly chilling, this collection is a bold slice of contemporary Indonesian literature.’
About Us by Reda Gaudiamo
About Us, by Reda Gaudiamo
ISBN 9781912915132
RRP £10.99
Publishing 16 November 2023: pre-orders now open
For more information or to request a copy for review, contact Georgia Wall: hello@theemmapress.com
About Reda Gaudiamo
Reda Gaudiamo (b. 1962) is a writer from Jakarta, Indonesia. After her the publication of her early work as a student of French Literature at the University of Indonesia, she went on to feature in national newspapers and magazines before releasing her first book – Bisik-bisik / Whispers (EKI Press), a short story collection consisting of dialogues – in 2004. Since then she has published four collections: Pengantin Baru / Newly-Weds (Editum, 2010), Tentang Kita / About Us (Stiletto, 2015) Potret Keluarga / Family Portrait (2021), and Hai Nak! / Hey Kid! (2023).
About The Emma Press
The Emma Press is an award-winning independent publishing house based in the Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham. It was founded in 2012 by Emma Dai’an Wright and is dedicated to producing beautiful, thought-provoking books for adults and children, and to making poetry accessible to everyone. The Emma Press publishes themed anthologies, illustrated chapbooks and children’s poetry and fiction, with a growing list of translations which includes titles from Latvia, Estonia, Indonesia, Spain and the Netherlands.
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