Buku-Buku
Congratulations Indiya
Congratulations are in order for AIAA member, Indiya Mahjoeddin of Musik Kabau Sati, Brisbane. In June a launch was held to celebrate the publication of "3 Plays by Asian Australians" edited by Don Batchelor which includes Indiya's play "The Butterfly Seer".
The playwrights also read from their works at a West End launch in September at Avid reader.
Indiya is the Australian-Indonesian representative in this publication with other contributions from Anna Yen "Chinese Take Away" and "Monkey Mother" by Binh Ta.
Indija N Mahjoeddin's The Butterfly Seer is an evocative and richly textured narrative in the epic tradition of Sumatran folk opera,which questions notions of faith and betrayal through the spiritual pilgrimage of a saint and her clown. 'Evokes extraordinary imagery and quite passionate responses from the heart' (Aubrey Mellor).
Sydney Writer, Binh Duy Ta's Monkey Mother is a lyrical drama exploring intercultural marriage told in a unique blend of myth, music and martial arts.
In Anna Yen's Chinese Takeaway, three generations of Chinese Women make a figurative journey from Old China to contemporary Australia. 'A tragi-comic one woman show richly realised in visual, verbal, circus and physical theatre languages'.
This book was published by Playlab Press in association with Queensland University of Technology, and was launched at the Playlab 2000 Writers Weekend.
For furthur information please contact:
Playlab
Level 3,
109 Edward St,
Brisbane Qld 4000
Phone: 61 3236 1396 Fax: 61 3236 1026
Email: cluster@thehub.com.au
or
Indiya Mahjoeddin
PO Box 5262, West End Qld 4101
Blossoms of Longing
As you wander along the seashore
and amid the beauty of distant mountains
Through dark, shrouding clouds
that change to delicate misting rain,
You may hear a sweet, rumbling thunder,
faint and restless its sound,
That will be the transformation of my weeping
when I have died
exhausted from the pain of longing.
"Blossoms of Longing: Ancient Verses of Love and Lament."
Translated from the Javanese by Thomas M. Hunter.
An exquisite and diminutive (6 x 6") volume of romantic and erotic poetry
from Old Javanese 'kekawin', including excerpts of Krishnayana,
Arjunawiwaha, and Smaradahana (Immolation of the Love God). The original
texts are rendered in Balinese script. 88 pp. Lontar Foundation. $15.
Available from American Gamelan Institute.
A Guide to Gamelan
The second edition of "A Guide to the Gamelan" by Neil Sorrell has just been published by the Society for Asian Music of Cornell University.
This edition contains new prefaces by the author and Jody Diamond, plus an updated section on sources by Martin Hatch. The book provides a basic introduction to the background, playing, theory, and building of Central Javanese gamelan. It is suitable for players of gamelan as well as students wishing to gain a basic vocabulary of gamelan terms. The book includes photographs of individual instruments being played by Joko Purwanto.
For Furthur information about the contents of this book contact: Email: jody.diamond@dartmouth.edu
"A Guide to the Gamelan" is available from AGI for $12 plus $5 s&h (book rate; other shipping methods available on request). Bookstores or group orders of 10 or more copies receive a 20% discount. Payment can be made by check, credit card (Visa, MC, AmEx) or institutional purchase order.
American Gamelan Institute
Box 1052, Lebanon, NH 03766 USA
Website: http://www.gamelan.org
NEW CD! Gamelan as a Second Language. $10.
Compositions by David Demnitz, played by Gamelan Son of Lion.
New Books at Ganesha
Kecak - The Vocal Chant of Bali
by I Wayan Dibia
An updated edition of this important work on one of Bali's most well-known and well-loved Dance Performances - the Kecak. This book provides extensive information and documentation on the development of Kecak, the traditional elements of its performance and the Ramayana epic as it is performed within the Kecak. The book also includes a list of kecak masters and the presently active Kecak groups on the island. Price: Rp45,000
Learning the Balinese Rebab
by Pande Made Sukerta
A well-written and very explanatory book on this magnificent
Balinese Musical Instrument. The materials presented in
this volume are the results of the author's experiences
playing the rebab. There are many photographs and diagrams
which will assist the reader in understanding the technique
required to play this instrument.
Price: Rp45,000
Ganesha Book Shop - Ubud Bali
Tel/Fax: 62 361 973359 (office) 62 361 976 339 (shop)
Email: ganeshabks@denpasar.wasantara.net.id
Website: www.bali-paradise.com/ganesha