Sastra wangi

Sastra wangi (also spelled sastrawangi; literally, "fragrant literature") is a label given to a new body of Indonesian literature written by young, urban Indonesian women who take on controversial issues such as politics, religion and sexuality. Initiating the movement was writer Ayu Utami's best-selling first novel, Saman (1998), a contemporary view of Indonesian society published two weeks before the downfall of President Suharto. Large numbers of similar works by young women have followed.

The controversial label "sastra wangi" originated among predominantly male critics in the early 2000s to categorize such young, female writers as Ayu Utami, Dewi Lestari, Fira Basuki and Djenar Maesa Ayu.

"There’s always a tendency to categorize literary work, and sastra wangi is one such category ... The media came up with [the name] because we weren’t the typical writers who used to lead the local literary scene. Beyond that, I don’t know the meaning or significance of sastra wangi." —Ayu Utami

Feminist writer Julia Suryakusuma notes that reception of the label has been mixed. Those against the label argue that it demeans women, as if it "implies the authors are secondary and unintellectual, producing inferior works popular only because of looks and sensuality". Despite the controversy, the sastra wangi label has resulted in publicity and focused attention on the writers' style, word use and subject matter. Suryakusuma writes that "they cross sectors of class, ethnicity and religion, do not bear the psychological, political and ideological burdens of the New Order and explore daring sexual themes -- taboo-breaking even."

The label has met with criticism from the writers themselves. Djenar Maesa Ayu, known for works such as Jangan Main-main Dengan Kelaminmu and Mereka Bilang, Saya Monyet!, considers the categorization "a kind of sexual harassment of her work". Mariana Amiruddin, manager of the women's magazine Jurnal Perempuan, argues that the label categorizes women based on their bodies, and as such does not consider their work as serious as that of male authors.

The sastra wangi movement is generally considered to have been initiated by Ayu Utami with her novel Saman. Arising after a period of heavy repression during Suharto's New Order government, the work inspired other young women writers to publish similarly-themed works, including poems, short stories, and novels. Critics – mostly male – labeled the nascent movement "sastra wangi" and took offense to the lack of femininity in the works.

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