Probably The Only Indonesian Ever to Read "The Mysteries of Pittsburgh"

A guy whom I befriended with in goodreads recently sent me an online message. He noticed that I had just finished reading this novel by Michael Chabon, The Mysteries of Pittsburgh. Apparently, this guy works in a local publishing company. He said that his company wants to translate said novel into Bahasa and subsequently publish it in this country. He also asked me whether I have time to read their translated draft and give comment.

Remembering how I keep breaking promises, even the ones I made myself for my own good, I simply refused. But I gave him a very different reason. I told this guy, that I can’t imagine this novel being published in Indonesia. Not because it dealt with certain issues like the Jewish mob organization or homosexuality among young men (hey, we’ve seen and read enough about them already!), but because it’s probably going to be “religion-sensitive” case.

You see, one of the novel’s supporting characters is an Arab guy who happens to be a quite flamboyant homosexual. I don’t care what Mahmoud Ahmadinedjad said, but different sexual preference is not race-exclusive. What I found most unsettling about this character that might wreak havoc and cause storm of protests among many Indonesians, is because this Arab gay guy’s name is Mohammed – quite similar with the name of Islam's highest prophet.

Even though I have to honestly admit, that if readers set the Arab gay guy issue aside, this novel may make a good read. It has romance (though more about confused love interests between male-male-female), a little bit of action (a chasing scene involving a police helicopter), talks about the search for personal identity and coming-of-age, intimate feelings (losing the one you loved most), and tragic death. To make it short, a complete novel.

Somehow, I found it quite a relief that probably, I’m the only Indonesian who ever read this novel.

Images were taken from various sources, depicting scenes in the movie adaptation of "The Mysteries of Pittsburgh".

Menyoal Iman

Ada yang keliru tentang pemahaman agama di negeri ini.

Ketika setiap group musik / band maupun penyanyi-penyanyi solo berlomba-lomba merilis album ataupun melepas single bernuansa Islami saat tiba Ramadhan, lengkap dengan kekerapan intensitas kemunculan di berbagai media sambil mengenakan baju koko dan peci atau baju kurung dan selendang menutupi sebagian kepala, sambil membahas aktivitas ke-‘artis’-annya selama menjalankan ibadah puasa.

Ketika setiap media infotainment saling berlomba membahas group musik / band mana yang merilis album atau single Islami baru setibanya bulan Ramadhan dan band mana yang tidak melakukannya; dan lebih sibuk menyoal band yang sudah berusia relatif lama namun belum pernah sekalipun melepaskan lagu-lagu bernafaskan keagamaan untuk menyambut ketibaan Ramadhan maupun menjelang hari raya Idul Fitri.

Ketika semua stasiun televisi berlomba menayangkan sinetron-sinetron berbingkai religi di jam-jam tayang utama, atau menampilkan pertunjukan komedi slapstick menjelang sahur maupun saat berbuka tiba; dua jenis tayangan yang patut diragukan nilai-nilai agamis dan makna ibadahnya.

Ketika seorang aktor maupun aktris diidolakan berkat perannya sebagai karakter protagonis yang tetap rajin beribadah dan pasrah meskipun bolak-balik dizholimi dengan tata-cara yang semakin lama semakin brutal dan tak masuk akal dalam sinetron yang dibintanginya.

Ketika kelompok organisasi massa tertentu menyerbu tempat-tempat makan di pinggir jalan yang dikelola secara swadaya dan swadana oleh para pengusaha mikro, saat hari masih siang, di bulan Ramadhan, dengan alasan mengajak orang berbuat mungkar.

Ketika kelompok organisasi massa tertentu menganggap hanya agama dengan tata-ibadah yang mereka anut adalah yang paling benar dan paling tinggi, sedangkan penganut agama yang sama dengan tata-ibadah yang berbeda adalah orang-orang keliru yang tak layak di mata Tuhan.

Ketika dengan alasan diprovokasi, anggota-anggota organisasi massa tertentu yang mengusung panji-panji agama beramai-ramai menyerang dan mengeroyok seorang lelaki dari kelompok yang dianggap musuh hingga terluka parah.
Bukankah di bulan suci ini haruslah mampu menahan emosi, dan mereka yang bisa menahan dan menerima cobaan dengan tabah – sebagaimana yang hendak dikotbahkan dalam sinetron-sinetron berbingkai religi itu – adalah mereka yang berhak atas “Kemenangan” ketika saat itu tiba?

Ada yang keliru tentang pemahaman agama di negeri ini ketika tingkat keimanan seseorang diukur hanya dari apa yang tampak dari luar belaka.

The Strangest Christmas Present Ever

“Have you read that book I gave you as Christmas present?”

He suddenly popped up in a Messenger window that afternoon and asked me that question.

Having procrastinating since that morning, I very much welcomed this chance to busy myself.
My hands hurriedly typed answer:
“Nope. Haven’t even started yet. Am quite busy these days.” An easy automatic lie.
“Besides, I’m still on the first chapters of Midnight Children. Which I think is far more interesting.”
I knew exactly this excuse would hurt his feeling a bit, knowing how sensitive he is.

“Oh, okay.”
“But, tell me, why? Don’t you like that book?”
It was so him. Stubborn and tends to keep on insisting others to do things like the way he told them to do. Probably because of his upbringing as the last kid in his family.

“It’s not like that. It’s just that I already started reading Midnight Children before you gave me that Persian novel.”
My fingers just couldn’t stop typing letters. “Oh and furthermore ...” Then I stopped.

I was curious.
What if I told him that I found it very silly to give someone a novel – written by some author who was hardly familiar in literary world – which story was set in the earliest stage of Iran’s Islamic revolution, as a CHRISTMAS present?
Would he be mad at me?

Hmm, I didn’t think so.

“Yes? What’re you’re trying to say?”

Oh, be careful in responding this tricky situation, my mind warned me. Otherwise, he’d keep on asking you whether you already read that novel or not for these coming months. Each and everytime he sees you online in Messenger.

“Furthermore, I have these books which I already bought years before and until today still sit in my bookshelf, in their original wrapping.”
“I think it’s fair enough if I finished them all first, and then read yours.” Another lie.

I don’t know whether these books have feelings and care which one amongst them would get the chance to be read first. I just hoped he’d buy this rationale.

“Oh, ok. I see.”
“Just let me know when you finally read it, and whether you like it or not. Will you?”

Hah?! I couldn’t believe it! He trusted that answer. Thankfully, so I could stop lying to him, at least for that moment.

“Of course. I will.” This was, of course, not a lie.

* * *

What you’ve just read was a reenactment of a chat that happened one afternoon, almost three years ago.

And from that said afternoon until this very moment, I bought dozens other titles. Most of them are, obviously, fictions, and was written by European or American author. I did make some exceptions, though.
They are Marjane Satrapi’s “Persepolis” and “Embroideries”, some kind of semi-autobiographies that dealt mostly with women’s rights, (Western/liberal) democracy vs. sharia/Islamic rules, and Iran vs. the rest of the world; Arundhati Roy’s first and only novel, “The Gods of Small Things” that shocked me with it’s brutal honesty; also Khaled Hosseini’s “The Kite Runner” which touched my soft spots.

Because honestly, before these, I never really had the slightest interest in reading stories about Persian and Arab countries. They’re just not written for me. (Note: Roy, as I believe you all know, is an Indian author).

As for now, if you’re still curious what I have done to that strangest Christmas present ever, well, it is now buried deep behind other thick novels in my bookshelves, its pages became yellowish and dusty. Perhaps I should just pass it on to others years ago, as a gift. Don’t you think?