Tempurung


Oka Rusmini, the author of Tempurung, mostly writes about Balinese women, the culture, the religions, and all related problems. I have read some of her works, Tarian Bumi (2000), Sagra (2001), Kenanga (2003). From her stories I learned a lot about Balinese culture and found out that when the culture, the ethnicity and religion collide, they could lead to a very complicated condition. Particulary for Balinese people who are really strict following their culture and religion.

Tempurung is a novel about women, their lives and how they react when they encounter their own bodies, religion, culture and society. It tells about women who are trapped in an 'absurd' marriages life. Deep down inside their hearts, they don't want these marriages, but on the other side, they need children, affection, love, and attention for themselves.

These women do not know what they really want. They are even afraid to dream. This is a story about a tragic life of women who do not know either it is a blessing or a curse to be a woman.

2 comments:

ferina May 17, 2010 at 11:44 AM  

aku juga baru selesai baca buku ini. bagus.. tapi, kadang bikin bingung, sebenernya tokoh utama ceritanya siapa :)
tapi.. seperti biasa, aku juga selalu suka sama novel2nya Oka Rusmini

riana May 17, 2010 at 1:36 PM  

@ferina: Suka baca karyanya Oka jg? Iya, banyak sekali tokohnya, sepertinya memang tdk ada tokoh utamanya, mungkin pengarangnya memang 'hanya' ingin menceritakan kehidupan tragis para wanita2 malang tsb. Khas tulisan Oka selalu bikin kita terhenyak dg cerita2 ttg wanita Bali.