Maverick Indonesia

Akmal’s Imperia

A journalist turns novelist?

That’s what happened to Akmal Nasery Basral, a journalist in Tempo magazine who had released his first novel, Imperia, in May 2005.

I met Akmal last Saturday, in Omah Sendok Restaurant, when he came over to share the writing process of Imperia with several amateur writers. He told us that his profession as a journalist spilled over to this novel. He started out with an idea to write something about the Semanggi incident, but through time, the story evolved into a different direction and finally resulted in the novel Imperia.

Akmal also shows his concern towards Indonesian writers, for they are not yet given enough support and opportunities to maximize their potential. He admitted that he is not sure that someone can live properly by becoming a full-time writer, especially in Indonesia, though the idea itself is very tempting.

The title Imperia comes from the name of a statue in Konstanz, Germany; and Imperia is a prostitute.

“This is the most interesting fact about Imperia,” said Akmal. “In many countries I’ve ever visited, usually they have statues of their national heroes or artists… but this is a statue of a prostitute! On her hands, she grabbed a king (King Sigismund) and a Pope (Pope Martin V). This statue shows that a prostitute can seduce two most important figures in the government and religious institutions–and that she has the power to control them.”