Through the difficult days of Indonesia's authoritarianism, in the face of violence, through the euphoria of democratic transition, and ensuing disillusionment, one Indonesian writer has never lost faith in the act of writing. Goenawan Mohamad is an activist, journalist, editor, essayist, poet, commentator, theatre director and playwright. These essays, translated by his long-time collaborator Jennifer Lindsay, reveal a vision both uniquely Indonesian and completely universal.