Pandemic (Short) Stories

Short stories are a prominent part of Indonesian literary culture. The speed with which they can be written (short stories are a regular feature of Sunday newspapers) makes them an interesting entry point for reflecting on current affairs. The Coronavirus pandemic is a case in point.

An initial skim of a few websites, for example, turns up the following short stories that directly or indirectly address the pandemic:

  • Risda Nur Widia – ‘Virus C-77 Louisa Heathcote’ [Louisa Heathcote’s Virus C-77], Suara Merdeka, 8 March.
  • Risda Nur Widia – ‘Wabah’ [Outbreak], Suara Mereka, 5 April.
  • Agus Mustawan – ‘Corona Membunuh Manusia Bukan Kemanusiaan’ [Corona Kills Humans Not Humanity], KuninganMass, 8 April,
  • Wawan Gunawan – ‘Misteriusnya Wabah Covid-19 di Dunia’ [The Mysteriousness of the World’s Covid-19 Outbreak], Kompasania, 11 April.
  • Isbedy Stiawan – ‘Menembus Pandemi’ [Making it Through the Pandemic], Suara Merdeka, 17 May

It would not be hard to find more examples, and the stories cover a range of themes. Here I’ll just highlight two themes from the stories above, drawing on a couple of particularly striking passages.

One is the Islamic lens through which some stories portray the virus. Thus in ‘Wabah’, when a mysterious infection breaks out: ‘All activities including school, work and worship had to be done at home. Ultimately many places of worship became quiet, empty of their congregrations… The Mosque in the village was dead.’ But one day, despite the Mosque being empty ‘a sweet voice sent the call to prayer reverberating from inside the Mosque.’ The wife of the village head investigates, entering the Mosque to find herself facing ‘the back of a luminous, winged being. The wife of the village head was overcome be astonishment, lost in thought as she looked.’

Another theme is the vulnerability of those working in the large informal sector of the economy. ‘Menembus Pandemi’ follows the thinking of a day labourer, his anxiety rising as his income drops amid government restrictions. His wife says: ‘”What can we do? If we stay at home, will our income arrive just like that? The government doesn’t care. Yeah, we’ve got to break the rules”… From what they’d heard from their friends, following the government’s rules was all well and good. But if it goes on and on surely people will die from hunger and stress. Whilst the state takes absolutely no responsibility.’