Chandra Bientang

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Chandra Bientang

4 Published BooksChandra Bientang

Chandra Bientang was born in Jakarta on February 17, 1989 and she has lived in Bekasi, Muntilan, and Bogor, before returning to Jakarta. She studied philosophy at the University of Indonesia, enrolling in 2007 and graduating in 2013.

She published her first novel in 2019, an urban thriller entitled Dua Dini Hari, with Noura Publishing (Mizan Group). In that same year, her short story Anak Kucing Leti (Leti's Kitten) was selected for the Emerging Writers Program at the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival, organized by the Mudra Swari Saraswati Foundation. It was then translated into English and published at the festival, along with other Emerging Writers and established Indonesian authors in the book Karma: A Bilingual Anthology of Indonesian Writings.

Her works focus on current social issues. Her novel Dua Dini Hari is about the murders of street children in Jakarta, highlighting the injustices and inequalities of a system that does not often humanize street children and marginalized people. Her short story Anak Kucing Leti tells the story of an abortion midwife's daughter who finds solace in her kitten. The story was inspired by Chandra’s frustration over the stereotypes and stigmas that still plague women, especially in Indonesia.

She accepted 2022 IKAPI Awards for "Rookie of the Year" at the opening of Indonesia International Book Fair (IIBF).