Stories that Liberate

Kompas/Hendra A Setyawan

The short story "Tanah Air" (The Motherland) by Martin Aleida is crowned Best Short Story of Kompas 2016 at cultural institute Bantara Budaya Jakarta on Thursday (15/6). In the annual event, writer Triyanto Triwikromo from Semarang, Central Java, also received the Loyalty of Work award.

In the hands of a writer, a literary work can be liberating. A story can reveal, tell and record a variety of events and messages from an alternative reality that may be difficult to express.

This is one of the topics raised during the 2016 Kompas Short Story Evening Gala on Thursday (15/6), which saw the participation of 20 short story writers from several regions in the country.