Winter 2024 unfolded as a test of stamina, commitment, and faith in the work itself. The journey began on 11 November in Brussels and landed in Jakarta late at night, already compressed by time. Sleep lasted less than three hours. At five in the morning on 13 November, I was back on the road, heading toward Bandung, where the first major event awaited.
At Universitas Padjadjaran in Jatinangor, French Corner #1 marked a significant intellectual and symbolic moment. Organized by the Faculty of French Literature of UNPAD in collaboration with Pustaka Jaya and IFI Bandung, the event brought together three agendas in one sustained exchange: the official launch and critical discussion of Bunga-Bunga Iblis, a seminar on French literary translation, and a book signing session. What made the day exceptional was not scale but density. Professors and researchers from UNPAD were joined by academics from other institutions, including Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia. The room carried an academic seriousness that remained open, dialogic, and generous. Bunga-Bunga Iblis was not treated as an isolated publication, but as part of a larger conversation about translation, ethics, and literary heritage.
The following morning in Bandung slowed the pace without reducing intensity. Together with the Pustaka Jaya team, I recorded a poetry reading of L’Albatros in Indonesian, followed by an interview. The act of reading Baudelaire aloud, translated yet grounded, felt like a continuation of the previous day’s dialogue, this time through voice and silence rather than discussion.
That evening, the journey turned toward Bogor. On 14 November at 8 pm, Semaan Puisi offered a different atmosphere entirely. No podium, no academic framing. Just poetry circulating among listeners, allowing attention to deepen rather than disperse.
Jakarta arrived quickly and decisively. On 15 November, Jagat Sastra Milenia hosted a Meet and Greet and book discussion at Sate Senayan, led by Riri Satria. Two works framed the conversation: Bunga-Bunga Iblis and Poetry as Autobiography, an essay collection exploring the biographical and poetic trajectory of Charles Baudelaire. The discussion was rigorous without becoming heavy, critical without losing warmth. That same evening, the exchange continued at Atelier Rawamangun under the direction of Hamzah Muhammad, from 7.30 pm until late. Here, literature shifted registers again, becoming more intimate, exploratory, and performative.
Semarang followed with an unexpected rupture. A flight booking error, identical date and month, wrong year, forced a sudden reckoning with exhaustion. Panic arrived quietly. Four consecutive days of full agendas, almost no rest. By the time I reached Semarang, my body finally refused. A Meet and Greet scheduled for mid afternoon had to be postponed to the evening, and subsequent plans were rearranged. Two days were needed simply to recover.
By 20 November, balance returned. At SMA Kesatrian Semarang, I delivered a literary lecture discussing Melankolia and Miss Gawky, works chosen for their relevance to young readers. The students responded with sharp, critical questions that transformed the session into a genuine dialogue. This intellectual alertness was no coincidence. Their Indonesian language teacher is himself a writer. The session closed with a book signing, but the energy in the room suggested that the books were only one part of what had been exchanged.
On 21 November, I met with former colleagues from the Faculty of English Education at Universitas PGRI Semarang. The following day, Universitas Negeri Semarang invited me to meet with lecturers of French literature and to receive a certificate of appreciation for a guest lecture delivered via Zoom in October to French literature students. On 23 November, I shifted roles again, this time as a postgraduate student, fulfilling academic obligations at the Faculty of Indonesian Language and Literature Education. On 24 November, I attended a gathering of the extended Teater Lingkar Semarang community, delivering a cultural talk to newly registered members. The work here was quiet, intergenerational, and rooted in continuity rather than spectacle.
Solo entered the itinerary on 26 November as a brief but meaningful pause. A Meet and Greet took place in a café that also functioned as a library, followed by lunch at Tengkleng Pak Manto. From Solo, the journey continued directly to Yogyakarta.
Yogyakarta offered a softer rhythm. On 27 and 28 November, mornings were dedicated to breakfast meetings at the hotel, inviting writers and thinkers for unhurried conversation. Among them were Mutia Sukma, Mahfud Ikhwan and his wife Selvi Ananda, and several others. Beyond these informal gatherings, I visited IFI Yogyakarta, met with its director Monsieur Dabin, and donated my translated works to the IFI Mediatheque, allowing the books to circulate beyond personal networks.
On 30 November, I returned once more to Semarang for three days of team work and field research. This phase was anchored by a BIMA grant from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology, supporting my project Intertextuality between Indonesian and French Literature in the Works of Wing Kardjo. Here, the tour receded and research took center stage. Notes replaced microphones. Archives replaced audiences.
By 4 December, I was back in Jakarta for a final Meet and Greet with young writers and literary editors. The circle closed quietly. On 6 December, I returned to Belgium.
Winter 2024 was not designed for ease. It demanded physical endurance, intellectual focus, and constant recalibration. Across cities, institutions, cafés, classrooms, and rehearsal spaces, one thread remained intact: literature as a living exchange. These weeks confirmed that books do not travel alone. They move through bodies, conversations, fatigue, recovery, and persistence. And when the schedule collapses, the work, stubbornly, continues.
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