book

From Zero to Frankfurt: The Translating Process of Ground Zero

The journey began when a mother is lying on a hospital bed, dying. The son who has been years living overseas finally returns. Realizing not much time left, the son sits beside her, reads his diary about faraway lands he saw. About their ancestral land of China, about the Himalayas, about the Pakistani desert and the warzone of Afghanistan. Along with his stories, the mother starts to recount her stories that have been buried for long. About her childhood, her love, her awaiting, her struggle, her God, her life and death. Two journeys set in two dimensions of time and place intertwine, and eventually converge. In the final days, the mother and son share a journey of life together. This is the story of my travel-narrative memoir, Titik Nol: Makna Sebuah Perjalanan (lit. Point Zero: The Essence of a Journey), published in Indonesian language by Gramedia Pustaka Utama in 2013. It received quite warm welcome from Indonesian readers. Some months after the launching, Gramedia asked whether [read more]

October 12, 2015 // 0 Comments

ChinaNews 中国新闻网 (2013): 印尼华裔青年作家出版新著讲述游历多国经历

4月20日晚，印尼华裔青年作家翁鸿鸣(Agustinus Wibowo)在泗水敦绒望商厦Gramedia书店举行《零点》(Titik Nol)新书发布会。来自泗水市和外埠的读者，及泗水华社代表郑菊花、何婉芸、吴萌暄和陈新来出席了活动。

发布会上，翁鸿鸣介绍《零点》是他的新作。之前，他已经出版两本书《灰尘毯子》(Selimut Debu)和《界线》(Garis Batas)。《零点》讲述当年他当背包族(Backpacker)游览中国西藏、尼泊尔、印度和阿富汗的经历。

April 25, 2013 // 0 Comments

Jakarta Globe (2013): Detailing a Nomad’s Return to Point Zero

4 April 2013 http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/features/detailing-a-nomads-return-to-point-zero/583242/ Detailing a Nomad’s Return to Point Zero By Lisa Siregar on 3:24 pm April 4, 2013. Category Features, Travel Travel writer Agustinus Wibowo has walked many kilometers and dangerous turns during adventures in Afghanistan and across Asia — a long way from his childhood days in Lumajang, East Java, when he used to chase passing aircraft. After years away from his family, Agustinus eventually returned home to read the stories he had written about his experiences to his ill, bedridden mother. These previously unpublished tales of his journeys to Nepal, India and Pakistan, as well as the conversations with his mother in her final days, are the main themes of his new book, “Titik Nol” (“The Zero Point”, or “Ground Zero”). “To lose my mother is the worst thing that happened to me in my life,” Agustinus said at the launch of his book in Jakarta. “But I keep writing, [read more]

April 4, 2013 // 0 Comments

Third Book, Titik Nol (Point Zero) is Coming

Faraway. Why everybody is obsessed by that word? Marco Polo traveled faraway from Venice to the Mongolian Empire. The explorers adventured through dangerous seven seas. The climbers put their life on the line just for a few moments conquering majestic peaks. He was also overwhelmed by the “faraway”. The Traveler decided to get involved in globetrotting journey. He sneaked to the forbidden land in Himalaya, staying in mysterious Kashmir, and became witness of warzones and massacres. Started by a dream, flowing like a series of dreams, this is a journey of a traveler searching for a meaning. Until to the point that he had traveled very, very far, he was forced to return home, kneel down besides his mother’s bed. And from the story of the very mother who has never traveled anywhere, little by little he revealed the meanings of journey that he was missing. Paperback, 568 pages Published February 2013 by Gramedia Pustaka Utama ISBN: 9789792292718 edition language: Indonesian For the [read more]

February 7, 2013 // 0 Comments

A Blanket of Dust—New Edition

My first book, A Blanket of Dust (Selimut Debu) is going to be republished with new cover and new photos, to be launched by Gramedia Pustaka Utama this coming 29 September 2011. [Agustinus] tak ingin hanya menjadi penonton isi dunia. Ia mau terlibat sepenuhnya dalam perjalanan itu. Ia tak sekadar melihat pemandangan, berpindah dari satu tempat ke tempat lain, tetapi juga mengenal budaya dan berinteraksi dengan masyarakat setempat. –Kompas– Afghanistan. Nama negeri itu sudah bersinonim dengan perang tanpa henti, kemiskinan, maut, bom bunuh diri, kehancuran, perempuan tanpa wajah, dan ratapan pilu. Nama yang sudah begitu tidak asing, namun tetap menyimpan misteri yang mencekam. Pada setiap langkah di negeri ini, debu menyeruak ke rongga mulut, kerongkongan, lubang hidung, kelopak mata. Bulir-bulir debu yang hampa tanpa makna, tetapi menjadi saksi pertumpahan darah bangsa-bangsa, selama ribuan tahun. Aura petualangan berembus, dari gurun gersang, gunung salju, padang hijau, lembah [read more]

September 17, 2011 // 4 Comments

My First Book, “BLANKET OF DUST — SELIMUT DEBU” is Launched in Indonesia

Finally…. after long time of editing and rewriting, and editing again, and rewriting again, (I already have lost count about the process), my first travel narrative book will be launched by Gramedia Pustaka Utama, one of the leading publishers in Indonesia, by January 12, 2010. This book is about Afghanistan, based of my travel around the country by hitchhiking in 2006, but the contents are enriched with my contemplation after my two and half year stay in Afghanistan as a journalist. The first edition is in Indonesian, but hopefully an English version will come out soon as well. ——————————————– http://www.gramedia.com/buku_detail.asp?id=KAHI4419&kat=4 Selimut Debu – Agustinus Wibowo 468 halaman Rp69.000,- Dilengkapi foto-foto berwarna. No GM 40101100002 ISBN: 978-979-22-5285-9 Pada tahun 2006, Agustinus mulai melintasi perbatasan antar negara menuju Afghanistan, dan selama dua tahun ia menetap di Kabul sebagai fotografer jurnalis—catatannya [read more]

January 6, 2010 // 34 Comments