Corat Coret di Toilet ~~ Eka Kurniawan

“Nada komedi-satirnya cukup kuat dalam Corat-coret di Toilet. Cerdas juga usahanya mengangkat hal kecil yang remeh-temeh menjadi problem kemanusiaan.”

– Maman S. Mahayana, Media Indonesia

“I decided to translate ‘Coret-coret di Toilet’ not only because it is one of Eka’s best-known short stories, but because it is very blackly funny. It catches perfectly the atmosphere of student life in Indonesia at the start of the new century, as the brief promise of Reformasi was being extinguished by gangsterism, cynicism, greed, corruption, stupidity, and mediocrity. It also mirrors beautifully the bizarre lingo shared by ex-radicals, sexual opportunists, young inheritors of the debased culture of the New-Order era, and anarchists avant la lettre. Finally, it shows Eka’s gift for startling imagery, sharp and unexpected changes of tone, and his ‘extra-dry’ sympathy for the fellow-members of his late-Suharto generation.”

– Benedict R. O’G. Anderson, Indonesia

“Cerpen yang keseluruhannya di tulis pada periode 1999-2000 ini tak sekadar kisah, namun semacam jejak sejarah.”

– Widyanuari Eko Putra, Jawa Pos

“Kelihaian Eka Kurniawan bercerita tampak ditopang oleh sudut pandang dirinya terhadap drama kemanusiaan […] Menariknya, penulis mampu menyelipkan humor segar yang tetap kuat terjalin dengan bagian-bagian lain.”

– Yohanes Krisnawan, Kompas