Oka Rusmini Books

"Earth Dance," the story of four generations of Balinese women, centers on conflicts that arise between the demands of caste and personal desires. Narrated by Ida Ayu Telaga, a Balinese woman in her thirties, the novel shows Balinese women-as depicted by her mother, grandmother and female peers-to be motivated by two factors: the yearning to be beautiful, and the desire for a high-caste husband. Headstrong Telaga defies her mother's wishes and marries the man of her dreams, who is a commoner. Thus, in a reversal of societal expectations, as shown in the novel by images of women who aspire to "liberation" through "marrying up," Telaga's emancipation is implicitly characterized as a move downwards, through transformation to the status of a commoner. "Earth Dance" also reveals that-like high-caste status-beauty, too, has a price. Behind the thick, glossy hair and golden complexion, lies a web of jealousy, derision and intrigue. Telaga, whose life is controlled by her mother's avarice, her mother-in-law's bitterness and the greed of her sister-in-law, has frequent cause to wonder: "Is this what it means to be a woman?"

„Erdentanz“ erzählt die Geschichte der balinesischen Frauen über vier Generationen, beginnend mit Luh Sekar, die aus der Sudra-Kaste stammt und durch ihren Tanz sozialen Aufstieg anstrebt. Der Roman beleuchtet die Herausforderungen des Kastensystems und die Konflikte innerhalb der Familie, besonders durch die Entscheidungen von Luh Sekars Tochter Telaga.

Oka Rusmini erzählt die Geschichte balinesischer Frauen über vier Generationen. Es ist ein Porträt der gesellschaftlichen Verhältnisse, die vom Kastensystem geprägt sind, das Männer wie Frauen strengen hierarchischen Strukturen unterwirft. Damit steht der Roman im Kontrast zum gängigen Bali-Mythos in der westlichen Welt.