Jakarta, UNESCO Guest City at the Granada Book Fair 2026. Eka Kurniawan in conversation with Laura Prinsloo

Jakarta’s programme as UNESCO Guest City at the Granada Book Fair is made possible thanks to the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Indonesia and Jakarta UNESCO City of Literature, in collaboration with Granada UNESCO City of Literature and the Granada Book Fair.

Following their participation in the opening ceremony of the Book Fair on 23 April at the City Hall Courtyard, the Jakarta delegation will present two events featuring leading Indonesian authors.

On Friday, 24 April, at 9:00 p.m., the Fundación Caja Rural Granada Pavilion will host a conversation with Eka Kurniawan, one of the most prominent and ambitious voices in contemporary Indonesian literature. His novel Beauty Is a Wound, published in Spain by Lumen, has been translated into numerous languages and blends history, magical realism and oral tradition. Man Tiger, published in Spain by Armaenia, was shortlisted for the Man Booker International Prize in 2016. Eka Kurniawan will be in conversation with Laura Prinsloo, currently in charge of the MTN Sastra programme at the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Indonesia, which promotes the internationalisation of Indonesian authors, and who also serves as Focal Point for Jakarta UNESCO City of Literature. The conversation will explore Kurniawan’s literary work, Jakarta as a UNESCO City of Literature, and the international projection of contemporary Indonesian literature. The event will include simultaneous English–Spanish interpretation by Óscar Jiménez.

Eka Kurniawan

Eka Kurniawan was born in Tasikmalaya, Indonesia, in 1975. He graduated from the Faculty of Philosophy at Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta with an advanced essay on Pramoedya Ananta Toer and socialist realism literature, later published as a book in 1999.

Kurniawan writes in Indonesian. His first novel, Beauty Is a Wound (2002), received critical acclaim—he has often been compared to Gabriel García Márquez—and has been widely translated (published in Spain by Lumen). This was followed by Man Tiger (2004), published in the United Kingdom in 2015, which won the Financial Times Emerging Voices Award (2016) and was shortlisted for the Man Booker International Prize (published in Spain by Armaenia).

Vengeance Is Mine, All Others Pay Cash was published in Indonesia in 2014. His most recent work, Dog Meows, Cat Barks, will be published in English translation in 2026.

In addition to his fiction, he writes literary essays and political commentary for local and international media. He received the Prince Claus Award in 2018 and currently lives in Jakarta.

Laura Prinsloo

Laura Prinsloo is a cultural practitioner and advocate for literature, currently serving as the Focal Point for Jakarta UNESCO City of Literature and a promoter of the MTN Sastra programme under the Ministry of Culture, supporting the development and global presence of Indonesian writers. She is the founder of Yayasan 17,000 Pulau Imaji, a non-profit organization advancing Indonesia’s literary ecosystem through cross-cultural exchanges and platforms that connect Indonesian storytelling with the world. Her work builds on her leadership as Chair of the Indonesian National Book Committee (2016–2019) and Executive Chair of Jakarta Book City (2019–2021). Prior to this, Laura worked in banking in New Zealand before entering the publishing industry as a publisher at Kesaint Blanc Publishing (2010–2017), where she developed her foundation in literature and publishing.

Óscar Jiménez

Óscar Jiménez is an accredited Professor of Translation and Interpreting at the University of Granada. He is a member of the Chair of Innovation in Design, Crafts and Contemporary Art and of the Unit of Excellence “Science in the Alhambra”. He holds a PhD awarded with an Extraordinary Prize.

With 36 years of professional experience as a translator and interpreter across Europe, Africa, the Middle East, the Americas and Asia, he has worked for major international organisations (European Union, United Nations, Interpol, International Olympic Committee) and global companies (Google, Microsoft). He has served for 20 years as interpreter at the Princess of Asturias Awards. He has interpreted for some of the most influential figures in the world, including monarchs, presidents, Nobel laureates, leaders of major technology companies, as well as renowned artists, writers and athletes. He is the author of more than 60 publications across 10 countries.