I am a working person. I always work, study or do research for my novel. I even work on Sunday. Andrea Hirata Read Quote
The decision to write full-time meant I couldn’t afford to buy a house. A friend kindly offered me the use of his apartment in a thirty-six-story building full of newlywed couples in the southern area of Jakarta. I didn’t like my working space at first, but the scenery and everything going on outside have worked their magic on me. Andrea Hirata Read Quote
I’m a small-town boy who comes from a traditional family on a tiny island called Belitung. I may not know where I’m going, but I’ll always know where to come home to. Andrea Hirata Read Quote
I think writers of memoirs need to be respected for the bold decision they take to bare their lives open. That alone should be enough. The things I write about, if you notice, are sensitive issues for a lot of people. If I told you my age, they would get ideas. The next thing you know they’ll be filing lawsuits against me. Andrea Hirata Read Quote
It’s hard to be a minority. People look at you a different way, like you don’t belong, and I don’t think many people realize just how difficult it is to live as a minority. Where I come from, we learn to tolerate one another. Whether one is of Chinese descent or Malay descent, what matters is we’re part of the same country, the same world. Andrea Hirata Read Quote
I want to write books that can truly become a legacy and bring benefits to people. Andrea Hirata Read Quote
From a building right in front of my windows, I can observe the speed of the sunrises and sunsets. The voices of children playing, laughing, yelling, and crying on the playground crawl up to the eighth floor, where I write. Their voices sound so innocent from a distance. Andrea Hirata Read Quote
