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Editions Larousse SAS
Major French publisher of books on cooking, crafts and hobbies, gardening, health and well-being, gardening nature and animals, art and history, essays as well as children's books and games for all ages. Around 600 new titles each year. Since 1852.
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FictionJanuary 2016Nawung
Mimosa of Java
by Galuh Larasati
"When we are born, our hand fingers tiedly folded, that mean we have a lot of dreams to achieve. When we die our hand lies open, that mean we could not hold anything we have anymore. Feel the joy at any moment of our life now, and remembering our life's destiny, 'Manunggaling kawula lan Gusti', it is the moment when our body and the Great Spirit within our inner self is blended." Nawung, mimosa of Java is the life journey of Javanese young woman inspired by the old Javanese poetic song called macapat, that tells about the circle of life based on Javanese philosophy. The story starts from the song Mas kumambang. It is the story when the baby Nawung is still in her mother's womb. The true love from parents would create the true essence of life of the coming baby. Song of Mijil is when the baby has born on earth. The role of parents is very important in this stage. The influence of her father's simple teaching through the story of wayang (traditional puppet stories), has brought her as a humble and honest Javanese girl. Song of Sinom. It is telling how the teenager Nawung found easy ways to study many things. She shows how she studied English, Japanese, playing guitar, singing, drawing, writing and more, without money. This is the stage when someone is curious and ambitious in learning anything in this life. The song of Asmaradana. It is about her beautiful platonic triangle love story and a moment of her broken heart. More Javanese songs in the story are telling about how she faces her good times and bad times in her life in reaching the most important goal in life according to the Javanese philosophy. It is Manunggaling kawula lan Gusti, when the body and the Great Spirit within her inner self blended. All of her life lessons and her effort to keep being good to other, to herself and her awareness of her life lead her to her goal in life. "Through this novel, we can learn and comprehend the Javanese philosophy in a personal way. Through the eyes of a child, the writter attempts at internalizing the Javanese wisdom, which she believes, is priceless and timeless. This novel is also a bold effort to open an intercultural dialogue to build civilization which is based on the grand values in Indonesia. Anies Baswedan, Minister of Education and Culture of the Republic Indonesia."
