Eka Kurniawan
Eka Kurniawan (born November 28, 1975) is an Indonesian writer and screenwriter. In 2016, Kurniawan became the first Indonesian writer to be nominated for the Man Booker International Prize.
Eka Kurniawan

Ji-Elle · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Born
- 1975. · Tasikmalaya.
- Nationality
- Indonesia.
- Occupation
- writer, journalist, novelist, designer and screenwriter.
- Fields
- literature, graphic design and psychology.
- Education
- Gadjah Mada University.
- Known for
- Beauty Is a Wound, Vengeance Is Mine and All Others Pay Cash.
- Honours
- Prince Claus Fund.
- Languages
- Indonesian.
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Documentary summary
Eka Kurniawan (born November 28, 1975) is an Indonesian writer and screenwriter. In 2016, Kurniawan became the first Indonesian writer to be nominated for the Man Booker International Prize.
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Evidence Panel
wikipedia incomplete · checked 25 September 2026
- Identity
- resolved
- Independent source families
- 0
- Admitted assertions
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Authority files
wikidata · Q2321261 · wikipedia · Eka Kurniawan
In this article
Early life
Early life
Eka Kurniawan studied at Gadjah Mada University. The recorded working language is Indonesian. The field of work recorded is literature, graphic design and psychology. Subjects and genres recorded for the work are high. Haruki Murakami is recorded as an influence. Works named in the authority record are Beauty Is a Wound and Vengeance Is Mine, All Others Pay Cash. Distinctions recorded are Prince Claus Fund.
Kurniawan was born in Tasikmalaya, West Java, and grew up in a small coastal town, Pangandaran. He studied philosophy at Gadjah Mada University, Yogyakarta. Kurniawan currently lives in Jakarta. He writes novels, short stories, movie scripts, and blog, as well as essays. His works are translated into more than 24 languages.
Career
Career
His novel Beauty Is a Wound was included in the list of 100 notable books by The New York Times. The use of magic realism in the book has led to comparisons to Gabriel García Márquez. Kurniawan has insisted that Beauty Is a Wound is neither a historical novel nor a book about Indonesian history. Kurniawan's style of "approaching social concerns at an angle rather than head-on, with hefty doses of surrealism and wry humour" also draws comparisons to Haruki Murakami. He has been described as "Indonesia's finest writer since Pramoedya Ananta Toer" and "Indonesia's most exciting author." In 2016, Palari Films announced a film adaptation of Kurniawan's book Vengeance Is Mine, All Others Pay Cash to be directed by Edwin, who would also co-write the screenplay with Kurniawan. The film was expected to get a 2021 release.
Personal life
Personal life
Kurniawan is married to fellow writer and screenwriter Ratih Kumala.

Eka Kurniawan i Göteborg 2017
Peter Norrthon
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
Explore 1975–2015
The full dated record · 3 entries
1975
Eka Kurniawan was born in 1975 at Tasikmalaya.
2015
Cantik Itu Luka (Eka Kurniawan) (2015) is digitised and catalogued by Internet Archive.
2015
Cantik Itu Luka (Eka Kurniawan) digitised by Internet Archive.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Kurniawan, Eka. Beauty is a Wound. New Directions. April 6, 2024. 978-0811223638.
- 2.Rondonuwu, Olivia. High hopes for Indonesian author vying for Man Booker glory. Taipei Times. Agence France Presse. 14 April 2016.
- 3.Downes, Meghan. Found in Translation. Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde. 175. 2–3. 177–195. 2019-07-12. 0006-2294.
- 4.Indonesian Novel 'Beauty is a Wound' Listed on 100 Notable Books. December 3, 2015.
- 5.Burning bright. The Economist.
- 6.The secrets of Indonesia's finest novelist. The Economist. 13 July 2017.
- 7.Eka Kurniawan: Indonesia's most exciting author.
- 8.Maullana, Irfan. Seperti Dendam, Rindu Harus Dibayar Tuntas" Diangkat ke Layar Lebar. Kompas.com. 2016-05-10.
- 9.JawaPos.com. Film 'Seperti Dendam, Rindu Harus Dibayar Tuntas' Siap Tayang 2021. 2020-11-05.
- 10.Cinta Tak Ada Mati. www.goodreads.com.
- 11.Lampung, Teras. Inilah Lima Besar Kusala Sastra Khatulistiwa 2014. Teraslampung.com. 2014-11-17.
- 12.Administrator. Peraih Kusala Sastra Khatulistiwa 2014 - Seni - koran.tempo.co. Tempo. 2014-11-21.
- 13.The Leading Global Thinkers of 2015 - Foreign Policy.
- 14.IKAPI AWARDS Indonesian.
- 15.Perempuan Patah Hati yang Kembali Menemukan Cinta Melalui Mimpi. www.goodreads.com.
- 16.Perempuan Patah Hati yang Kembali Menemukan Cinta Melalui Mimpi. www.goodreads.com.
- 17.Eka Kurniawan wins inaugural World Readers Award with Beauty Is A Wound The Star. www.thestar.com.my.
- 18.Three Percent: 2016 BTBA Fiction Longlist.
- 19.The Man Booker International Prize 2016 Longlist Announced.
- 20.Bland, Ben. Eka Kurniawan, winner, Emerging Voices 2016 Fiction Award – FT.com. Financial Times. September 27, 2016.
- 21.Lelaki Harimau. www.goodreads.com.
- 22.Prince Claus Awards, Meet Our Laureates.
- 23.Media, Kompas Cyber. Daftar Lengkap Para Pemenang Piala Maya 2022 Halaman all. KOMPAS.com. 2022-03-27.
- 24.Daftar Lengkap Pemenang Piala Citra FFI 2022. fortuneidn.com.
References
Citations
References
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reference work
Wikidata, structured authority record Q2321261: Eka KurniawanWikimedia Foundation
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People, houses and institutions
Knowledge graph
People, houses and institutions
Teachers, collaborators, publishers and institutions recorded against this person, each on a stated basis.
Studied at
1- Gadjah Mada UniversityOrganisation
Established from a fact already recorded on a verified source.
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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