- REVERSE FLOW. Last night, I re-opened a book sheets that have been covered for a year and stored neatly in the closet. Lastly, I read it to page 450 of 760 pages.
*The book written by Pramoedya Ananta Toer is titled Flow Back. In it tells of the glory of Majapahit, Nusantara is the maritime unity and the greatest maritime kingdom among the civilized nations on earth.
The current moves from south to north, everything: his ships, his people, his deeds, and his ideals. All moved from the archipelago in the south to the 'Upper Wind' to the north.*
**In this novel, Pram writes about the changing times, about the reverse flow. Where everything is no longer from the south, but from the north. North began to control the south, mastering the lifeblood of the archipelago.
In Aceh, before there was Gramedia, I have not found a bookstore that sells this novel. Three years ago, I ordered this novel along with all the tetralogy of Buru Island by Pram from Yogyakarta. All Pram's work is pretty thick. For one title, it will take a month for me to crush everything.**
*Novel Pram is included in the first 10 series of novels I read. I started 'crazy' reading when stepping on second grade high school. Afterwards, then accompanied by 'crazy' writing. These two 'madness', now lead me out of ignorance.
One day late 2015, I was in second grade at the foot of the Bukit Barisan Mountains, Pidie. That day, only 3 classmates were present, out of 20 students. Our school does not get the slightest attention from the government. At that time, many hollow blackboards, rocking chairs, broken tables, and thick dusty floors.*
Due to boredom, accompanied by one of the teacher's absent teachers, the three of us went out to the library. Arriving there, there was not much we could do, other than rolling globe balls, enjoying fans, or unlocking old books with yellowing and smelly paper.
In fact, many books that have been crushed by termites are left alone in the corner of the library. If counted, in a day, this library only visited no more than 10 students, including me.
While I was experimenting with a fan, I went for an old book called Pulang. His book is not too thick, only 80 pages. My habit when reading a book is just to see an illustration of the picture on each page. However, the Returning I took did not have any pictures.
I was so bored that I was forced to try to read word by word from the first page. Three paragraphs I read, curiosity about the romance of the novel then strengthened. I keep reading it. New page 5, school hours arrived.
Not wanting to miss the story, I intend to take the book home. I did not fill in the loan book, which is somewhere where, because very rarely there are students who borrow books (except subject books).
The book is not up to 100 pages, I saved a week more. I have stolen the book, because until now the book Pulang is still I keep at home. Later, old books in the school library were burned when new K13-based textbooks arrived.
*After the book Pulang, I began to diligently visit the library. Later, librarians began to make guest books for visitors. Until I finish high school in 2017, the list of guest names in the guest book is mostly filled with my name.
Now I begin to understand, where the pleasure of devouring books. Perhaps, which is not understood by you who only see the book from the illustrations only, as I feel first. Because the true reading is to read about a miserable life.*
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