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The sixth Utan Kayu-Salihara literature fair, taking place this month in the capital, has proven to be a hit so far, with audiences of all ages and backgrounds coming out for workshops, readings and performances.

With the theme “Exciting Classics,” the International Literary Biennale was designed to remind people about the greatness of classic literature, with local and international writers in attendance.

At the Komunitas Salihara cultural center in South Jakarta, more than 200 spectators turned out last weekend for a poetry and music event called “Sastra, Musik dan yang Klasik” (“Literature, Music and the Classics”).

The fully booked event featured a poetry reading with writers Avianti Armand of Indonesia, Mrityunjay Kumar Singh of India, Georgios Veis of Greece and Thorsten Becker of Germany, as well as a literary-inspired music performance with three young Indonesian musicians. Pianist Aditya Setiadi, soprano singer Devi Fransisca and tenor singer Pharel Jonathan Silaban regaled the audience with musical pieces based on poems of past Indonesian composers.

The festival continued this week, with a reading and discussion on Wednesday called “Sastra dan Tradisi Islam” (“Literature and Islamic Tradition”). Several writers, including novelists Ben Sohib and A. Fuadi, who rose to fame with his book “Negeri 5 Menara” (“The Nation of Five Towers”), took part in the program.

With a strong start, the festival promises more interesting performances to come, including two must-see events today. The first is a discussion of the book “Matinya Seorang Atheis” (“The Death of an Atheist”), published earlier this year. According to the festival guide, the book is “a short-story collection that dares to combine stories about the prophet, Greek mythology and other cultures.” Author Zaim Rofiqi, born in 1979 in Jepara, Central Java, will help facilitate a discussion, and the founder of the Liberal Islam Network, Ulil Abshar Abdalla, will serve as a member of the panel.

The second event this weekend is a literary performance called “Cerita Nusantara dalam Bahasa Indonesia dan Daerah” (“Stories of the Archipelago in Indonesian and Regional Languages”), featuring writers Clara Ng, Linda Christanty and Yusi Pareanom.

Clara, one of the country’s most celebrated female authors, has published dozens of novels and children’s fairy tales since 2002. Linda is a journalist, and Yusi is a fiction and nonfiction writer. All three will discuss how Bahasa Indonesia and traditional languages have influenced the country’s literature.

There will also be a reading of “Seribu Kunang-Kunang di Manhattan” (“A Thousand Fireflies in Manhattan”) by the Indonesian writer Umar Kayam.

Festival director Ayu Utami, an author herself, said Indonesia was home to many classic literary works written in traditional languages, and that the country had an obligation to develop its literature.

Modern writers, she said, can shape the face of classic Indonesian literature.

“The poems of Chairil Anwar, while contemporary, have already become classics in Indonesian literature,” she said, adding that writers Sutan Takdir Alisjahbana and Pramoedya Ananta Toer have also created national classics.

Compared to previous editions of the festival, Ayu said, this year’s event is encouraging more public participation, inviting people to get involved in the reading sessions. “We want audiences to be active,” she said.

They can take part in literature workshops sponsored by the Jakarta Arts Council and the Indonesia Reads Literature Movement (GIMS), or they can find the Literary Tree and hang up their favorite literary quotations.

The Utan Kayu-Salihara International Literary Biennale will conclude next weekend with a poetry slam. “In the spirit of celebrating language and literature,” the organizers said, festival-goers will be invited to take part in a battle of words.

The Utan Kayu-Salihara International Literary Biennale 2011 
Runs until Oct. 29 
Komunitas Salihara 
Jl. Salihara No. 16 
Pasar Minggu
South Jakarta 
Tel: 021 789 1202
www.salihara.org