THINGS were tak menentu, that Saturday night in Jakarta. It rained on and off, a sprinkling here, a downpour there. The messages sent between cellular phones were contradictory: Pramoedya Ananta Toer has passed awaySorry, Pram is still in good healthCritical, using an oxygen mask, but even asking for a cigarette Finally, on Sunday at 9am last week, Pramoedya, or Pram, the famed author, departed from this world.

Up until his death, it always seemed