Centhini, The Secret Lover

My life, and the life of Javanese poets from centuries back, are one and the same. Everything that I have experienced in Java and other places on Earth are to be found in a work which is at once unusual, magical, and colossal, which on the surface seems to be disjointed, yet its core is honed to perfection. It is as if I want to dive into a wide river, allowing myself to be overwhelmed by its singing, and to drown in the waves of light of those poets who have passed into eternity, becoming secretly bound to their legacy... These are the words of Elizabeth D. Inandiak, a Frenchwoman, regarding her fascination with the the Tale of Centhiniwhich she has adapted into French. An Indonesian translation has subsequently been made. Here we explore how Elizabeth lost and found herself in Centhini, a Javanese work of literature of the past that is packed with matters of religion and eroticism, something which is at once sacred and profane.