The Year of Living Dangerously (novel)
Encyclopedia
The Year of Living Dangerously is a novel by Christopher Koch
, which was made into a film
in 1982, directed by Peter Weir
and written by Koch, Weir, and David Williamson
.
The story is a complicated psychological plot set in Indonesia
during the overthrow of President Sukarno. It follows a group of expatriate journalists in Jakarta before and during a supposed coup attempt by the Communist Party of Indonesia
on September 30, 1965. These events were pivotal in shaping the modern history of Indonesia
.
The title The Year of Living Dangerously is a quote which refers to a famous Italian
phrase used by Sukarno
; vivere pericoloso, which was supposed to mean "living dangerously". Sukarno borrowed the line for the title of his National Day speech of August 17, 1964.
The book was banned in the country throughout the Suharto regime
; the ban was lifted when the Reformation regime took over in 1998.
Guy is initially unsuccessful because his predecessor, tired of life in Indonesia, has departed without introducing Hamilton to his contacts, and Guy receives only limited sympathy from the journalist community, which competes for scraps of information from Sukarno's government, the (Communist) PKI and the military. However, Billy Kwan takes a liking to Guy and gets him interviews, and Guy's reputation soars.
Billy introduces Guy to Jill Bryant, a beautiful young assistant at the British embassy. Billy and Jill are close friends, and Billy subtly manipulates Guy and Jill's encounters. After some initial resistance because she's scheduled to return to the UK, Jill falls in love with the equally smitten Guy.
Jill discovers that the Communist Chinese are planning to arm the PKI and passes this information in confidence--or so she believes--to Guy. But Guy, now overly focused on his career and unconcerned with the well-being of his friends and allies, wants to be the one to break the huge story, and the civil war that he believes will ensue when the arms shipment reaches Jakarta.
Guy visits Central Java and accompanies a march of PKI sympathizers marching towards the capital, and at one point his car is surrounded by a hostile crowd and he fears for his life. Upon returning to Jakarta, Guy accompanies one of his fellow journalists, Pete Curtis, on a visit to a seedy area of the city in search of prostitutes, but then realizes his folly.
At the Wayang bar in the luxury hotel (Hotel Indonesia) where Guy is based, Billy outs one of Guy's fellow foreign correspondents who has been having homosexual relationships with Indonesian men. As a result Billy is ostracized and loses contact with Guy and the rest of the foreign correspondent community, leaving Guy to depend on his assistant Kumar, who is secretly PKI.
Catalyzed by the death of a poor child, whose mother Billy has been assisting with food and money, Billy becomes outraged by Sukarno's failure to meet the needs of the majority of Indonesians. He protests Sukarno's lack of help to the needy by hanging an anti-Sukarno banner from the window of a room of the Hotel Indonesia, which Sukarno is about to visit, but Billy is pushed from the window and is found dead. Guy and Jill are present at the hotel at the time, and Guy becomes aware of evidence that Billy was shot before his fall by agents of the Indonesian security service.
Following Billy's death, Cookie drives to Billy's bungalow to remove files that Billy has been furtively compiling on various subjects including the various foreign correspondents in Jakarta, as well as Jill and Sukarno.
Guy, who is still in search of "the big story", then visits the Presidential palace following reports of a coup. Guy is viciously struck down by an Army officer, suffering an injury that threatens to blind him in one eye.
Guy rests alone in an apartment rented by the British Embassy. Kumar visits him, but Guy fails to persuade him to abandon the PKI. Risking permanent damage to his eye, Guy disregards his doctor's advice and insists on being driven to the airport. He leaves Jakarta and is reunited with Jill, who is now pregnant, and the two fly to Europe.
Christopher Koch
Christopher John Koch, AO, Australian novelist, was born in Hobart in 1932. He has twice won the Miles Franklin Award. In 1995 he was made an Officer of the Order of Australia for contribution to Australian literature....
, which was made into a film
The Year of Living Dangerously
The Year of Living Dangerously is a 1982 Peter Weir film adapted from the novel The Year of Living Dangerously by the author Christopher Koch. The story is about a love affair set in Indonesia during the overthrow of President Sukarno...
in 1982, directed by Peter Weir
Peter Weir
Peter Lindsay Weir, AM is an Australian film director. After playing a leading role in the Australian New Wave cinema with his films such as Picnic at Hanging Rock, The Last Wave and Gallipoli, Weir directed a diverse group of American and international films—many of them major box office...
and written by Koch, Weir, and David Williamson
David Williamson
David Keith Williamson AO is one of Australia's best-known playwrights. He has also written screenplays and teleplays.-Biography:...
.
The story is a complicated psychological plot set in Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
during the overthrow of President Sukarno. It follows a group of expatriate journalists in Jakarta before and during a supposed coup attempt by the Communist Party of Indonesia
Communist Party of Indonesia
The Communist Party of Indonesia was the largest non-ruling communist party in the world prior to being crushed in 1965 and banned the following year.-Forerunners:...
on September 30, 1965. These events were pivotal in shaping the modern history of Indonesia
History of Indonesia
The History of Indonesia was shaped by its geographic position, its natural resources, the series of human migrations, contacts, economy and trade, conquests and politics. Indonesia is an archipelagic country of 17,508 islands stretching along the equator in South East Asia...
.
The title The Year of Living Dangerously is a quote which refers to a famous Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
phrase used by Sukarno
Sukarno
Sukarno, born Kusno Sosrodihardjo was the first President of Indonesia.Sukarno was the leader of his country's struggle for independence from the Netherlands and was Indonesia's first President from 1945 to 1967...
; vivere pericoloso, which was supposed to mean "living dangerously". Sukarno borrowed the line for the title of his National Day speech of August 17, 1964.
The book was banned in the country throughout the Suharto regime
New Order (Indonesia)
The New Order is the term coined by former Indonesian President Suharto to characterize his regime as he came to power in 1966. Suharto used this term to contrast his rule with that of his predecessor, Sukarno...
; the ban was lifted when the Reformation regime took over in 1998.
Plot
Guy Hamilton, a neophyte foreign correspondent for an Australian network, arrives in Jakarta on assignment. He meets the close-knit members of the foreign correspondent community including foreign journalists, diplomatic personnel, and a Chinese-Australian dwarf of high intelligence and moral seriousness, Billy Kwan.Guy is initially unsuccessful because his predecessor, tired of life in Indonesia, has departed without introducing Hamilton to his contacts, and Guy receives only limited sympathy from the journalist community, which competes for scraps of information from Sukarno's government, the (Communist) PKI and the military. However, Billy Kwan takes a liking to Guy and gets him interviews, and Guy's reputation soars.
Billy introduces Guy to Jill Bryant, a beautiful young assistant at the British embassy. Billy and Jill are close friends, and Billy subtly manipulates Guy and Jill's encounters. After some initial resistance because she's scheduled to return to the UK, Jill falls in love with the equally smitten Guy.
Jill discovers that the Communist Chinese are planning to arm the PKI and passes this information in confidence--or so she believes--to Guy. But Guy, now overly focused on his career and unconcerned with the well-being of his friends and allies, wants to be the one to break the huge story, and the civil war that he believes will ensue when the arms shipment reaches Jakarta.
Guy visits Central Java and accompanies a march of PKI sympathizers marching towards the capital, and at one point his car is surrounded by a hostile crowd and he fears for his life. Upon returning to Jakarta, Guy accompanies one of his fellow journalists, Pete Curtis, on a visit to a seedy area of the city in search of prostitutes, but then realizes his folly.
At the Wayang bar in the luxury hotel (Hotel Indonesia) where Guy is based, Billy outs one of Guy's fellow foreign correspondents who has been having homosexual relationships with Indonesian men. As a result Billy is ostracized and loses contact with Guy and the rest of the foreign correspondent community, leaving Guy to depend on his assistant Kumar, who is secretly PKI.
Catalyzed by the death of a poor child, whose mother Billy has been assisting with food and money, Billy becomes outraged by Sukarno's failure to meet the needs of the majority of Indonesians. He protests Sukarno's lack of help to the needy by hanging an anti-Sukarno banner from the window of a room of the Hotel Indonesia, which Sukarno is about to visit, but Billy is pushed from the window and is found dead. Guy and Jill are present at the hotel at the time, and Guy becomes aware of evidence that Billy was shot before his fall by agents of the Indonesian security service.
Following Billy's death, Cookie drives to Billy's bungalow to remove files that Billy has been furtively compiling on various subjects including the various foreign correspondents in Jakarta, as well as Jill and Sukarno.
Guy, who is still in search of "the big story", then visits the Presidential palace following reports of a coup. Guy is viciously struck down by an Army officer, suffering an injury that threatens to blind him in one eye.
Guy rests alone in an apartment rented by the British Embassy. Kumar visits him, but Guy fails to persuade him to abandon the PKI. Risking permanent damage to his eye, Guy disregards his doctor's advice and insists on being driven to the airport. He leaves Jakarta and is reunited with Jill, who is now pregnant, and the two fly to Europe.