Denny JA Named Among Top 10 World Writers Shortlisted for the 2025 BRICS Literature Award

by Leni Marlina

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Jakarta-Indonesia, October 27 2025 — suaraanaknegerinews.com| Denny JA has officially been named one of the ten global writers shortlisted for the prestigious BRICS Literature Award 2025, placing Indonesia once again on the map of international literary recognition.

The announcement was made by Vadim Teryokhin, Co-Chairman of the BRICS Literature Network (Russia), accompanied by Nikita Sergeevich Shilikov, Director of the Russia House.
A press conference took place at the H.B. Jassin Literary Documentation Center, Taman Ismail Marzuki (TIM), Jakarta, on Monday, October 27, 2025.

The event was attended by Ganjar Harimansyah, Secretary of the Agency for Language and Literature Development; Sastri Bakry, National Coordinator of the BRICS Literary Network in Indonesia; and Ir. Shadiq Pasadique, Member of the Indonesian House of Representatives.

In her remarks, Sastri Bakry emphasized that the BRICS Literature Award not only celebrates literary excellence but also strengthens cultural exchange and cross-national cooperation.

“For Indonesia, this recognition brings us closer to the global stage, offering an opportunity to showcase the richness of our cultural heritage to international audiences,” she stated.

Echoing her words, Vadim Teryokhin highlighted that the award fosters deeper mutual understanding among writers worldwide.

“This initiative enables contemporary authors from different nations to discover, read, and assess each other’s works — positioning themselves in the landscape of global literature, while learning from their peers’ best practices,” he explained.

He further added that the BRICS Literature Award promotes cultural diplomacy, mutual enrichment, and literary brotherhood across civilizations.

The BRICS Literature Award was founded in November 2024 during the BRICS Forum on Traditional Values.
It symbolizes the bloc’s cultural mission — to strengthen dialogue across civilizations and amplify recognition for national literatures from BRICS countries and their partners, including Indonesia.

The long list of nominees was previously announced at the 2nd BRICS Forum on Traditional Values in Brazil on September 17, 2025.
Three Indonesian writers made the list: Denny JA, Iksaka Banu, and Intan Paramadita.

The selection committee clarified that no writer is evaluated by jurors from their own country, ensuring an impartial and truly international assessment process.

The final winner will be announced on November 27, 2025, in Khabarovsk, Russia.

1. Ana Maria Gonçalves (Brazil) – Writer and anti-racism activist; her novel Um Defeito de Cor is regarded as Brazil’s most important literary work of the past decade.

2. Alexey Varlamov (Russia) – Rector of the Gorky Literary Institute; award-winning novelist known for psychological realism.

3. Sonu Saini (India) – Filologist, translator of Russian–Indian literature, and professor at JNU; pioneer of technology-based Russian language learning.

4. Ma Boyong (China) – Historical fantasy author; his novel The Longest Day in Chang’an became a major international TV adaptation.

5. Nthabiseng JahRose Jafta (South Africa) – Poet and founder of the Poetic Blues Festival; advocate of multilingual literature and founder of Sun Peo Publishing.

6. Reem Al Kamali (UAE) – Novelist and cultural journalist; her Rose’s Diary was shortlisted for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction.

7. Abere Adamu (Ethiopia) – Author and politician exploring Ethiopia’s national identity and spirituality.

8. Mansour Alimoradi (Iran) – Folklore encyclopedist; his Mid-Day Incantations was named Best Iranian Novel of 2021.

9. Denny JA (Indonesia) – Creator of the Essay-Poem genre; Southeast Asian literary figure and philanthropist; once nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature.

10. Salwa Bakr (Egypt) – Feminist novelist; author of The Golden Chariot and The Man from Bashmour, highlighting marginalized women’s struggles.

In his essay shared on social media, Denny JA described the BRICS Literature Award as “a worthy counterpart to the Nobel Prize in Literature.”
He outlined three fundamental reasons for this claim.

First, BRICS represents “The Other Voice of the World.”
For over a century, the global literary canon has been dominated by Europe and North America.
Now, BRICS — encompassing Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, and its new members such as Indonesia, Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, and the UAE — represents nearly half of humanity.

“Through this award, BRICS introduces a new balance in the global imagination — stories from the Global South, from the rice fields of Java to the favelas of Brazil, voices that the world has long overlooked,” Denny JA wrote.

Second, he sees literature as silent but powerful diplomacy.

“A poem from St. Petersburg can comfort a soul in Jakarta,” he noted, emphasizing literature’s ability to transcend political and linguistic boundaries.

Amid global divisions and sanctions, BRICS literature emerges as a bridge of empathy — a soft power born of human conscience.

Third, BRICS embodies what he calls “a new Nobel for empathy.”
If the Nobel grew from the rationalism of Europe, BRICS rises from the spirit of the Global South — its suffering, faith, and resilience.

Denny JA envisions a future where Indian poetry, Chinese novels, and Indonesian pantuns are translated seamlessly through artificial intelligence — fostering a revolution of global literacy rooted in compassion and diversity.

“This is the new face of world literature,” he concluded,
“where the voices of the South are finally heard — and empathy becomes our universal language.”

The Indonesian version of the news above is available in the official link below: