SBY Releases Novel Diana Memang Manja

JAKARTA – A deep love for storytelling often begins long before a person steps onto the world stage. For the former president of Republic of Indonesia Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, widely known as SBY, this creative passion took root long before his demanding years as a soldier and the President of Indonesia. Back in his fifth-grade classroom, a young SBY actively crafted imaginative short stories in both Javanese and Indonesian. Decades later, this quiet childhood hobby has blossomed into a full-length literary debut with the release of his novel, Diana Memang Manja.

During an intimate launch event in Cikeas on a Thursday evening, the former president warmly invited the audience to explore his deeply artistic side. Through an engaging conversation with Gita Wirjawan, SBY shared the poignant journey back to his earliest passion. He beautifully described this current chapter of his life as the return of an artist after wandering far and wide. SBY views writing a novel as a natural continuation of his lifelong storytelling habit. After dedicating years to painting, composing music, and writing poetry, he finally carved out a dedicated space to weave these diverse creative experiences into a single, expansive narrative. He playfully noted that a novel naturally acts as the older sibling to a short story.

Embracing this new medium brings SBY immense happiness because it offers him absolute creative freedom. As an author, he effortlessly builds intricate plots, imagines vivid scenes, and introduces characters with richly distinct traits. SBY noted that he finally feels entirely free to describe whatever his mind conceives. However, he carefully grounds this boundless imagination with rigorous, deep research. While writing Diana Memang Manja, SBY meticulously checked time settings and situational contexts to ensure the entire narrative remained strictly logical. He openly embraced the challenge of blending his signature rational thinking with compelling elements of mystery and magic. Consequently, he successfully merged both worlds to deliver a captivating story without compromising his deeply analytical identity.

Even with a carefully prepared main plot, the daily writing process constantly surprised him in the most organic ways. Fresh ideas blossomed every day, continuously enriching the scenes and deepening the emotional bonds between his characters. He lovingly compared these spontaneous ideas to blooming flowers that ultimately made the entire story beautiful. The organizers perfectly captured this artistic spirit during the launch, opening the evening with a moving video titled SBY & Dunia Seni that chronicled his lifelong dedication to the arts. The memorable event eventually concluded with a symbolic handover of the novel and a vibrant special performance by the music group Neo Jibles, celebrating a statesman who has finally come home to his art.