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Andrea Hirata is an Indonesian writer. He was a fellow of the International Writer's Program at the University of Iowa, 2010. His first novel, The Rainbow Troops (Laskar Pelangi in Indonesia), sold more than 5 million copies, making him the country's best-selling writer in history. The Rainbow Troops is published or forthcoming in 23 countries and counting. An Indonesian film adaptation of The Rainbow Troops went on to become the highest ever grossing film in the country. Andrea Hirata's work has been adapted and performed by the CityDance Ensemble, Washington, DC, and his short fiction has appeared in the Washington Square Review. Hirata has written three sequels to The Rainbow Troops: Sang Pemimpi (The Dreamer), Edensor and Maryama Karpov. He lives in Indonesia.
Hirata's writing is as brilliant, beautiful, remarkable, and engrossing as the characters and the world he brings us. If you've ever been afraid to dream, or disbelieved in the true power of learning, read The Rainbow Troops and you'll be changed by the two guardians and their small number of students, whose intelligence and vibrancy will intoxicate you. This is a treasure from one of the largest Muslim societies in the world. --Ishmael Beah, author of A Long Way Gone The Rainbow Troops is a charming, funny, moving story about growing up and going to school on the island of Belitong in Indonesia. The Rainbow Troops are students in a poor, beleaguered village school, run by a pair of courageous and generous teachers who protect and champion their tiny class. I loved reading these stories about brave, smart, resourceful kids, set in a magical landscape that includes clouds, crocodiles, and shamans, as well as tin mining, politics, and regional school competitions. --Roxana Robinson, author of Cost
