History Duet: Cosmos and Kingdom

Bonnie Triyana is an Indonesian historian and politician, and the Founder and senior editor of the history magazine Historia.ID, as well as the initiator of the Multatuli Museum and the Multatuli Arts Festival in Rangkasbitung, in the Indonesian province of Banten. Bonnie studied history at Diponegoro University and continued with a research-based master’s programme at the University of Indonesia, focusing his thesis on colonial expeditions during the Lombok War of 1894. From 2019 to 2022, he served as a curator at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam and was a guest lecturer at the Reinwardt Academie, Amsterdam University of the Arts. He has also been entrusted with the role of Secretary of the Repatriation Team for Indonesian Collections in the Netherlands (2021–2024). In addition to his work in history and culture, since 2024 Bonnie Triyana has served as a Member of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI) from the PDI-P (Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle) faction.

Bonnie Triyana adalah sejarawan dan politikus Indonesia, pendiri sekaligus editor senior majalah sejarah Historia.ID, serta penggagas Museum Multatuli dan Festival Seni Multatuli di Rangkasbitung, Banten. Ia menempuh studi sejarah di Universitas Diponegoro dan melanjutkan program magister berbasis riset di Universitas Indonesia, dengan tesis yang berfokus pada ekspedisi kolonial dalam Perang Lombok tahun 1894. Pada 2019–2022, Bonnie menjabat sebagai kurator di Rijksmuseum Amsterdam dan menjadi dosen tamu di Reinwardt Academie, Universitas Seni Amsterdam. Ia juga dipercaya sebagai Sekretaris Tim Repatriasi Koleksi Indonesia di Belanda (2021–2024). Sejak 2024, Bonnie Triyana menjabat sebagai Anggota Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat Republik Indonesia (DPR RI) dari fraksi PDI Perjuangan.

David Van Reybrouck is an award-winning Belgian cultural historian, archaeologist, and author of Congo: The Epic History of a People and Revolusi: Indonesia and the Birth of the Modern World, for which he has received several awards. In Revolusi, Van Reybrouck draws on hundreds of interviews and eyewitness accounts to bring the gripping story of Indonesia’s struggle for independence to life, with human detail at every turn. Four million civilians died during the World War II occupation by the Japanese. He spent five years in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as a railway engineer immediately after independence. He holds a doctorate from Leiden University.

David Van Reybrouck adalah penulis Belgia yang dikenal atas karya-karyanya tentang sejarah dan budaya. Dua bukunya yang terkenal, Congo: The Epic History of a People dan Revolusi: Indonesia and the Birth of the Modern World, telah meraih berbagai penghargaan. Dalam Revolusi, ia mengangkat perjuangan Indonesia meraih kemerdekaan, dengan mewawancarai ratusan saksi sejarah dan merekam kisah pribadi mereka. Ia mencatat bahwa sekitar empat juta warga sipil Indonesia tewas selama pendudukan Jepang di Perang Dunia II. Van Reybrouck pernah bekerja selama lima tahun di Republik Demokratik Kongo sebagai insinyur kereta api, dan meraih gelar doktor dari Universitas Leiden.

Elizabeth Pisani is a British author and researcher whose book Indonesia Etc.: Exploring the Improbable Nation earned praise from Simon Winchester as “one of the very best travel books I’ve read” and was listed by The Economist among the 10 best political books of the year. Her work crosses genres and defies easy categorization. While researching, Elizabeth spent time with a diverse range of people, from sultans to criminals, sharing meals and debating issues like corruption and governance. She holds degrees in epidemiology, medical demography, and classical Chinese, and currently studies the political economy of health policy at Pancasila University in Jakarta.

Elizabeth Pisani adalah penulis dan peneliti asal Inggris. Bukunya, Indonesia Etc.: Exploring the Improbable Nation, mendapat pujian dari Simon Winchester sebagai “salah satu buku perjalanan terbaik yang pernah saya baca” dan masuk daftar 10 buku politik terbaik tahun ini versi The Economist. Karya-karyanya melintasi berbagai genre dan sulit dikategorikan. Dalam proses riset, Elizabeth menghabiskan waktu bersama beragam kalangan, mulai dari sultan hingga kriminal, berbagi hidangan, dan berdiskusi tentang isu-isu seperti korupsi dan tata kelola pemerintahan. Ia meraih gelar di bidang epidemiologi, demografi medis, dan bahasa Tionghoa klasik, dan kini mempelajari ekonomi politik kebijakan kesehatan di Universitas Pancasila, Jakarta.

Herald van der Linde is a Dutch writer and HSBC’s Asia strategist. He has traveled, lived, and worked in Indonesia and Hong Kong since the 1990s and is passionate about the social and cultural history of Indonesia. Herald is the author of Majapahit: Intrigue, Betrayal and War in Indonesia’s Greatest Empire published in 2024, as well as Jakarta: A Biography published in 2020. Fluent in Dutch, Indonesian, and English, he enjoys delving into local Indonesian archives to unearth intriguing narratives from the archipelago’s past.

Herald van der Linde adalah penulis asal Belanda dan ahli strategi Asia di HSBC. Sejak tahun 1990-an, ia telah berkunjung, tinggal, dan bekerja di Indonesia serta Hong Kong. Ia memiliki antusiasme terhadap sejarah sosial dan budaya Indonesia. Herald adalah penulis buku Majapahit: Intrik, Pengkhianatan, dan Perang dalam Kerajaan Terbesar Indonesia yang terbit pada tahun 2024, serta Jakarta: Sebuah Biografi yang terbit pada tahun 2020. Mahir berbahasa Belanda, Indonesia, dan Inggris, ia gemar menelusuri arsip-arsip lokal Indonesia untuk mengungkap kisah-kisah menarik masa lalu Nusantara.

Dr. Drs. I Ketut Suardana, M.Fil.H, is the co-founder of the non-profit organization Yayasan Mudra Swari Saraswati. He works closely with the Festival Director to develop and implement strategies in line with the foundation’s vision.

Dr. Drs. I Ketut Suardana, M.Fil.H, adalah salah satu pendiri Yayasan Mudra Swari Saraswati, sebuah organisasi nirlaba. Beliau bekerja sama dengan Direktur Festival untuk merancang dan menjalankan strategi yang selaras dengan visi yayasan.

William Dalrymple is one of Britain’s great historians, a bestselling author, and the co-Founder of the Jaipur Literature Festival. He is the co-host of the chart-topping podcast Empire with Anita Anand. Dalrymple is the bestselling author of In Xanadu, City of Djinns, From the Holy Mountain, Age of Kali, White Mughals, The Last Mughal, Nine Lives, Return of a King, and Kohinoor. He has won many awards, including the Wolfson Prize for History, the Hemingway, the Kapuscinski, the Thomas Cook, and the Duff Cooper Memorial Prize. Prior to the shortlisting of Return of a King, he had been longlisted four times for the Samuel Johnson/Baillie Gifford Prize. He has also been awarded the prestigious President's Medal by the British Academy.

William Dalrymple adalah salah satu sejarawan besar Inggris, penulis laris, dan salah satu pendiri Jaipur Literature Festival. Ia juga merupakan co-host siniar Empire bersama Anita Anand. Dalrymple adalah penulis buku laris seperti In Xanadu, City of Djinns, From the Holy Mountain, Age of Kali, White Mughals, The Last Mughal, Nine Lives, Return of a King, dan Kohinoor. Ia telah memenangkan banyak penghargaan, termasuk Wolfson Prize for History, Hemingway, Kapuscinski, Thomas Cook, dan Duff Cooper Memorial Prize. Sebelum Return of a King masuk daftar pendek, ia telah empat kali masuk daftar panjang Samuel Johnson/Baillie Gifford Prize. Ia juga telah dianugerahi Medal of Honor dari British Academy.