Western Asian Literature department, Faculty of Cultural Science, on Thursday (30/6), launched four books of student work. The books launched include three books of fiction and one non-fiction book. Two books are in form of novels, Love in College and Kata Pertama Saat Jemari Mulai Menari (First Written Words), a short story Kepingan Mimpi (Pieces of Dreams), and a book Sebelas Tokoh Arab yang Dibunuh ('Eleven Assasinated Arab Leaders'). Attending the book launch, among others are Chairman of the Department of Westen Asian Literature, Dra. Uswatun Hasanah, and lecturer of creative writing courses, Ahmad Ato'ilah.
Uswatun Hasanah said that she was proud and expressed her appreciation to the students who took the time to write a book on the sidelines of the busy college activity. It confirms that writing is not a difficult job for those who want to express ideas through writing. "Many people thought that writing was difficult, but it is not. The benefits of writing is to relieve stress for those who cannot reveal restlessness and problems. When it is written, the burden becomes lighter," said Uswatun.
Uswatun also says that the authors of these books are students who were taking courses in creative writing. "Every generation produces books, in accordance with the competency. This year, we produced three books of fiction and one non-fiction book," she said.
In order that the published books can be read by many people, Uswatun suggested that the books be documented in the library. "In order to increase appreciation of these books, they should be stored in the library," he said.
The lecturer in creative writing course, Atho'ilah, said book writing was launched each year. Special for this year, four books successfully are launched at once. "The willingness and enthusiasm of students in the writing quite increased years after years," he said. According to him, the authors of the book are a fledgling writer. In the future, the authors are expected to produce many other works that can be enjoyed by readers.
Siffryya, one of the authors of novel Love in College said the novel tells about the story of romance of students on campus. She also did not dismiss that some parts of the story are his personal experience. "Yes, there is some personal experience," said Siffriyaa, smiling.
Meanwhile, the novel Kepingan Mimpi was written by 13 authors. Henny Nur Alifah, one of the authors, said the novel is part of the 13 dreams submitted by each author.
Ana Minhatul Maula, one of the initiators of book launch activity, said all the books are published by Parapluie Publishing, which was founded by students that have a commitment to facilitate talent for writing among students. "We were inspired by the text editing and creative writing course, thus in addition to become entrepreneurs, we can also practice the knowledge that we had in college. We publish all genres of books and we concentrate on fledgling writers," she said.