FESTIVAL 2026

Night of a Thousand Hells

by Intan Paramaditha

Europa Editions

FESTIVAL 2026

Night of a Thousand Hells

by Intan Paramaditha

Europa Editions

Synopsis

“An unforgiving tale of political horror and womanhood by a writer that is fearless.”—Mariana Enriquez
A genre-defying feminist gothic novel blending Indonesian folklore, Islamic mysticism, horror, and political reckoning

International literary sensation Intan Paramaditha returns with her most ambitious and haunting work to date. The novel opens with a devastating act: the youngest of three sisters becomes a suicide bomber. In the aftermath, her surviving siblings are forced to confront the violent, buried truths of their family history. Their search leads them to long-concealed secrets, and to the prophecies of their grandmother, whose shadowy wisdom has shaped their fates.

Set across Indonesia, the United States, and Australia, the novel explores class divides, sisterhood, migration, shame, abandonment, and the politics of care—all through a ghostly, atmospheric lens that draws on Asian folktales and occult traditions.

With its blend of political urgency, mythic resonance, and psychological depth, Night of a Thousand Hells is a singular contribution to global feminist literature.

About the Author

Intan Paramaditha is an award-winning Indonesian novelist, short story writer, and scholar. She holds a PhD in Cinema Studies from NYU and is Senior Lecturer in Media and Film Studies at Macquarie University. Her works explore the intersections of gender, sexuality, politics, and myth, and have been translated internationally. Her novel The Wandering received the English PEN Translates Award and Tempo’s Best Literary Fiction Award and was longlisted for the Stella Prize. Translator: Stephen Epstein serves as both the Director of the Asian Studies Institute and a member of the Classics Programme at the Victoria University of Wellington in Wellington, New Zealand. 

Read more about Intan Paramaditha

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