About

Nuril writes tragicomedy in the form of autofiction, bildungsroman, and offbeat stories. His characters range from being very lonely to subtly eccentric, often exploring queer themes. His works have been translated into English, French, German and Malay. Published works include: Not A Virgin (2017), Gula, Gula, Gula (2022), Love, Lies and Indomee (2019), etc. His novel The Sewer Rat published in French under the title Le Rat d'egout (2023) won the Grand Prix Du Roman Gay Traduit 2023, the Grand Prize for best gay novel in translation in France, in 2023.

Nuril's talent has been recognized by several prestigious grants, including one from the National Book Committee of Indonesia, the British Council, the Robert Bosch Foundation with The Literarisches Colloquium Berlin, Gothenburg UNESCO city of literature in Sweden, etc. He was also mentioned as one of five Indonesian authors to read now by the British Council.

Nuril was born in West Java, Indonesia, and raised in a staunchly Islamic community as a farmer. He has held various jobs, from cashier at a mini market to a waiter on a cruise ship sailing to Antarctica. He was even a mystery shopper and a secretary for a policeman. He finds humour in everyday life and is inspired by the moon.

The structure of his story, the quirkiness of his characters, and the peculiarities are expressions of his queer self, an act of resistance, and a refusal of mainstream narratives imposed upon him.

Nuril is currently living in Java, Indonesia, and working on a project.