Night of a Thousand Hells
Will be published approx. on 8. October 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
304 pages
978-1-78770-663-7 (ISBN)
Description
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.
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.
Reviews / Votes
"Dark, subversive... Here are fairy tales and myths reworked with a feminist bent." * Tatler * "A phantasmagorical collection of short stories and reimagined tales, not unlike Angela Carter and Carmen Maria Machado." * The Guardian * "Fiercely funny and feminist." * Red *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Dimensions
Height: 210 mm
Width: 135 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-78770-663-7 (9781787706637)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Intan Paramaditha
Night of a Thousand Hells
E-Book
approx. 10/2026
Europa Editions (UK) Ltd
€15.59
Not yet available
Persons
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. She is a recipient of the prestigious Harvard Radcliffe Fellowship Award 2026-27. 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.
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. Among his latest publications are articles on the ancient Greek novel, translations of Korean and Indonesian fiction, including Intan Paramaditha's Apple and Knife, and an analysis of contemporary short stories in North Korea.
Tiffany Tsao is a writer and literary translator. She is the author of the novel The Majesties, and the Oddfits fantasy trilogy. Her translations of Budi Darma's People from Bloomington was awarded the 2023 PEN Translation Prize and the NSW Premier's Translation Prize 2023. Her translation of Erikson Pasaribu's Happy Stories, Mostly was awarded the Republic of Consciousness Prize 2022 and was longlisted for the International Booker Prize 2022.
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. Among his latest publications are articles on the ancient Greek novel, translations of Korean and Indonesian fiction, including Intan Paramaditha's Apple and Knife, and an analysis of contemporary short stories in North Korea.
Tiffany Tsao is a writer and literary translator. She is the author of the novel The Majesties, and the Oddfits fantasy trilogy. Her translations of Budi Darma's People from Bloomington was awarded the 2023 PEN Translation Prize and the NSW Premier's Translation Prize 2023. Her translation of Erikson Pasaribu's Happy Stories, Mostly was awarded the Republic of Consciousness Prize 2022 and was longlisted for the International Booker Prize 2022.