"The illustrations of this book are beautiful and very detailed. Usually, an author cannot draw. But Erika is different as she is an author as well as very good at drawing. Because of this book I was encouraged to explore the city of Pecs which is th
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian Ambassador to Hungary, Wening Esthyprobo, launched the Indonesian translation of a children's story book entitled "Hoppla Mesei, Kirandulas Pecs varosaba" by a famous Hungarian autour, Erika Bartos, entitled "Kisah Lonci, Petualangan ke Kota Pecs" (the Story of Lonci, the Adventure to Pecs City) on Thursday (7/6).

"Children are the future and I really enjoy editing this book," Ambassador Wening said in a statement received by Antara here on Friday.

The 250-page colorful book was directly edited by Wening on the sidelines of her activity as an ambassador.

"The illustrations of this book are beautiful and very detailed. Usually, an author cannot draw. But Erika is different as she is an author as well as very good at drawing. Because of this book I was encouraged to explore the city of Pecs which is the background of the story in this book, and see the history and beauty of Hungarian architectures," she said.

The launching ceremony was attended by Hungarian government officials from the Ministry of Family and Youth Affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the ambassadors of fellow countries, the Deputy Mayor of Pecs, local media, and Erika Bartos, the author of the book.

The story of Lonci tells of a flock of friends who go to Pecs for attending a wedding invitation of their friends who live by the lake on the outskirts of Pecs.

During their journey to the city, they explore the wealth of beautiful historical sites in Pecs.

The guests expressed their astonishment as well as admiration for Ambassador Wening`s interest in children's books. Her diligence in literature also made her a book editor of a translated-book by Andras Terfy, a Hungarian citizen who was also an alumni of the Indonesian scholarship program, Darmasiswa.

Meanwhile, Pecs Deputy Mayor Szecsi Mate, expressed his admiration and high appreciation to the Indonesian Ambassador who indirectly introduced the city to Indonesian children.

Ambassador Wening explained that her love for Hungary, which is very beautiful and friendly, made her want to do something to make Indonesians know more about Hungary.

According to her, the book will not only enrich the children's stories, but also educate and awaken them about solidarity, friendship and respect for differences as well as open insight and increase Indonesian childrens' knowledge.

At the launch, an Indonesian child read a fragment of the story of Lonci in Indonesian and Hungarian that made Erika Bartos happy and touched.

The guests and the media appreciated the creativity of the Indonesian Ambassador who actively promoted Indonesia in Hungary and showed her love for Hungary in a special and unique way.

The relationship on literary between Indonesia and Hungary has been established for a long time and is very diverse. It covers translations of contemporary novels, translation of Indonesian fairy tales in Hungarian.

The Lonci story book will enrich the collection of Indonesian-Hungarian literature and is expected to strengthen the cooperation of literature of both countries.

Ambassador Wening said currently the number of children`s books in Indonesia is not growing, while the number of Indonesian children is increasing, which is estimated at around 25 million children under the age of five.

She hoped that the beautiful and colorful book will be distributed to remote areas in the country, so that Indonesian children can take the value of friendship and appreciate the differences as well as get to know Hungary, especially the city of Pecs.

She also hoped that Erika Bartos will visit Indonesia and publish such stories of today's children about "a Vacation in Borobudur", in Bali or other beautiful places in the country.

Reporter: Libertina W. Ambari
Editor: Bambang Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2018