According to Deni Rachman, LawangBuku aims to open the way to ideas, dialectics, and information as its name implies. People can meet, exchange and discuss literary works.
By
ELSA EMIRIA LEBA
·5 minutes read
KOMPAS/ELSA EMIRIA LEBA
Deni Rachman
Deni Rachman, 42, has been active in the book industry for about 20 years. While he is primarily known for selling old books through LawangBuku, he is more involved in the field of literacy in Bandung, West Java, as a book publisher, literacy activist, and writer.
The name LawangBuku (book gate) is familiar among book collectors as an online bookstore based in Bandung. According to Deni, LawangBuku aims to open the way to ideas, dialectics, and information as its name implies. People can meet, exchange and discuss literary works.
“I want to distribute my knowledge to be useful to others. Literacy aims to build people’s sensitivity to an environment. In this case, the environment around me is Bandung," Deni said on Tuesday (15/6/2021) during an interview at his residence in Cigadung, Cibeunying Kaler, Bandung.
Deni has diversified LawangBuku into several businesses. Oleh-oleh Boekoe Bandoeng sells thematic books, while Menara Api is an indie publisher of books that the community can copy, and ProPublic.Info is a general publisher.
Diversifying his business has helped Deni maintain stock for his bookstore to meet customer demand. Through these businesses, he also helps young writers in Bandung to publish their work. Deni said around seven new writers had already published titles through his businesses.
Not only that, Deni also collaborates with other communities and publishers to dissect both online and offline books. He is actively involved in a variety of communities as an administrator or founder.
He once set up the Dipan Senja literacy agency and the Ulin Bandoeng historical society, and joined the Pramoedya Reading Club that later became the Pramoedya Institute.
In 2009, he became one of the founders of the Asian-African Reading Club, a literary community that upholds maintain the spirit and values of the Asian-African Conference, also known as the Bandung Conference.
Later in 2011, he cofounded the Museum of the Asian-African Conference (Sahabat MKAA) to promote museums and culture. Sahabat MKAA, which has more than 1,000 members, supports cooperation and studies among Asian-African nations.
“These two groups are perhaps the pinnacle of my community engagement. In the 2000-2009 period, the groups I was involved in experienced conflict, failed, or became inactive. It\'s been more than a decade, but [Sahabat MKAA] is still active and consistent,” he said.
Deni, who has collected around 1,500 old books, is also an author of books and articles. One of his titles is Pohon Buku di Bandung: Sejarah Kecil Komunitas Buku di Bandung 2000-2009 [The book tree in Bandung: A small history of the book community in Bandung 2000-2009], published in 2018.
He plans to write about Bandung’s book industry over the decades back to the 1920s.
KOMPAS/ELSA EMIRIA LEBA
Deni Rachman
Challenging
Deni’s present-day involvement in Bandung\'s literary world is inseparable from his childhood. Born in 1979 in Sukabumi, Deni moved from one place to another following his father\'s job as a plantation worker. He discovered that his eldest brother regularly read books and newspapers.
In 1988, Deni enrolled at an elementary school in remote Palabuhanratu. Because there were only three teachers, Deni was tasked with managing the school library, organizing the titles and keeping track of borrowed books. This responsibility gave him ample time to devour books. After completing junior high in 1991 at SMP Negeri 1 Palabuhanratu, he enrolled at SMU 1 Bandung senior high school in 1994.
There are three principles for surviving, namely to be collective, collaborative, and adaptive, especially in the digital era.
In 1998, he majored in chemistry at Padjadjaran University, where Deni forged his intellectual and entrepreneurial spirit. As he did not agree with the culture of senior hazing, he did not feel at home on campus.
Beginning with his introduction to Jejak Langkah (Footsteps), a novel by Pramoedya Ananta Toer, Deni began to put aside more time to write, read, and collect books, including Indonesian literary works. On the advice of a friend, Deni started selling books in 2001 at a pop-up market in Gasibu Park.
His work as a bookseller under LawangBuku expanded to exhibitions. He neglected his studies so he only graduated university in 2005.
That same year, Deni set up a book distribution business with a friend, but it went bankrupt during the 2009 global financial crisis and he incurred tens of millions in debt.
Despite the debacle, Deni could not detach himself from the literary world. He kept busy working as a librarian, writing consultant, talent scout, and literacy activist.
Meeting the woman who would later become his wife led Deni to return to the world of books with more vigor. In 2010, LawangBuku rebranded as a store specializing in old books.
The business has since survived and thrived. During the pandemic, LawangBuku has participated in the Ramadhan Post Book 2021 exhibition and held a solo exhibition in collaboration with Anatomy Coffee.
“There are three principles for surviving, namely to be collective, collaborative, and adaptive, especially in the digital era. Book activists need to be able to survive in all marketing channels because we rarely work part-time to make ends meet. I am helped by my wife’s support,” Deni said.
Deni Rachman
Born: Sukabumi, 16 June 1979
Education: Chemistry major, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Padjadjaran University, 1998-2005
Achievements:
- 2nd place, Best Stand (LawangBuku), Bandung Book Exhibition, Indonesian Publishers Association (IKAPI), West Java, 2013
- Foreign Ministry award for founding the Sahabat Museum of the Asian-African Conference and the Asian-African Reading Club, 2013
- 1st place, book review competition, IKAPI National Book Day-West Java, 2004
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