Boenga Roos dari Tjikembang is a 1927 vernacular Malay-language novel written by Kwee Tek Hoay. The book follows a man who leaves his beloved concubine so that he can be married; eighteen years later, he discovers that she had been pregnant, and takes responsibility for his daughter's marriage. The novel has been interpreted variously as promotion of theosophy, a treatise on the Buddhist concept of reincarnation, a call for education, an ode to concubines, and a condemnation of how such women are treated. Inspired by the lyrics to the song "If Those Lips Could Only Speak" and Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, the book was written as an outline for the stage drama troupe Union Dalia before being published as a serial in Kwee's magazine Panorama. By 1930 there had been a number of stage adaptations (advertisement pictured) – some unauthorised. The work was filmed in 1931 by The Teng Chun and then in 1975 by Fred Young. Though not considered part of the Indonesian literary canon, the book ranks amongst the most reprinted works of Chinese Malay literature, and is Kwee's most popular publication. An English translation by George Fowler, titled The Rose of Cikembang, was published in 2013.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boenga_Roos_dari_Tjikembang_(novel)

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

324:

Roman emperor Constantine the Great defeated former colleague Licinius in the Battle of Adrianople. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Adrianople_(324)

1754:

French and Indian War: George Washington surrendered Fort Necessity in Pennsylvania, the only military surrender in his entire career. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Fort_Necessity

1844:

The last known pair of great auks, the only modern species in the genus Pinguinus, were killed in Eldey, off the coast of Iceland. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_auk

1940:

Second World War: The British Navy attacked the French fleet (French destroyer Mogador pictured), fearing that the ships would fall into German hands after the armistice between those two nations. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attack_on_Mers-el-K%C3%A9bir

1970:

The Troubles: The British Army imposed the Falls Curfew on Belfast, Northern Ireland, which only resulted in greater Irish republican resistance. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falls_Curfew

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

Panglossian: 1. (pejorative) Naively or unreasonably optimistic. 2. (pejorative) Of or relating to the view that this is the best of all possible worlds. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Panglossian

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

 How the hell do I know what I find incredible? Credibility is an expanding field... Sheer disbelief hardly registers on the face before the head is nodding with all the wisdom of instant hindsight.   --Tom Stoppard https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Tom_Stoppard