Kelud volcano on Java Island in Indonesia erupted in February 2014, producing ash columns that rose over 10 kilometers and disrupting air travel across Southeast Asia. The eruption forced evacuations of villages near the volcano and affected agriculture in East Java. Kelud had previously erupted catastrophically in 1919 and 1966, making it one of Indonesia's most dangerous volcanoes.

The Kelud eruption reinforced Indonesian literary traditions addressing recurring volcanic disasters and their impacts on rural communities. Indonesian poets and writers have explored Kelud's history in works examining cyclical catastrophe, government preparedness, and the resilience of Javanese agricultural communities, contributing to Southeast Asian literary conversations about environmental risk, modernization, and the persistence of traditional livelihoods in volcanic landscapes.