Max Havelaar

Multatuli, 1820-1887Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

4.3

Word count: 756K words
Chapters: 76

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Max Havelaar by MultatuliAuthor: Multatuli, 1820-1887,Language: Dutch, Class: PT: Language and Literatures: Germanic, Scandinavian, and Icelandic literatures, Release Date: Feb 1, 2004

Editor's review

Max Havelaar is the representative work of the Dutch writer Multatuli (real name Eduard Douwes Dekker) and one of the most influential works in the history of Dutch literature. Through the perspective of the colonial official Havelaar, the novel exposes the exploitation of the local population under the Dutch East Indies colonial system, especially the suffering caused by institutions such as coffee cultivation. The work has a distinctive structure, with interlocking narrative layers; the author repeatedly intervenes directly as narrator and even appeals to the King of the Netherlands and to readers, blending fiction and reality with a strong tone of indictment and satire. It is both a literary work and a political pamphlet, and after publication it sparked discussion in the Netherlands about colonial policy. The value of reading this book lies in seeing how literature engages with real-world issues and how nineteenth-century European writers wrote about colonies. The original is in Dutch, so readers of other languages need a translation. The Project Gutenberg edition preserves the original language, making it suitable for language learning and textual research, as well as a primary source for courses on colonial and postcolonial literature.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Students and scholars of Dutch literature and colonial literature
Readers interested in colonial history and the history of the Dutch East Indies
Language learners of Dutch who wish to engage with classic original texts
Readers concerned with how literature engages with social and political issues

Not a good fit for

General readers unfamiliar with Dutch and without access to a translation
Readers who prefer linear narrative and tightly plotted stories
Readers looking for light, entertaining fiction

Reading tips

Readers of other languages should read alongside a reliable translation, first grasping the main thread before returning to the original
Pay attention to passages where the narrator intervenes directly; they convey the author's intent to indict
Consult background material on the colonial history of the Dutch East Indies to understand the institutional descriptions in the book
The structure has many layers; it helps to map the relationships between characters and narrative levels as you read

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Why is this book important in Dutch literature?

It exposes in literary form the problems of the Dutch East Indies colonial system, and after publication it prompted public debate in the Netherlands about colonial policy. It is regarded as an important work of Dutch literature that engages with social reality and is often cited in studies of literary and colonial history.

Is Multatuli a pen name?

Yes, Multatuli is the pen name of the author Eduard Douwes Dekker. He served as a colonial official in the Dutch East Indies, and this experience provided direct experiential grounding for the novel; the use of the pen name is also related to his personal circumstances.

Can I read this book without knowing Dutch?

You can read it in translations into other languages, and several translations exist. This edition from Project Gutenberg is the original Dutch text, better suited to language learners or researchers who need to check the original.

Why does the book's structure seem disjointed?

The work deliberately employs multiple narrative layers, with the author intervening directly as narrator to offer commentary and blurring fiction and reality. This arrangement was unusual for the literary conventions of the time; while reading, it can be understood as part of the author's strategy of indictment.

Comments

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About the author

Multatuli, 1820-1887 Author

Multatuli (1820–1887) is the pen name of the Dutch writer Eduard Douwes Dekker, though the library records do not contain his real name and public information about him is limited. He is best known for the novel Max Havelaar, and also wrote De Geschiedenis van Woutertje Pieterse (The Story of Woutertje Pieterse) and other works. The library holds seven of his works, including two versions of Max Havelaar, parts one and two of De Geschiedenis van Woutertje Pieterse, Minnebrieven, Walter Pieterse: A Story of Holland, and Specialiteiten. These works deal with colonial rule in the Dutch East Indies and Dutch social life, combining satire and lyricism, and often expose injustice through sharp argument and irony. They have had a lasting influence on Dutch literature and the tradition of colonial critique.