[ book tip by Translated Tips ] Beat Mazenauer wirtes about the German edition of Max Havelaar oder Die Kaffeeversteigerungen der niederländischen Handelsgesellschaft - the original text is written in Dutch
Nowadays the name Max Havelaar is well known as a mark of quality for 'fair trade coffee'. But its origin is probably less known. In 1860, under the pseudonym Multatuli, the Dutch colonial official E. D. Dekker wrote a novel which critically investigated colonialism as practised by his country. Embedded in a discursive, biting, satirical subplot, he recounts the experiences of Max Havelaar, an idealistic colonial official, who takes the side of the natives in Java and fights against their exploitation. Multatuli (which literally means 'I have suffered much') did not write this story to edify anyone, but as a harsh and bitter indictment with a clear goal: 'I want people to read me.' And it is exactly from this perspective that his novel is still so topical: whether a coffee plantation or a sweat shop, the conditions are the same. Max Havelaar is a committed report of colonial policies not only in the bygone days of the 19th century. What is more, it is formally one of the most astonishing novels of its time. With reason, everyone is talking about the book; so why not read it right away?

[ book info ] Multatuli, : Max Havelaar or the Coffee Auctions of the Dutch Trading Company. Penguin USA, 1995 . ISBN: 0140445161.