Max Havelaar / Of de koffiveilingen der Nederlandsche Handelsmaatschappy

Name: Max Havelaar / Of de koffiveilingen der Nederlandsche Handelsmaatschappy
Author: Multatuli

By Multatuli

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About This Book

A narrated work combines a coffee merchant's first-person frame, satirical scenes, and inserted documents to confront abuses within colonial trade and local administration. Through anecdote, courtroom-like exchanges, and moral invective, it contrasts compassionate individuals with systemic hypocrisy, exposing coercion, corrupt officials, and market distortions. Extended digressions examine economic policy, population theory, currency, agricultural practice, and cultural contact, shifting between storytelling, reportage, and polemic. The result is a hybrid of fiction and essay intended to arouse conscience and press for administrative and moral reform.

About the Author

Multatuli

Multatuli, the pen name of Eduard Douwes Dekker, was a Dutch writer and social critic active in the 19th century. He is best known for his groundbreaking novel "Max Havelaar," which critiques the Dutch colonial system in Indonesia and advocates for social justice. His work is characterized by its passionate prose and deep moral engagement, making significant contributions to literature and social reform. In addition to "Max Havelaar," he wrote other notable works such as "Walter Pieterse" and "Minnebrieven," which further explore themes of injustice and human rights. Multatuli's legacy endures as a powerful voice against oppression and a champion of the marginalized.