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Liked It1 of 1 members found this review helpful “It's the 1st in a series of books by the same author & judging from this one, I intend to read the entire Buru Quartet (as the series is known). It could be Indonesia's answer to Tolkien's LOTR, though without the made-up creatures that populate Tolkien's books. It's surprisingly easy &...” see full review » see other reviews » |
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“This is a very interesting book written by a man who was a political prisoner through several different regimes in Indonesia. Through the story of Minke and the people he admires, lives with and loves, it illustrates the unfairness and rigidity of Dutch colonial rule in Indonesia.
JennyIL wrote this review Tuesday, June 23 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
The text was heavy which may be due to the English translation, and I was left with the feeling that I did not know enough Javanese culture or Indonesian history to truly appreciate it. However, it was a very interesting introduction to the literature of a different culture from those that I know.”
“This first novel of Toer's quartet is spectacular. To imagine that this story was told over and over again to his fellow prisoners for two years before he was allowed to put pen to paper is astounding. I can hardly wait to begin the next novel.”
She wrote this review Thursday, January 29 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
1 of 2 members found this review helpful“I don't care about these people, I don't care about their lives. Minke is pretty dumb for a smart person and Ann is too scarred to have even the personality of moldy bread. The only character I like is Nyai Ontosoroh, and if she was the main character I might have enjoyed this book more.
Rachel P wrote this review Tuesday, February 24 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
EDIT: After extensive analysis and comparison and such, I no longer dislike this book. I probably wouldn't read it again, though, and Annelies still bugs me. ”
0 of 1 members found this review helpful“The Asian Legacy: Indonesia under Dutch Colonial Rule
tinsky wrote this review Wednesday, July 23 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Asian countries have a reputation for possessing a diverse mix of culture, which can mainly be attributed to the numerous colonizers that have dug their swords into our lands. Indonesia is one such country that has the makings of a hodgepodge of cultures. An important time in this country’s history was during the Dutch colonial rule; which exemplified both the struggle of a nation and the struggle of its people.
During the 19th century, colonial Dutch has already had Indonesia under its grasps, many activist groups tried to loosen their hold on a nation which was loosing its identity. One such attempt was made by Pramoedya Ananta Toer. According to an Interview given by Pramoedya to the Progressive:
“Even though no one admits it, writers are leaders in their communities. And Indonesia, especially, needs writers who can reach the people evenly, regardless of class or station.” (Penguin Group – USA, 2008)
This bold statement shows us the power of the word and along with it the power it gives to those who read and understand it. Literary works during and after the Dutch colonial rule were very important and controversial way back then. Pramoedya’s epic quartet, the Buru Quartet, was perhaps one of those that both enlightened the nation and influenced them to rise against such oppression. The first book of this quartet was This Earth of Mankind which was banned the Attorney General of Indonesia in 1981 on the grounds that it promoted Marxist-Leninists doctrines and Communism. Which were in fact not even remotely mentioned or implied in the book. These false accusations were not enough to stop the circulation of surviving copies of the book inside Malaysia and being translated to 33 languages. It was permitted to be printed again in Indonesia in 2005 (Wikipedia, 2008).
The Author: Pramoedya Ananta Toer
Pramoedya Ananta Toer was a writer to say the very least. In my opinion, he may well be one of the inspirational leaders of the country. He was born in 1925 in the island of Java. His participation in the fight against the colonizers were taking part in Indonesia’s revolt against Dutch rule in 1945 and being imprisoned in 1947 because he was carrying anti-Dutch documents. He was imprisoned for two years, and while he was in captivity, he wrote his first novel, The Fugitive, his key to becoming a true literary master and embodied his perception of colonialism.
As part of the Indonesian intellectual life, Pramoedya was a member of Lekra, the Institute of People’s Culture, and later the editor of the Lentera, the cultural section of the leftist paper Bintang Timur. He was also one of the founders of Multatuli Literature Academy and a Teacher at the "Dr. Abdul Rivai" Academy for Journalism in Jakarta. This all happened from 1950 until his arrest in 1965. He was hailed as a political prisoner until 1979 in the Buru prison island which gave him the inspiration, and time, to write the Buru Quartet.
There are about 30 works of fiction and non-fiction from Pramoedya Ananta Toer and around 20 languages wherein these works were translated, In 1988, he received the PEN Freedom-to-write Award and in 1995, the Ramon Magsaysay Award. Until 1998, he remained under house arrest and it was still illegal and punishable by law to buy and sell his works. (Penguin Group – USA, 2008)
Book I: This Earth of Mankind
The first book of the Buru Quartet, and the main topic of this paper, is This Earth of Mankind. It is told in the third person by the main protagonist, Minke, a Native. He was privileged enough to be given a chance to study in Hollands Burgelukse School (HBS), an exclusive Dutch school. This was a privilege in a sense because the story was set during the time when only European descendants were given the opportunity to receive such a high quality education. The character of Minke is a writer, a passoniate one, and an observer. The readers are enlightened and educated about the situations that Indonesia faced during the Dutch colonial rule through the enlightment of Minke as well. According to a plot summary done on Wikipedia.org:
“Minke is introduced to an extremely unusual Indonesian woman, Nyai Ontosoroh, who is the concubine of a Dutch man called Herman Mellema. Minke falls in love with their daughter, Annelies, whom he eventually marries in an Islamic wedding in accordance with "native" customs, but which, according to Dutch law, has no legal validity because it was conducted without the consent of the under-aged Annelies' legal, Dutch, guardians.
In that period, it was common for women to become the concubines of Dutch men living in the East Indies. They were considered to have low morals because of their status as concubines, even if, as in Nyai's case, they had no choice in the matter. Their children had uncertain legal status - either considered illegitimate "natives" with a corresponding lack of legal rights, unless legally acknowledged by their father, in which case they were considered "Indos", and their mother lost all rights over them in favor of the father. As a concubine, Nyai suffers because of her low status and lack of rights, but, significantly, is aware of the injustice of her suffering and believes education is the route by which her basic humanity can be acknowledged. She believes that learning is the key to opposing indignity, stupidity, and poverty. However, the decision to have the children of their relationship legally acknowledged as Herman Mellema's children has catastrophic consequences by the end of the book.
For Pramoedya, education is the key to changing one's fate. For instance, Nyai, who had no formal schooling and who was educated by her experiences, from books, and from her daily life, was a far more inspiring educator than Minke's high school teachers. However, This Earth of Mankind also powerfully portrays the reality of Dutch colonial government in Indonesia through the lives of the characters, where Minke's education and Nyai's success in business count for little when ranged against the unyielding Dutch colonial law.” (Wikipedia, 2008)
The Characters: Who they are in the bigger picture
Main Characters:
Minke – Novel is told in his point of view; Javanese, student, privileged to be studying in an exclusive Dutch school; about 18 years old; born on August 31, 1880; studies in H.B.S. (Dutch language senior high school)
Minke here is Indonesia, the Indonesian people. The experiences that Minke had are the experiences that Indonesia had gone through. His enlightment is their enlightment. The lessons that were learned by Minke in the story are to be learned by a Nation.
Nyai Ontosoroh (Sanikem: Ikem) – manages the Boerdirij Buitenzorg, Native Javanese, concubine; educated in management; can speak, read and write both Malay and Dutch.
Nyai is the representation of education, the light that will guide as all. Being educated herself, she shows the readers that race, heritage and gender are not the basis for a person’s development.
Annelies Mellema – daughter of Ontosoroh and Herman Mellema; skilled in management; child-like; great beauty
Another strong character portrayed by a woman. She is the representation of most oppressed Indonesians, unable to do as they please and forever to succumb to the Dutch laws. Being an illegitimate daughter of a Dutch was the enduring trial that Annelies had to face. The author once again tried to show us that there are those trying to fight the oppressors.
Herman Mellema (Tuan Bear Kuala) – Dutch nationality, wealthy status, owned the Boerdirij Buintenzorg; bought Sanikem from her father.
The general idea of a Dutch colonizer, as shown by Mr. Mellema, is oppressive. At first he was good to Nyai, he taught her all that she knows about language, business, and self upbringing. Then, eventually, he changed and became indifferent to Nyai. Like the colonizers, they first presented themselves as wanting to “help” the Indonesians. After noticing that the Natives are progressing and learning on their own, they try to stop this development.
Jean Marais – French national; artist and Netherlands Indies soldier; Minke’s business partner; had his leg cut from the knee because it was infected by gangrene; had a child with a Acehnese fighter
Jean represents the calmness and idea of love. Being Minke’s business partner, he is often the voice of reason during their conversations. He explains complex ideas, such as love, to Minke. Being of foreign blood himself, he represents the few foreign individuals that truly had Indonesia’s best interest at heart. They only want the country, the people to develop and not necessarily coonize the country as their own.
Influence, Opression, Injustice, Political Awakening
A few main themes and issues that were touched by the novel included the Western influence on the culture of Eastern colonies, the impact of race on the level of development a person can have in a Dutch-colonial society and there was also the inequality of the genders, male and female, in a social structure that was influenced by the Europeans.
Cultural influence is a hard idea to swallow. We, as Filipinos have experienced a mishmash of cultures and are therefore struggling to realize our cultural identity. Being ruled over by the Spaniards by more than 300 years, the Americans by a few decades and the occasional Japanese in between, we are what you would consider a highly diverse group of people. Comparatively, the Indonesians were under the colonial rule for a far shorter time, but time is not the issue here. The impact a certain culture has on a colonized nation depends on the implementation of these cultural practices. Although, unlike us Filipinos, religion was not forced upon the Indonesians, they were still forced to adopt a language that was not theirs.
In the book, Minke commonly judged he people he interacts with by what languages they could speak. We noticed that he was surprised when Nyai, the Native concubine that she was, could speak, read and write in both Malay and Dutch. This was uncommon during those times because as we have mentioned, education were offered to a limited number of people, those who are European, or have European blood, and those that have high positions in society. As Nyai’s ancestors were neither Dutch nor influential people, the level of education she has received and is practicing was baffling to Minke. This shows us the influence that the Dutch imparted the Indonesians, that education is for the privileged and the privileged alone.
Race as well was a controversial issue in the book. Native, Indo, Dutch were all capitalized for a reason, to create distinction. The caste system during that time was among the worst that the country has experienced. Again, education was limited to those that were Dutch and a few Indo. Even among the natives there were discrimination. Nyai, considered a concubine, was looked down upon not only by the Dutch people but by Javanese citizens as well. The common notion that a concubine holds a low position in a society is the reason why people regarded Nyai as a useless being. Even though she was the one managing their farm, she is still considered weak. Even though their farm provides work for the people in the community, she is still a nobody; this is all because of the stereotyping of a concubine.
Even her daughter Annelies and son Robert experienced social discrimination. Because they were the children of a Dutch and a concubine, they were not as privileged as other half-Dutch children. In one part of the book, it was explained that if they wanted to be recognized as legitimate children of a Dutch, they must fall under Dutch laws and their lives will be run by the government, furthermore, they have to denounce their mother.
Political, emotional and intellectual awakening are the most important themes that the book presents. Minke, as a representation of the nation, experienced both the positive and negative sides of being under Dutch colonial rule. He was educated but discrimated by his classmates, he was a writer but only respected because he had a pen name, he is a businessman but not a manager, and he loves but is not allowed to love. Through the struggles and tests of life that Minke went through, we can say that he was awakened about the different issues of society. This is true for Indonesia as well. Although the book was written to showcase the end of the colonial rule, the main intention that Pramoedya had in writing this novel was to educate, to tell, to awaken.
The Verdict
The book is one literary masterpiece that I would recommend to anyone. It was an easy enough read and it highlighted important issues not only prevalent in Indonesia but in the Philippines as well. I believe we should all be aware about issues like this not only because of its historical importance but because we should be responsive enough if ever there are issues like these once more.”
“I wrote my undergrad English Thesis on this book and A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, so I'm a bit biased. This is an amazing work of Postcolonial literature. A must read.”
Jacob L wrote this review Saturday, December 15 2007. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“The genesis of the work is almost as interesting as the Buru Quartet itself. Volume One (This Earth of Mankind) can be read alone and is a captivating narrative. (I enjoyed the 2nd and 3rd volumes, but I was very disappointed by the 4th.)”
Richard H wrote this review Tuesday, May 6 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No1 of 1 members found this review helpful“It's the 1st in a series of books by the same author & judging from this one, I intend to read the entire Buru Quartet (as the series is known). It could be Indonesia's answer to Tolkien's LOTR, though without the made-up creatures that populate Tolkien's books. It's surprisingly easy & delightful to read and was totally unpredictable in its outcome. I might have thought it would end w/ the resolution of the protagonist's problems but I was wrong. And instead of being let down, I agreed that the book couldn't have ended anyway but the way it did. What's more amazing is, the author was said to have "written" these 4 books in his head while he was detained in Buru prison. And since paper was forbidden inside the prison, he was only able to set it down some years after he was let out. Meanwhile, he "entertained" his fellow inmates w/ the novels he was then and there concocting in his mind!”
Peachy d wrote this review Monday, April 21 2008. ( reply | view 1 replies | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Buru Quartet has all requirements of a good book!”
Hasan Mumba Al-Basri wrote this review Thursday, January 3 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
