Max Havelaar

About the book

"Max Havelaar; or, the coffee auctions of the Dutch trading company" by Multatuli is a novel published in 1860. The story follows Max Havelaar, a Dutch colonial administrator who battles against corrupt government systems in Java. Through contrasting narrators—a pompous coffee merchant and a romantic apprentice—the novel exposes the brutal exploitation of Indonesian farmers under Dutch colonial rule. This powerful protest against colonial policies ultimately influenced Dutch governance and inspired nationalist movements that would reshape the future of colonialism worldwide.