quote:
Originally posted by Rikard_OHF:
I have a question for all of you
With Dutch clas we are now discussiong Dutch literature from 1700 till 1880 and one of the most famous Dutch books from that period is the Max Havelaar of Multatuli
What i wonder is
Has any of you ever heard of this book?
because it was told to have been translated in a lot of foreign languages
I'm amazed that no on has heard of him.
Multatuli is probably Holland's best-known writer, and his first novel Max Havelaar was, and is still, hailed as a masterpiece by most critics. Multatuli is also the only person in the Netherlands who is honoured by having an association (Multatuli Genootschap), a museum (Multatuli Museum), and a journal (Over Multatuli) dedicated to him. There are so-called "Multatulians" who have made a demi-god out of him, according to the "anti- Multatulians" who, for their part, reject him as an overrated figure. Yet even among them, Multatuli and his works are discussed repeatedly, as all Dutch intellectuals and progressive thinkers are supposed to be conversant with his works and, indeed, pretend to be just that. Recently, a Multatuli Hotel, a Multatuli brand of coffee and a Multatuli travel agency have been established or launched. Multatuli has practically become a byword for having a critical mind, being tolerant of minorities, and so forth.
