If you find yourself in Lebak, Banten, make sure to pay a visit to the Multatuli Museum. This fascinating museum is a must-see for both tourists and locals alike. Lebak, Banten is home to the renowned Multatuli Museum, which is definitely worth a visit. Whether you're a tourist exploring the area or a local looking for an interesting outing, this museum is sure to captivate you with its unique exhibits.
Don't miss out on the opportunity to explore the Multatuli Museum in Lebak, Banten. Situated in this beautiful location, the museum offers an enriching experience for visitors from all walks of life. Whether you're a history enthusiast or simply curious about the local culture, this museum is a must-visit destination.
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Eduard Douwes Dekker, also known as Multatuli, was a famous Dutch writer born on March 2, 1820, and passed away on February 19, 1887. He is best known for his satirical novel Max Havelaar (1860), which criticized the mistreatment of native people by colonizers in the Dutch East Indies.
Eduard had a brother named Jan, who was the grandfather of Ernest Douwes Dekker, a prominent figure in the Indonesian independence movement, also known as Danudirja Setiabudi.
Childhood
Eduard was born in Amsterdam to a well-off family. His father was a captain of a large ship, providing enough income for the family to be considered prosperous and educated. Eduard attended a Latin school, where he excelled academically and was on track to continue his education at university. However, he eventually grew bored and his performance declined, leading his father to remove him from school and place him in a trading office.
Becoming a junior clerk
Being placed in a trading office made Eduard feel isolated from his affluent family and friends. He was even placed in a position he considered lowly as an assistant in a small textile company. Here, he experienced firsthand the life of poverty and the lower class. He worked in this position for four years, leaving a lasting impression on him. This experience shaped his understanding of the lack of influence and protection for many in society, as noted by Paul van 't Veer in Multatuli's biography.
To the Dutch East Indies
Eduard Douwes Dekker eventually moved to the Dutch East Indies, where he worked as a civil servant. His time in the colony influenced his later writings, particularly his criticism of colonial practices and the treatment of the native population. Today, he is remembered for his contributions to literature and his advocacy for social justice.
Eduard Douwes Dekker, also known as Multatuli, was a famous Dutch writer born on March 2, 1820, and passed away on February 19, 1887. He is best known for his satirical novel Max Havelaar (1860), which criticized the mistreatment of native people by colonizers in the Dutch East Indies.
Eduard had a brother named Jan, who was the grandfather of Ernest Douwes Dekker, a prominent figure in the Indonesian independence movement, also known as Danudirja Setiabudi.
When his father returned from his journey, Eduard decided to follow in his footsteps and traveled to the Dutch East Indies. There, he worked as a civil servant and experienced the injustices and abuses committed by the colonial administration. This experience would later inspire his famous work, Max Havelaar, which shed light on the exploitation of the native population.
Conflict with the Governor
Despite holding a high position among the Dutch East Indies civil servants, Eduard felt incompatible with the Governor of Maluku, who had his own authority that hindered Eduard's subordinates from showing initiative. Eduard eventually requested a leave of absence due to health reasons and was granted permission to go to the Netherlands. On Christmas Day in 1852, he and his wife arrived at the port of Hellevoetsluis near Rotterdam.
Relocation to Lebak
During his leave in the Netherlands, Eduard struggled to manage his finances properly; debts piled up here and there, and he often faced losses at the gambling table. Despite requesting an extension of his leave in the Netherlands, he and his wife eventually returned to Batavia on September 10, 1855. Shortly after, Eduard was appointed as an assistant resident of Lebak in the southern part of the Banten residency located in Rangkasbitung in January 1856. Eduard carried out his duties quite well and responsibly. However, he discovered that the situation in Lebak was actually very dire, even worse than the reports he had received.
Extortion in Lebak
The Regent of Lebak, who at that time, according to the Dutch colonial system, was appointed as the indigenous head of government with hereditary rights, had held power for 30 years. It turned out that he was in severe financial difficulties because his household expenses exceeded the income he received from his position. As a result, the Regent of Lebak could only rely on the income from forced labor imposed on the people of his district based on tradition. Eduard Douwes Dekker found that the forced labor imposed on the district's people had gone beyond limits and discovered extortion practices carried out by the Regent of Lebak and his officials by demanding agricultural produce and livestock from the people. Even if they were purchased, it was at very low prices.
Returning to Europe
Once again, Eduard lost his job due to a clash with his boss. His efforts to find another job were unsuccessful. Even his successful tobacco business brother lent him money to return to Europe and work there. His wife and children were left behind in Batavia.
In Europe, Eduard worked as an editor for a newspaper in Brussels, Belgium, but soon he quit. His attempt to get a job as a translator at the French Consulate in Nagasaki also failed. His efforts to become rich at the gambling table only made him even more destitute.
Starting to write
The first edition cover of Max Havelaar in 1860.
However, Eduard's other aspiration, which was to become an author, he managed to achieve. When he returned from the Dutch East Indies, he brought various manuscripts, including a play script and copies of letters from his time as an assistant resident in Lebak. In September 1859, when his wife was pressured to file for divorce, Eduard locked himself in a hotel room in Brussels and wrote the book Max Havelaar, which later became famous.
The book was published in 1860 in a version edited by the publisher without his knowledge, but it still caused a sensation among the public, especially in his own country. In 1875, it was reissued with the revised text. His name as the author gained recognition, which meant that Eduard could gradually expect income from the publication of his work.
When publishing the novel Max Havelaar, he used the pseudonym 'Multatuli'. This name comes from Latin and means "'I have suffered enough'" or "'I have suffered a lot'"; here, "I" can refer to Eduard Douwes Dekker himself or the oppressed people. After this book was sold throughout Europe, all the dark realities of the Dutch East Indies were revealed, although some people claimed that Dekker's portrayal was exaggerated.
At the end of his life, Eduard Douwes Dekker grew tired of living in the Netherlands. In his final days, he resided in Germany with a German child who he considered to be his own. Eduard Douwes Dekker lived in Wiesbaden, Germany, where he attempted to write scripts for dramas. One of his plays, Vorstenschool (published in 1875 in the fourth volume of Ideën), expressed his stance of not adhering to any specific political, societal, or religious ideology. During the last twelve years of his life, Eduard did not compose any new works, but instead focused on writing various letters.
Eduard Douwes Dekker later moved to Ingelheim am Rhein near the Rhine River until his passing on February 19, 1887.
Influence on Dutch East Indies and Indonesian literature
Multatuli has not only inspired literary works in Indonesia, such as the Angkatan Pujangga Baru group, but he has also instilled a sense of nationalism in the country. This nationalism is not only a rebellion against the colonial system and economic exploitation of the Dutch East Indies (such as forced cultivation), but also against the customs, power, and never-ending feudalism that drains the common people. If Multatuli, in Max Havelaar, can be seen as personifying himself as the idealistic Max who ultimately becomes frustrated, Muhammad Yamin focuses more on the oppressed, as seen in his poem titled Hikajat Saidjah dan Adinda. In a philosophical sense, the frustration faced by Max, Saidjah, and Adinda is essentially the same; they are all desperate and trapped in a system that can only be broken through revolution.
In popular culture
Max Havelaar ISBN 0-14-044516-1 - this book has been adapted into a film released in 1976 and was only released in Indonesia in 1988 with the same title, directed by Alphonse Marie Rademaker and involving several Indonesian artists, such as Rima Melati. The film was not popular in Indonesia and was even temporarily banned by the New Order government after being screened for a short period of time.