Multatuli

Multatuli is the pen name of Eduard Douwes Dekker (1820–1887), a Dutch writer and social critic best known for his exposé of colonial abuses in the Dutch East Indies. The name Multatuli is Latin for “I have suffered much,” chosen to reflect his experiences there.

Born in Amsterdam, he studied law at Leiden University and entered the colonial administration in the Dutch East Indies in the 1840s. His years in the Indies, including service in Sumatra, exposed him to arbitrary rule and exploitation under the Cultivation System, which shaped his later writings. He eventually left the service and returned to the Netherlands.

In 1860 he published Max Havelaar, or the Coffee Auctions of the Dutch Trading Company, anonymously under the pseudonym Multatuli. The novel attacks corruption, hypocrisy, and coercive practices in colonial governance, highlighting the suffering of Indigenous people. It is regarded as a landmark in Dutch literature and a major early critique of colonialism, contributing to debates about colonial policy and inspiring later postcolonial writers.

Beyond Max Havelaar, Multatuli produced essays, fiction, and letters addressing politics, education, and ethics. He died in 1887 in Ingelheim am Rhein, Germany. His work remains central to discussions of Dutch literature and the ethical legacies of empire.