Multatuli
Eduard Douwes Dekker, better known by his pen name Multatuli (from Latin multa tuli, "I have suffered much"), was a Dutch writer famous for his satirical novel, Max Havelaar (1860) in which he denounced the abuses of colonialism in the colony of the Dutch East Indies (today's Indonesia). He is considered one of the Netherlands' greatest authors.
Determined to expose the scandals he had witnessed during his years in the Dutch East Indies, Douwes Dekker began to write newspaper articles and pamphlets. Little notice was taken of these early publications until, in 1860, he published his satirical anticolonialist novel Max Havelaar: The Coffee Auctions of the Dutch Trading Company under the pseudonym Multatuli. Douwes Dekker's pen name is derived from the Latin phrase multa tuli, meaning "I have suffered much" (or more literally: "I have borne much"). It refers both to himself and to the victims of the injustices he saw.
Multatuli made several attempts to write for the stage. One of his plays, Vorstenschool (The School for Princes, published in 1872 in the fourth volume of Ideën), expresses his nonconformist views on politics, society, and religion. Out of fear of offending the Dutch king, it was three years before the play was first staged. The premiere and subsequent tour were a great success, forming one of the highlights of Multatuli's career as a writer.
“Sebab kita bersukacita bukan karena memotong padi; kita bersukacita karena memotong padi yang kita tanam sendiri.”
“Hij is geestig en onderhoudend wanneer hij gevoelde dat zijn geest begrepen werd, maar anders stug en teruggetrokken.”
“Geloof me, alles in de wereld is goed, zoals het is, en ontevreden mensen die altijd klagen, zijn mijn vrienden niet.”
“Ik hou ervan, het goede op te merken, en wie dit niet doen, zijn ontevreden mensen die ik niet lijden kan”
“One must live with all, e'en if life be hell: Crime makes shame, not monetary stricture”
“Dari hidup di kalangan yang memiliki pengaruh kemudian hidup di kalangan bawah masyarakat membuatnya mengetahui bahwa banyak kalangan masyarakat yang tidak memiliki pengaruh dan perlindungan apa-apa.”
“The entire morality of the world could be summarized in the words, do as others do.”
“I would like to meet myself sometime to see how I would look to myself. But I'd have to be in an extremely good state of mind on such a day, because I don't like unpleasantness.”