Synopsis
The Hidden Force: A Story of Modern Java is a novel written by the Dutch author Louis Couperus. The story is set in the Dutch East Indies (modern-day Indonesia) during the early 20th century and explores the clash between Western and Eastern cultures. The main character is Van Oudijck, a Dutch colonial administrator who is tasked with maintaining order and stability in the region. He is married to a Javanese woman and has several mixed-race children, which creates tension with his fellow Dutch colonizers. As Van Oudijck tries to navigate the complex political and social landscape of Java, he becomes increasingly aware of a mysterious and powerful force that seems to be influencing events around him. The novel delves into themes of colonialism, cultural identity, and the struggle for power and control. Through vivid descriptions of the landscape and characters, Couperus paints a nuanced portrait of life in the Dutch East Indies and the challenges faced by those who lived there. The Hidden Force is considered a classic of Dutch literature and has been translated into numerous languages.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.
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About the Author
L. Couperus (1863-1923) is recognized as one of the major innovators of Dutch fiction. E. M. Beekman is Multatuli Professor of Dutch Literature, Language, and Culture at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and editor of the twelve-volume Library of the Indies.
Review
"A major novel (written in 1900) by a great modern European writer virtually unknown to American readers. Its setting is the island of Java, and its protagonist a Dutch colonial official undone by his willful application of reason and pragmatism to a culture secure in its nonrational, mystical intimacy with nature and the spirit world. This is a tragedy of colonialism essentially contemporary with, and fully comparable to, the work of Joseph Conrad."―Chicago Tribune Book World
"With the inexorable momentum and prophetic courage, Couperus probes the psychological and cultural causes of [protagonist] Van Oudijck's fall from presumed power and happiness against a fin-de-siècle background. Magic is but one theme in the novel, along with that of cultural estrangement and lovelessness in the sensuous but isolated world of the Indies."―World Literature Today
"A rare and unusual achievement. . . . Stark, haunting, and evocative, this eerie narrative time-travels back to another age, a darker dispensation."―Asiaweek
"An outstanding example of psychological fiction, it is a prophetic intimation of the beginning of the end of Dutch rule in Indonesia and an original understanding of an inevitable fate that transcends the . . . clash between the East and West."―Publishers Weekly
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