Revolusi: Indonesia and the Birth of the Modern World

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*Shortlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize* A true masterpiece of narrative history showing Indonesia's epic revolution to be the great turning point of the 20th century A story of staggering scope and drama, Revolusi is the definitive account of the epic revolution that sparked the decolonisation of the modern world. On a sunny morning in August 1945, a handful of tired people raised a homemade cotton flag and announced the birth of a new nation- Indonesia. For three and a half centuries, its people had been subject to Dutch colonial rule. It would take another four years of guerrilla warfare and resistance - the 'Revolusi' - to finally win their freedom, blazing a trail that would reshape the world. Drawing on hundreds of interviews and eye-witness testimonies, David Van Reybrouck's superbly woven narrative is alive with human detail at every turn, showing Indonesia's struggle for independence to be one of the defining dramas of the twentieth century.

Reviews

A magnificent fusion of oral history, sparkling analysis, and historical wisdom. Revolusi has it all: a masterpiece -- Sebastian Mallaby
Masterful . . . utterly compelling . . . unfolds over a vast geopolitical canvas and yet never falters . . . propelled by the stories of its astonishing cast * Financial Times, *Books of the Year* *
An astounding feat of both research and storytelling. History at its best -- Yuval Harari
Masterly . . . This compelling narrative . . . wrapped around an extraordinary core of individuals . . . convincingly argues that Indonesia in itself represents a global crossroads, one of the most important in modern history -- Elizabeth Pisani * The Times *
We learn something utterly fascinating on every single page * Evening Standard, *Best Books of 2024* *
A wonderful and important book -- Peter Frankopan
Superb * Guardian *
The story of [Indonesias] formation is delivered in a manner that genuinely seems unsurpassable * History Today, *Books of the Year* *
Revolusi briskly ushers Indonesia onto the centre stage of modern history -- Pankaj Mishra
Majestic and beautifully written * Times Literary Supplement *
A magisterial and gripping account of events of urgent importance to us now -- Jason Burke
With rare narrative brilliance, Revolusi gives us a history at once vast and intimate, a history in colour -- Laksmi Pamuntjak
History as it should be. Carried by a democracy of ordinary voices, meticulous research, an eye for decisive detail, vivid language and drama -- Antjie Krog
An outstanding account of one nation's unsung fight for freedom . . . enthralling . . . magnificent -- Todd Kushner * Washington Independent Review of Books *
An electrifying narrative -- Tunku Varadarajan * Wall Street Journal *
A towering achievement . . . one of the most unlikely and astonishing sagas -- Thomas Meaney
Immensely readable -- Adam Hochschild * Atlantic *
The definitive account of a neglected epoch * Economist *
Masterly -- J M Coetzee
Revolusiis the most important book in English to place the Indonesian revolution in a global context since the work of Benedict AndersonVan Reybroucks skill lies in telling the story for a wide readership * London Review of Books *

Author Bio

David Van Reybrouck (Author) David Van Reybrouck is the author of Congo- The Epic History of a People, which won twenty prizes, sold over half a million copies and has been translated into a dozen languages. His book Against Elections has been translated into more than twenty languages and has led to the trial use of participatory democracy in numerous countries, including the Netherlands, Belgium and Spain. His plays Mission and Para have been performed across Europe, and his novel Zinc won the European Book Prize 2017. Revolusi was first published in the Netherlands, where it was a major bestseller. David Van Reybrouck has been described as 'one of the leading intellectuals in Europe' (Der Tagesspiegel) and 'one of the most brilliant European intellectuals of the moment' (Le Soir). He is Belgian, writes in Dutch and is based in Brussels.