Footsteps (Buru Quartet) (Paperback)

by Pramoedya Ananta Toer (Author), Max Lane (Translator, Introduction)
Key Phrases: gusti kanjeng, raden mas, assistant resident, Ter Haar, Haji Moeloek, Ibu Baldrun (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
A vibrant portrait of a people coalescing into nationhood, this third volume of a projected tetralogy (the Buru quartet) by Indonesian novelist Pramoedya continues the story begun in Child of All Nations and This Earth of Mankind. The protagonist is again expelled Javanese medical student Minke, who now becomes a journalist, then a grass-roots political organizer and eventually a crusading publisher of the archipelago's first Native-owned daily newspaper. Set in the period 1901 to 1912, this novel measures Minke's dream of a unified, multiethnic Indonesia free of Dutch rule, against the harsh realities of colonial occupation. The picture is bleak: oppression, exploitation, slavery and brutal subjugation of the Netherlands Indies' indigenous people by the Dutch military, working in concert with a local ruling elite. Inspired by the life of Indonesian journalist Tirto Adi Suryo, the story is rich in human drama and history. Minke corresponds with Ter Haar, a roving liberal Dutch journalist; battles his old nemesis, racist terrorist Robert Suurho; and matures emotionally through two dramatic marriages. Lane's introduction will help readers new to these books to plunge into the engrossing narrative.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal
In the third volume of the "Buro Tetralogy" (e.g., This Earth of Mankind, LJ 9/1/91), Toer continues the story of Minke, an activist in the struggle for native rights in the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia). He travels to Betawi (now Jakarta) to study medicine but soon realizes that he must fight for an end to the political system of apartheid kept in place by the Dutch government during the early 20th century. The uneven writing style varies between stilted (but heartfelt) expressions of ideology and very moving accounts of Minke's experiences. Toer's books are all banned in Indonesia, and he is under house arrest in Jakarta. Minke's story is a courageous record of colonial repression and unrest. As a novel, however, Footsteps will be most appreciated by those who have read and enjoyed the first two volumes, so libraries should purchase accordingly.
Nancy Pearl, Washington Ctr. for the Book, Seattle
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (May 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140256342
• ISBN-13: 978-0140256345
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #593,418 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Development of a Nationalist Critic, April 4, 2000

By A Customer

As we follow the developing story of Minke, we watch his footsteps leave the place of the former story and begin to explore the outside world through the study of medicine. It is clear that this study will yield for him government employment and the opportunity to help his fellow people. At the same time this is happening, he is constantly aware and being made more aware by those around him of his own people and how little he knows about them since his preference for Dutch language and education i.e. the filter of colonialism prioritizes everything and weights it in a certain manner. Influences from a developing China, the Philippines and a budding new anticolonial spirit begin to flourish in the greater environment and bring freshness, humility and depth to concepts previously understood only in a colonial fashion. In Footsteps we watch Minke grow in consciousness, develop leadership skills and independence and begin to listen to a different drummer both in terms of who his people are, and what he might best do, for them and with them. His path is changed and word by word, experience by experience, we are present at the birth of an organizer, a political journalist and a nationalist critic.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great historical novel, January 12, 2007

By	D. Delaplain (Reno nevada) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Footsteps (Hardcover)

This book is a great novel about Dutch occupation of Indonesia. Very interesting and good history presented in novel form.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Needed to complete the magnificent quartet, June 24, 2007

By	Joseph Palen (Eugene, OR United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I agree that this third book of the great Buru Quartet should not be read first, as it would be not make sense, and therefore might be boring. Yet, it is the necessary transition between the early life of Minke (Toer's alter ego) in books 1 and 2, and the final summary book, House of Glass. It covers the important period when Menke becomes convinced that he must lead his people against the oppression of the Dutch Government, which he does by the power of the pen. I read 4 first - then 1,2,and 3, and I think this actually may work better than reading them 1,2,3,4. Taken as a whole, the Buru Quartet is a powerful, magnificent work, and we can see why it was earlier banned. It is an education in the history and culture of Indonesia, combined with several touching love stories, concentrating on the people of the Island of Java. The books may be more enjoyable if you are familiar with Java and more educational if you are not. Either way, even if read just as a novel, the writing is superb.