House of Glass (Buru Quartet) (Paperback)

by Pramoedya Ananta Toer (Author), Max Lane (Translator) "1912. This was the year that brought the greatest burdens for Governor-General Idenburg..." (more)
Key Phrases: organization fever, raden mas, educated natives, Raden Mas Minke, Boedi Oetomo, Indische Partij (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
In 1965, Pramoedya Ananta Toer was arrested by the Indonesian government. Although he was denied writing materials during his 14-year detention, he continued to "write" fiction, composing stories orally, which his fellow prisoners memorized. House of Glass is the final installment of the four-part epic he composed. The tale, which began with This Earth of Mankind and continued through Child of All Nations and Footsteps, encompasses the beginnings of the collapse of colonialism nearly 100 years ago. In 1995, Pramoedya Ananta Toer was cited by the Philippine government for his contribution to "the historical awakening and modern experience of the Indonesian people." --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly
Police commissioner Tuan Pangemanann, narrator of this concluding volume to Pramoedya's extraordinary tetralogy set in colonial Indonesia, is a Sorbonne-educated reactionary, a consummate hypocrite, a cultivated monster, a sadist with pangs of conscience. Recognizing the rottenness of the colonial administration, he greatly admires Minke, crusading newspaper editor and nationalist fighter against Dutch imperialism, considering him a man of principle. Yet, as an obedient tool of the Netherlands Indies' ruling elite in the period from 1912 through the end of WWI, Pangemanann feels duty-bound to crush Minke and the native movement he represents, whether by arrest, torture or counterinsurgency terrorism. The first three volumes of Pramoedya's quartet (This Earth of Mankind; Child of All Nations; Footsteps)?written during the author's 14-year banishment, 1965-1979, to the prison island of Buru?were narrated by Minke, a progressive witness of world events. Here, by filtering the anti-colonialist struggle through Pangemanann's ambivalent, warped perspective, Pramoedya spikes his epic saga with slyly modernist irony, creating a work that is as subversive today as when it was written. (May) FYI: Pramoedya is currently under city arrest in Jakarta: all his books remain banned in Indonesia. Penguin will reissue the first three volumes of the Buru quartet in paperback to coincide with the publication of House of Glass.
Copyright 1996 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: 384 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (July 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140256792
• ISBN-13: 978-0140256796
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #589,911 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 Fascinating insight into Indonesian mind and history, June 25, 1998

By	Leslie Miller ([e-mail]) (Sydney, Australia) - See all my reviews

The great strength of this book is its thoughtful exploration of the often contradictory lures of Westernisation and nationhood for the early 20th-century Dutch East Indies. But for me, the real eye-opener was the insight it provided into the Javanese mind and its thought processes. It was illuminating to read the narrator's reactions to certain situations and statements -- I often found myself being surprised by the conclusions the narrator drew from the events around him, but eventually came to realise that the gap between his reactions and mine is exactly the gap between western and Indonesian culture with which the narrator is wrestling. The result is a book that makes the western reader more aware and appreciative of the differences between Indonesian and western culture and thinking, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of each. And on the political side, the parallels between the Dutch colonial authority and the modern Indonesian government are striking. A must read for anyone spending time in Indonesia.

Side note: I was a little distracted by the phrasing, which was often choppy or even clumsy at times. Translation troubles?

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must-read book!, July 22, 2002

By A Customer

The book awakens national consciousness.It is an inspiration to those who dream of true freedom and oneness.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I thought it was great!, April 22, 1998

By A Customer

The character development and subtleties of the story as it progressed really got my attention. This book inspired me to read the other three books of the quartet, though I would recommend reading them in order. References to some of the minor characters of this book (which were major ones of earlier books) were confusing without the context of the first three, but echo larger with that context. The shift in perspective, revolving around events common to the third book but covering different ground, was done extremely well.

The author captures the erratic, rising wave of nationalism seeping out of an awakening people, and immerses the reader in the context of the age, without shying away from a lurking sense of tragedy.