He was banned from writing during his imprisonment on the island of Buru. But he created his best-known series of work , the Buru Quartet. It is a series of four historical fiction novels telling about the development of Indonesian nationalism. The books are partly based on his own experiences growing up. The English titles of the books are: "This Earth of Mankind", "Child of All Nations", "Footsteps", and "House of Glass". The main character of the series is named Minke. He is a minor Javanese royal. The character is similar to an Indonesian journalist named Tirto Adhi Surjo. He was active in the nationalist movement.