Max Havelaar, of de koffieveilingen der Nederlandsche Handelmaatschappy
Max Havelaar by Multatuli ranks among the most famous Dutch books. It is an indictment of the Dutch government’s Cultivation System. This in-kind tax system led to corruption, and the exploitation of the Javanese people. The last sentence in the book is an indictment against the Dutch king William III: ‘And that yonder more than thirty million subjects are mistreated and sucked dry in your name.’ While the book caused a huge sensation, nothing changed for a long time.