Recounting the dramatic events of the Indonesian struggle for independence from colonial rule between 1945-49, Revolusi is a powerful and deeply researched account of the vital moment in history that set the precedent that would reshape the world.
Shortlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction 2024
On a sunny Friday morning in August 1945, a handful of tired people raised a homemade cotton flag and on behalf of 68 million compatriots announced the birth of a new nation: Indonesia.
Four million civilians had died during the Japanese wartime occupation that ousted its Dutch colonial regime. Another 200,000 people would lose their lives in the astonishingly brutal conflict that ensued - as the Dutch used savage violence to reassert their control, and as Britain and America became embroiled in pacifying Indonesia's guerrilla war of resistance: the 'Revolusi'. It was not until December 1949 that the newly created United Nations finally brought the conflict an end - and with it, 350 years of colonial rule - setting a precedent that would reshape the world.
Drawing on hundreds of interviews and eye-witness testimonies, David Van Reybrouck turns this vast and complex story into an utterly gripping narrative that is alive with human detail at every turn. A landmark publication, Revolusi shows Indonesia's struggle for independence to be one of the defining dramas of the twentieth century.
Publisher: Vintage Publishing
ISBN: 9781847927040
Number of pages: 656
Weight: 928 g
Dimensions: 240 x 162 x 54 mm
A magnificent fusion of oral history, sparkling analysis, and historical wisdom. Revolusi has it all: a masterpiece - Sebastian Mallaby
Utterly compelling . . . unfolds over a vast geopolitical canvas and yet never falters . . . propelled by the stories of its astonishing cast - Financial Times
An astounding feat of both research and storytelling. History at its best - Yuval Harari
Masterly . . . This compelling narrative . . . is 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
A wonderful and important book - Peter Frankopan
Superb - Guardian
Revolusi briskly ushers Indonesia onto the centre stage of modern history - Pankaj Mishra
Majestic and beautifully written - Times Literary Supplement
A masterful account - Financial Times, Summer Reads of 2024*
Masterly - J M Coetzee
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
A towering achievement . . . one of the most unlikely and astonishing sagas - Thomas Meaney
Surely . . . the most consequential ‘invisible revolution’ of the last hundred years . . . compelling - History Today
Immensely readable - Adam Hochschild, Atlantic
The definitive account of a neglected epoch - Economist
An electrifying narrative - Tunku Varadarajan, Wall Street Journal
An outstanding account of one nation's unsung fight for freedom . . . enthralling . . . magnificent - Todd Kushner, Washington Independent Review of Books
An excellent English translation, Revolusi is a masterful account of Indonesia’s 1945-49 war of independence against the Netherlands - Financial Times, Books of the Year*
One of the year’s best books… fascinating; the story of its [Indonesia’s] formation is delivered in a manner that genuinely seems unsurpassable - History Today, Books of the Year*
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