Why was Multatuli’s Max Havelaar controversial?

Multatuli’s Max Havelaar (1860) was highly controversial because it served as a scathing indictment of the colonial administration in the Dutch East Indies.12

The novel, which is partly autobiographical, exposed the exploitation of the native population by both local chiefs and the Dutch colonial government. By utilizing a complex frame structure, the author—whose real name was Eduard Douwes Dekker—was able to simultaneously plead for justice for the Javanese people and deliver a harsh satire of the self-satisfied, complacent Dutch middle-class mentality of the mid-19th century.12

The work was considered radical for its time, as its conversational style, humor, and iconoclastic views stood in stark contrast to the prevailing literary conventions of the era. Because it challenged both the moral integrity of colonial policy and the social norms of the Dutch public, the book remained a solitary and provocative phenomenon in Dutch literature for many years.12