A story of staggering scope and drama Revolusi is the masterful and definitive account of the
epic revolution that sparked the decolonisation of the modern world. 'Astounding . . . history
at its best' Yuval Harari 'Utterly compelling' Financial Times 'Superb' Guardian 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. With the fourth largest
population in the world inhabiting islands that span an eighth of the globe Indonesia became
the first colonised country to declare its independence after the Second World War. Four
million civilians had died during the wartime occupation by the Japanese that ousted the 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 convinced the
Netherlands to cede all sovereignty to Indonesia finally ending 350 years of colonial rule and
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 and establishes its author as one of the most gifted narrative historians at
work in any language today. 'A wonderful and important book' PETER FRANKOPAN 'A masterly
display of the historian's craft' J M COETZEE 'A magnificent fusion of oral history sparkling
analysis and historical wisdom. Revolusi has it all: a masterpiece' SEBASTIAN MALLABY 'At once
vast and intimate a history in colour' LAKSMI PAMUNTJAK 'A magisterial but gripping account of
events of urgent importance to us now' JASON BURKE 'Revolusi briskly ushers Indonesia onto the
centre stage of modern history' PANKAJ MISHRA 'One of the most unlikely and astonishing sagas
... a towering achievement' THOMAS MEANEY 'History as it should be' ANTJIE KROG *Featured in
the Financial Times 'What To Read in 2024'*
