Bougainville (novel)
Encyclopedia
Bougainville: Een gedenkschrift is a novel by Dutch
author F. Springer
. Published in 1981, it won the Ferdinand Bordewijk Prijs
in 1982. The novel is one of the author's most popular and was Springer's first big literary success. It is set in the nineteenth-century Dutch colonial past and contemporaneous Bangladesh
, and is based on the experiences of the author, who grew up in the Dutch East Indies
(present-day Indonesia
) and was stationed in Bangladesh as a diplomat.
and left Bo with a collection of papers which, beside autobiographical material by Bo, also contains the memoirs of his grandfather, a frustrated idealist who left by boat for the Dutch Indies in the early 1900s, and managed to bed Mata Hari
on the way. The novel combines the three plotlines of Bo's account of his friendship with Tommie and his work in Bangladesh, which he perceives as futile; Tommie's account, a success story which ends in suicide; and the reflections of Tommie's grandfather.
. Springer is one such writer. He was born in Batavia
, the city founded in 1619 and the most important base of the Dutch colonial empire governed by the Dutch East India Company
; this nostalgia is most clearly expressed by the grandfather of the narrator's childhood friend.
.
, ranked that book first on his list of summer books for 2004.
The novel was translated in French
and German
.
Dutch people
The Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...
author F. Springer
F. Springer
F. Springer was the pseudonym of Carel Jan Schneider, a Dutch foreign service diplomat and writer.Schneider was born in Batavia, Dutch East Indies...
. Published in 1981, it won the Ferdinand Bordewijk Prijs
Ferdinand Bordewijk Prijs
The Ferdinand Bordewijk Prize or F. Bordewijk-prijs is a literary award, presented anually by the Jan Campert Foundation to the author of the best Dutch prose book....
in 1982. The novel is one of the author's most popular and was Springer's first big literary success. It is set in the nineteenth-century Dutch colonial past and contemporaneous Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
, and is based on the experiences of the author, who grew up in the Dutch East Indies
Dutch East Indies
The Dutch East Indies was a Dutch colony that became modern Indonesia following World War II. It was formed from the nationalised colonies of the Dutch East India Company, which came under the administration of the Netherlands government in 1800....
(present-day Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
) and was stationed in Bangladesh as a diplomat.
Plot
The narrator, Bo, is a middle-aged diplomat somewhat disenchanted with his life, who finds himself, stationed in Bangladesh in 1973, reconstructing the life of his childhood friend Tommie. After they got reacquainted at a class reunion, Tommie drowned himself in the Bay of BengalBay of Bengal
The Bay of Bengal , the largest bay in the world, forms the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean. It resembles a triangle in shape, and is bordered mostly by the Eastern Coast of India, southern coast of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to the west and Burma and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to the...
and left Bo with a collection of papers which, beside autobiographical material by Bo, also contains the memoirs of his grandfather, a frustrated idealist who left by boat for the Dutch Indies in the early 1900s, and managed to bed Mata Hari
Mata Hari
Mata Hari was the stage name of Margaretha Geertruida "M'greet" Zelle , a Dutch exotic dancer, courtesan, and accused spy who was executed by firing squad in France under charges of espionage for Germany during World War I.-Early life:Margaretha Geertruida Zelle was born in Leeuwarden, Friesland,...
on the way. The novel combines the three plotlines of Bo's account of his friendship with Tommie and his work in Bangladesh, which he perceives as futile; Tommie's account, a success story which ends in suicide; and the reflections of Tommie's grandfather.
Themes and interpretation
The novel relies heavily on the concept of tempo doeloe, a kind of nostalgia associated with the former Dutch colonies in the Far East and often expressed in the work of Dutch authors who have roots in IndonesiaIndonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
. Springer is one such writer. He was born in Batavia
History of Jakarta
The history of Jakarta begins with its first recorded mention as a Hindu port settlement in the 4th century. Ever since, the city had been variously claimed by the Indianized kingdom of Tarumanegara, Hindu Kingdom of Sunda, Muslim Sultanate of Banten, Dutch East Indies, Empire of Japan, and finally...
, the city founded in 1619 and the most important base of the Dutch colonial empire governed by the Dutch East India Company
Dutch East India Company
The Dutch East India Company was a chartered company established in 1602, when the States-General of the Netherlands granted it a 21-year monopoly to carry out colonial activities in Asia...
; this nostalgia is most clearly expressed by the grandfather of the narrator's childhood friend.
Critical reception
Bougainville was well-received by Dutch readers as well as reviewers, such as well-known Dutch critic Ton van Deel, who proclaimed himself a Springer fan on the occasion of the publication of his collected works. Van Deel sees in Bougainville the transition from Springer's earlier sensitive and witty work to a deeper, more serious engagement with his own writing. In 1982, the novel was awarded the Ferdinand Bordewijk PrijsFerdinand Bordewijk Prijs
The Ferdinand Bordewijk Prize or F. Bordewijk-prijs is a literary award, presented anually by the Jan Campert Foundation to the author of the best Dutch prose book....
.
Editions and translations
By 2001, the novel had been reprinted fifteen times in the Netherlands. In 1985, it was published as a Salamander pocket, an affordable paperback version for the mass market, and newly printed (with new cover designs) in the same series in 1988 and 1993. In 1998, Bougainville, Springer's follow-up novel Quissama (1985), and Bandoeng-Bandung (1993) were published by Querido as Weemoed en verlangen (Nostalgia and Desire). In 2004, Bougainville and Quissama were published in one volume by Querido under the title Verre Paradijzen ("Remote Paradises"); Pieter Steinz, writing in NRC HandelsbladNRC Handelsblad
NRC Handelsblad, often abbreviated to NRC, is a daily evening newspaper published in the Netherlands by NRC Media. The newspaper was created on October 1, 1970, from merger of the Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant and Algemeen Handelsblad . In 2006 a morning newspaper, nrc•next, was launched...
, ranked that book first on his list of summer books for 2004.
The novel was translated in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
and German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
.