“It was in Buru that Pramoedya created “the Quartet”. Initially forbidden access to writing materials, Pramoedya recited the stories; vivid tales of the creation of Indonesia, a time of national awakening and rebellion against the colonial rulers, orally to other prisoners. When Pramoedya and two of his fellow prisoners, Joesoef Isak and Hasyim Rachman, were released in 1979, they set out to have the stories published. Max Lane’s “Indonesia out of exile: How Pramoedya’s Buru Quartet Killed a Dictatorship” is the story of what happened next.”

For Jose Ramos Horta’s full literary review, click HERE.