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The Tea Lords

by Hella S. Haasse, Ina Rilke (Translator)

3.65 of 5 stars 3.65 · rating details · 466 ratings · 29 reviews

Born into wealth and privilege, Rudolf Kerkhoven is destined to follow his father's footsteps into the Dutch colonies, with its uncleared jungle foothills and potential for riches. When he arrives in Java he is immediately smitten by the landscape and the life, and over the seasons, Rudolf's dedication and diligence gradually transform the land into a productive estate for...more

Paperback, 341 pages

Expected publication: October 3rd 2013 by Portobello Books (first published 1992)

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Feb 04, 2013 Marc L rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: dutch-literature

Is het verhaal van Rudolf Kerkhoven die in de voetsporen van zijn familie een theeplantage begint op Java; een moeilijke beginperiode doormaakt, maar uiteindelijk door kunde en koppigheid een klein imperium uitbouwt. Periode laatste kwart 19de, begin 20ste eeuw.
Gebaseerd op archiefmateriaal dat door zijn nazaten ter beschikking is gesteld. Dus andermaal documenteerde fictie. Tegelijk een soort Bildungsroman en psychologische karaktertekening.
Haasse komt niet echt los van haar documentaire stof....more

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Oct 03, 2012 Caitriona H rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I find it impossible not to wonder how much is been lost in between the words of the different languages. Speaking only one fluently but dabbling in a couple of others has taught me there’s some phrases unique to a national voice which are absent in others, and although it’s more difficult to spot them in the printed page, it’s still fun to look.

The Tea Lords is colonial historical ‘fiction’ (it’s based on real documents). I concentrated on this subject as a student, so I kept drawing comparison...more I find it impossible not to wonder how much is been lost in between the words of the different languages. Speaking only one fluently but dabbling in a couple of others has taught me there’s some phrases unique to a national voice which are absent in others, and although it’s more difficult to spot them in the printed page, it’s still fun to look.

The Tea Lords is colonial historical ‘fiction’ (it’s based on real documents). I concentrated on this subject as a student, so I kept drawing comparisons with similar British texts. However, the only references to Dutch colonialism in particular that I’ve encountered are in Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Darkness-Peng...). Those ghastly first impressions are hard to shift, although The Tea Lords is set in Asia, not Africa and was written much later. Haasse gives a rather sympathetic view, entirely from the Dutch perspective, of the family units that moved out to the edges of the Western empires of the time. Although she drew heavily on archive material she states that she removed all the historical detail to concentrate on the human element. There are dark undertones to the book, particularly in the experiences of the wives and mothers of the tea plantation owners. Jenny’s diary extracts reminded me of Jean Rhys’ Jane Eyre prequel The Wide Sargasso Sea (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wide-Sargasso...) and Barbara Kingsolver’s missionary family experience The Poisonwood Bible (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Poisonwood-Bi...).

Apart from my feminist rants however, there was much to intrigue in the exploration of men in this environment. The protagonist Rudolf is interesting and humane rather than obnoxious. He both suffers and enjoys the patriarchy of colonialism, never entirely satisfied by his father and brothers’ treatment of him yet revelling in his own power over nature and the natives. The latter appear shadowy even though they are almost always present as personal staff and within national and international events (uprisings, the building of interior roads, the explosion of Krakatoa). They are intimidating, unreliable and mysterious; especially the women are suspected of a connection to the darkness, the wild and magical. Whilst I’m sure this is an accurate portrayal of a belief system of a place and period their gaping absence in the book is still uncomfortable- whether just for the reader today or intentionally also for the characters within the book I can’t tell.

There are so many more stories in this book beyond those spelt out by the letters and diaries- it takes some concentration to piece them all together. I’m still not sure if I have sorted all the cousins and their power dynamics out. However, this is not because of the writing style or translation, one or both of which err on the side of clarity and simplicity. The framing of the story through the papers of the characters is the only complicated structural aspect of the book. Reading between the lines to discover what is implied but left unsaid, described but not explained develops the characters and the sense of place and really draws you into the book.

As is evident, I could talk about books like this for some time, equally obviously though, this niche genre has a specific appeal. I want to reiterate that I think that comparison is one of the most appealing and enduring forms of learning, and that you can gain so much by applying this to any form of text. This book does just that through it’s structure and position in the ‘canon’ of this genre.

978-1846271717 £8.99 Portobello Books Ltd

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tea-Lords-Hel...(less)

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Feb 03, 2011 Felice rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Tea Lords was written by Hella Haasse. Are you familiar with her novels? She's written many. Haasse lives in the Netherlands and published her first novel in 1945. So what's that? 66 years ago. In those 66 years this is only her fourth book to make it into English and only three of these four have been published in the U.S. That's sad for readers of first rate historical fiction but maybe an opportunity for a publisher.

Dutch colonialism in the East Indies (now Indonesia) is the setting for T...more The Tea Lords was written by Hella Haasse. Are you familiar with her novels? She's written many. Haasse lives in the Netherlands and published her first novel in 1945. So what's that? 66 years ago. In those 66 years this is only her fourth book to make it into English and only three of these four have been published in the U.S. That's sad for readers of first rate historical fiction but maybe an opportunity for a publisher.

Dutch colonialism in the East Indies (now Indonesia) is the setting for The Tea Lords. Rudolf Kerkhoven, a young rule follower from Holland, goes to the East Indies in the 1870's to join his Father's tea plantation. Rudolf has all the virtues of his age. He is: conservative, honorable, frugal, hard working and aspires to always do the right thing. He has all the prejudices and self importance of his age also. Those attributes will never allow him to see his choices as anything but proper. Gradually Rudolf falls in love with his new home. He marries a lawyer's daughter from Jakarta, Jenny, and over the years through great effort and great thrift makes a success of the plantation.

Jenny brings a vague touch of the first Mrs Rochester to The Tea Lords. Jenny was island born and raised. She sees the Dutch colonists for the opportunistic interlopers that they are and not as the saviors and adventurers they see themselves to be. There are secrets to Jenny's family unknown to Rudolf when they marry. One of those secrets will come to life slowly as Jenny gets further away from the coastline she grew up on and spends more time in the close humidity in the interior of the island at the plantation.

The Tea Lords is an big,old fashioned, completely satisfying novel, rich in detail and authority over it's subject matter. It moves at it's own pace introducing many characters and developments. Haasse's writing is subtle and precise making the story paramount. There is sufficient, interesting explanation of the economics, politics and farming of the time to give the novel flavor and make it specific to it's setting. The natives verses colonists aspects are heartfelt and illuminating but this is ultimately a family saga. Haasse based this novel on documents and letters from the Dutch families who lived and farmed in Indonesia in the 19th century. She called this book "a novel but not fiction".

I ordered The Tea Lords from a U.K. bookshop. So far it's not available from a U.S. publisher. To be honest given how few and far between any books of Haasse's have been translated into English I doubt this one will brought out over here. The Tea Lords is worth the effort and expense to import personally but you could also start with the three of her titles that are available here: In A Dark Wood Wandering, The Scarlet City and Threshold of Fire.
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Jan 11, 2013 Hana rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: babad-umum, biografi-memoar, rombongan-membaca-cik-kiah-2013

3.5/5*

This is my first attempt reading the history of colonialism in Java from the Dutch point of view. Coming from a neighbouring country (Malaysia), I am more familiar with the British colonialism literatures.

This book basically sums the history of a big Dutch family tea planters, which plantations located in a few places such as Ardjasari, Gambong, Malabar and Perakan Salak. Even though designed as a novel, it is actually based on a true story. Contrary to my early expectation, this book air...more

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Feb 08, 2012 Lenah rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed reading this book, for several reasons:
1. It is very well written.
2. I grew up in an area mentioned in this book! But I never ever once knew anything about who started those tea plantations and what effort they put in it. It is really interesting to know the history of the plantations and also in a way of the area where I grew up!
3. The book also gives me more perspective on the dutch colonials. It is amazing to know that some Dutch did learn to speak Sundanese!
I wish I could...more

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Mar 27, 2013 Louisa rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: dutch-literature

1873. A young Dutch man travels to Indonesia and decides that he wants to transform a large plot of wild land into a thriving tea plantation. He clears the land helped by local Indonesian workers and confronts hardships (including the eruption of the Krakatoa volcano) in order to reach his goal to become the head of a happy, wealthy family; a goal that always remains just out of reach. It's out of reach because what he faces is a plot of land that seems to resist cultivation; a wife who does not...more

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Oct 09, 2011 Ian rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: colonial, fiction

Pure serendipity that I came across this historical novel set in the exact region of West Java I was about to visit! Gives a good feel for the Dutch colonial era in the late 19th early 20th century, and the rural lifestyle of plantation owners through real life personal letters and correspondances from that time. Descriptions of the beautiful and bountiful volcanic highlands of Bandung are well-written but too few. The lushness and sheer profusion and exuberance of greenery can still be glimpsed...more

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Sep 28, 2012 Sridhar rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: history, fiction, biography

An interesting historical novel, not fiction, telling a real story built upon and narrated from letters exchanged by the various people who form its cast of characters. It tells about the early Dutch planter families and plantations, of tea, coffee, and cinchona, in Java, Indonesia. Spanning the latter third of the 19th century and the early twentieth century, the novel is set in the mountain landscape of the Preanger (Priangan) highlands in west Java near Bandung. The establishment and manageme...more

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Apr 29, 2012 Lisa rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: netherlands, historical-fiction

I chose this book for a ‘readalong’ as part of Dutch Literature Month at Iris on Books because as a former teacher of Indonesian language, I’ve been to Indonesia and know a bit about their history and culture. The Tea Lords is about a Dutch colonist who in 1870 follows his father’s footsteps and develops a tea estate in Bandung, but it was written in 1992 (well after the Declaration of Indonesian Independence in 1945), so I thought it would offer an interesting post-colonial Dutch perspective. B...more I chose this book for a ‘readalong’ as part of Dutch Literature Month at Iris on Books because as a former teacher of Indonesian language, I’ve been to Indonesia and know a bit about their history and culture. The Tea Lords is about a Dutch colonist who in 1870 follows his father’s footsteps and develops a tea estate in Bandung, but it was written in 1992 (well after the Declaration of Indonesian Independence in 1945), so I thought it would offer an interesting post-colonial Dutch perspective. But it was a disappointment, from that point of view.

Haasse is one of the Netherland’s most notable writers, described on Wikipedia as ‘the Grand Old Lady’ of Dutch literature whose oeuvre includes historical novels, documentary-historical novels and contemporary works. The daughter of a Dutch civil servant in colonial administration, she was born in 1918 in Batavia in what was then the Dutch East Indies, now Jakarta in Indonesia. After secondary school she went to study in the Netherlands, (narrowly avoiding the Japanese Occupation of Java, only to experience the German Occupation instead). Her debut novel Oeroeg was set in the Dutch East Indies and published in 1948, amid the bitter military and diplomatic conflict which was eventually to culminate in the Dutch conceding to Indonesia’s independence in 1949. (Alongside postwar decolonisation of all the old empires, most of which took place without bloodshed). I haven’t read Oeroeg but reviews by Indonesians on GoodReads show that it contrasts a childhood friendship between a Dutch and an Indonesian boy, a friendship tested in adulthood when Oeroeg becomes a nationalist.

But what is said to be Haasse’s ’magnum opus’ The Tea Lords, written more than 40 years later, sidesteps anything to do with Indonesian nationalism or any critique of Dutch colonialism because the story finishes in 1918. (That was the period when the Dutch were repressing emerging Indonesian nationalist movements.) The novel is a work of nostalgia set in a lost world, celebrating the achievement of the colonist Rudolf Kerkhoven who through hard work and thrift establishes a successful tea, coffee and quinine plantation and becomes rich. Along the way he marries a wife called Jenny, raises a family, and has unresolved conflicts with his parents and siblings. And in his old age he realises that money and status isn’t everything.

To see the rest of my review (and my doubts about the author's treatment of her subject) please visit http://anzlitlovers.com/2012/07/01/th...(less)

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Apr 11, 2013 Maria rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historisch, nederlandse-auteurs, klassiekers

Ik had eigenlijk niet verwacht dat ik dit zo’n mooi boek zou vinden; het stond al jaren in mijn kast en had nooit zin het eruit te halen. Maar ik ben er dus wel enthousiast over. Mooi geschreven, mooi tijd- en sfeerbeeld van het Javaanse Nederlands-Indië.
De roman is gebaseerd op archiefmateriaal van de betrokken families. Ik vind dit materiaal heel mooi in de roman verwerkt. Boeiend zijn de passages uit briefwisselingen en bijvoorbeeld uit Jenny’s dagboek als jong meisje. Wat haar gevoelens zij...more Ik had eigenlijk niet verwacht dat ik dit zo’n mooi boek zou vinden; het stond al jaren in mijn kast en had nooit zin het eruit te halen. Maar ik ben er dus wel enthousiast over. Mooi geschreven, mooi tijd- en sfeerbeeld van het Javaanse Nederlands-Indië.
De roman is gebaseerd op archiefmateriaal van de betrokken families. Ik vind dit materiaal heel mooi in de roman verwerkt. Boeiend zijn de passages uit briefwisselingen en bijvoorbeeld uit Jenny’s dagboek als jong meisje. Wat haar gevoelens zijn en waar ze mee worstelt, kun je hier prachtig uit aflezen. 'Toen wij in Holland waren heb ik gemerkt dat wij anders zijn. Wij zijn blank en blond, maar toch geen Europeanen'

Jenny is sowieso een interessante, maar tragische vrouw, ze probeert het beste te maken van haar behoorlijk moeilijke en eenzame leven op Gamboeng samen met Rudolf maar heeft het moeilijk met hun Spartaanse leven, ze snakt naar kleine pleziertjes, naar muziek, een beetje ontwikkeling, maar haar ondergang, aangekondigd door het steeds terugkerende donkere pad bij het huis, is onafwendbaar : ‘de somberheid verdrijven die als een kille adem op haar toe kwam uit de diepten van het oerwoud. Links van het huis voerde een pad binnen in die duisternis. Het kwam haar zo bekend voor,zij moest er steeds naar kijken, al wilde zij dat niet'

En de eigenzinnige Rudolf, ja met hem kreeg ik toch medelijden. Hij voelt zich het zwarte schaap van de familie, zijn jongere broers komen in een gespreid bedje wanneer ze op Java arriveren na studie in Nederland terwijl Rudolf met bloed, zweet en tranen een eigen bestaan, een eigen plantage opbouwt waarbij hij jarenlang ieder dubbeltje moet omdraaien. Voor zijn kinderen is hij een geweldige vader, zij ‘koesterden een mateloze verering. Hij was de sterkste, de knapste van alle mensen’. Hij aanbidt zijn vrouw, ziet haar als zijn liefste kameraad, maar heeft veel te weinig oog voor haar behoeftes en verlangens, is misschien ook te ‘Hollands’ gebleven. Ook zijn er grote conflicten met de familie, zijn moeder, broers, zus, zwagers waardoor er een definitieve breuk ontstaat. Niet echt duidelijk wordt wie hierbij het gelijk aan zijn kant heeft.
Uiteindelijk heeft Rudolf wel succes en wordt een rijk man maar ten koste van zijn levensgeluk. Aan het eind van zijn leven is Rudolf een gebroken man.

Klein minpuntje: de beschrijvingen en opsommingen van de plantages en de diverse teeltmethoden van de thee maken het hier en daar ook wat saai. (less)

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May 01, 2011 Arlette Sjerp rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Reades who are hesitant to read so-called "real" Dutch literature

Shelves: history, fiction

It's been a while since I read any "real" Dutch literature, but my memory that Hella Haasse writes very accessible novels still proved correct. The life of tea planter in the Dutch West-Indies Rudolf Kerkhoven, based on real letters and other documents, though impressive by the hardships he encounters, is not very mysterious or filled with big worldly events. The way Haasse depicts his character and his interactions with others, however, keeps you intrigued to read till the end.

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Mar 27, 2011 Kay rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a novel based on documents and letters of a real family during the colonial period in Indonesia. I hadn't thought about there really being dynasties of Dutch families whose lives were in Indonesia. It is hard to imagine how different things were then - panthers in the tea planations. They could never have imagined what our future lives in the same place would be.

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Nov 01, 2012 Widyoseno rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: nederlands, tea, history

The story begins with an extensive portrayal of Kerkhoven's plan to plant tea in West Java. However, as the story progress especially the third last, the storyline goes too fast and rather jumpy. POV is significantly changed from one character to another. I personally quite enjoy reading it as my reference of tea knowledge and historical connection during Dutch colonial era in Indonesia.

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May 26, 2011 Walda Mees rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Gives a good idea of past times, when Indonesia was still a dutch colony, by following some families and their ups and downs.
The author was born there so is very familiar with the land and loves it very much, you can tell.

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Jan 28, 2013 Judy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Based on the archives of a Dutch tea plantation family who lived in Indonesia in the early 1800's. Focuses on one son who carved his own plantation from the jungle, and his struggle with both family and the elements.

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Feb 20, 2013 Elizabeth rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: dar-book-club

I knew virtually nothing about the colonial period in Indonesia, so I really felt like I learned a lot. The book was very well written, at times you felt like you were inside Rudolf's mind- it was so interesting. I enjoyed learning something new and being exposed to this whole different kind of book.

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Feb 09, 2013 Don rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Epic tale of a young Dutchman going to Java and starting up a tea plantation. Covers a lot of history, 1873-1918. So sorry Hella Haasse passed in 2011 and wish more of her work made it into English.

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Nov 25, 2011 Géraldine rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, pays-bas

Livre dont le but semble être de vouloir démontrer qu'il est vain de se laisser guider par son orgueil et son ambition au détriment de ses émotions et de celles des autres. Le principal protagoniste l'apprend, trop tard, en fin de vie. En ce qui concerne le mépris envers la femme, et sa relégation au rang de plante d'ornement, ce roman me rappelle un peu "Une vie" de Maupassant bien que ici l'épouse souhaite s'émanciper mais on lui en retire toute possibilité. L'ennui engendré par cette situatio...more

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Sep 04, 2012 Martjana rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Nooit gelezen, tot nu. Titel vond ik niet aansprekend, maar ik heb daardoor laten afleiden: wat een fantastisch boek.

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Jul 15, 2012 Brian Trinder rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book was recommended to me by an elderly lady who had her early childhood on one of Indonesian tea plantations befor the Japanese invaded during world war 2. It had special meaning for her and wanted me to share that.
I found the first half of the book quite slow moving and the multitude of characters did not help ( the reader may want to have a pen and paper handy to record the different characters to avoid getting lost!) however just as I was about to discard it, I began to really enjoy th...more

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Jun 09, 2012 Marjan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Al Hella Haasses creatieve en observerende treffers ineen.

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Aug 10, 2010 BoekenTrol marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: bookcrossing, books-i-own, dutch_language, literature_and_fiction, stories-of-life

http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/8...

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Feb 20, 2012 Haley Whitehall rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I had a hard time getting into this book, but once I did I enjoyed it. This is my first taste of Dutch literature. I learned a lot of Colonial history I did not know. Dutch colonialism in the East Indies (now Indonesia) is the setting for The Tea Lords. Rudolf Kerkhoven, a young rule follower from Holland, goes to the East Indies in the 1870's to join his Father's tea plantation. The author has a unique writing style. If you are interested in Colonial history this book is worth reading.

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Apr 06, 2013 Marjolein rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Aan het begin van het boek, moest ik wennen aan de uitgebreide, gedetaileerde schrijfstijl van Hella S Haasse. Uiteindelijk is dat juist hetgene wat ik zo mooi vond aan het boek. Ik leefde mee met Rudolf en Jenny, en vond het leuk om iets te leren over de koloniale geschiedenis van Nederland en de afkomst van de thee.

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Aug 04, 2012 Rose rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Well told story based on fact. Could smell the Indonesian plantation.

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Apr 03, 2012 Sharon rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Something intriguing about reading family letters, everyday happenings and personal stories of people from the bygone era. It is interesting how 200 years later we have the same personal struggles, misunderstandings and yearn for luxuries.

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Mar 26, 2012 Manray9 rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: asia-africa-mideast

An excellent chronicle of the family of a tea planter on Java in the Dutch colonial era. Very well written and moving.

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Dec 04, 2010 !Tæmbuŝu marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary-fiction, holland

Reviewed by The Guardian

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Feb 20, 2010 John rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: v6

Een mooie 'ouderwetse', lange roman.

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May 25, 2013 Rita Samson marked it as to-read · review of another edition

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About Hella S. Haasse

Hella S. Haasse (b. 1918) was born in Batavia, modern-day Jakarta. She moved to the Netherlands after secondary school. In 1945 she debuted with a collection of poems, entitled Stroomversnelling (Momentum). She made her name three years later with the novella given out to mark the Dutch Book Week, Oeroeg. As with much of her work, this tale of the friendship between a Dutch and an Indonesian boy h...more

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In a Dark Wood Wandering: A Novel of the Middle Ages

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