When you think of Multatuli, you may think of dated literature from a long time ago and his dramatic pseudonym which in Latin means "I have borne suffering". But Multatuli may have suffered a lot, he also enjoyed a lot. Multatuli, who was born Eduard Douwes Dekker, was crazy about women and gambling. And he did not shy away from a fight either. There is currently a lot of attention for his work. Let's take a look at some lesser-known facts from his private life.
Eduard Douwes Dekker was born on March 2, 1820 in Korsjespoortsteeg 20. He is a smart boy and goes to the Latin school, which later became the Barlaeus Gymnasium. The smart but lazy Eduard performs poorly and leaves school at the age of 15. At the age of 18 he left for the Dutch East Indies and became a civil servant at the Court of Audit. He stayed there for almost 20 years, started a career, got married and had children.
Max Havelaar
In 1858 Eduard returns to Europe. There he describes his Indonesian experiences in his debut novel Max Havelaar. The book deals with colonialism and corruption, by both Dutch officials and native administrators. It hits like a bomb. Eduard takes the pseudonym Multatuli, but his friends call him "Deck" all his life.
He was able to strike hard.
Max Havelaar is published in 1860 by the renowned Amsterdam writer and notable Jacob van Lennep. Just before that, Multatuli ceded his copyright to Van Lennep by means of a simple letter without knowing this. A fact that will stay with him all his life and that causes a fierce conflict between Multatuli and Van Lennep. It is one of the many conflicts in Multatuli's life.
In 1866 he attended a performance in the Salon des Variétés in the Nes. He gets annoyed by 2 noisy men, urges them to the back and deals a few punches. The men report assault to the police, and Multatuli is taken to court. While traveling in Germany, he is sentenced in absentia to 15 days in prison. A good reason to stay in Germany for the time being.
Loved women. Very much
Multatuli may have suffered a lot, but he also enjoyed a lot. He marries twice and remains a great woman lover even within marriage. In the Dutch East Indies he lives for a while with a 13-year-old Indonesian. During his trip back to Europe, he visits a brothel in Nice, where he falls in love with one of the girls. He buys the girl free and travels with her through Europe. In Brussels they part again.
Multatuli has an open marriage. He has all kinds of affairs where he keeps his faithful wife Tine fully informed. Around 1860 he has an affair with his 18-year-old niece Sietske, and not much later he falls in love with a certain Mimi. She even moves in with Tine and Multatuli. Multatuli therefore lives for quite some time together with 2 women. When Tine dies of an intestinal disease at the end of 1874, Multatuli marries Mimi six months later.
And gambling
Multatuli is a great writer, but not a great accountant. Cash shortages arise wherever he works in the Indies. He also incurs debts everywhere privately. He has an unpleasant habit of leaving hotels and cafes without paying. Some of the victims continue to haunt him all his life. And he becomes addicted to gambling, roulette. He lets it hang widely in many European casinos.
A truly irrational gambler, he writes a lengthy treatise on how to win at roulette, the "Millions of Studies" published around 1870. Initially, the articles from 'Millions of Studies' were intended for the Dagblad van het Noorden, but 'Very soon , however, I saw my necessity to abandon my work, because the readers of that paper, according to the editors' assurance, understood nothing about it. . '
Despite Multatuli's above-average intelligence, his gambling system appears to be inoperative and he is only making more debt.
Was a handy hustler
Multatuli cannot handle money, but he is a handy hustler. Despite tons of debt, he manages to get another loan of 14,000 guilders in Germany. He uses it to buy a villa in Ingelheim am Rhein, Germany. He lived here from 1880 until his death in 1887. In the 20th century, the house was a well-known brothel in the wider area for many years. It is now a Thai-Buddhist prayer center.
Died of a hallucinatory coughing fit.
On February 19, 1887, the ailing Multatuli has a violent asthmatic attack at home on the couch. The sofa is made of horsehair, which is not convenient for an allergic asthma patient anyway. Mimi tries to ease his breathlessness by blowing the smoke from asthma cigars into his face. This does not make his situation any better. It is quite possible that this will even seal his fate. The asthma cigars contain thorn apple, which widens the airways. But they also cause hallucinations and heart problems. His last words: "This is no more mood. I'm leaving this. "
Was the first cremated person in the Netherlands.
In the time of Multatuli, burial is the only option after death; cremation is not yet allowed in the Netherlands. The transverse Multatuli protests against this during his lifetime. Particularly because as an atheist he is against the "Christian burial", because "For centuries the pious have found in the horrors and spokery of their cemeteries, the most faithful ally of their bybelief."
After his death, he is the first Dutchman to be cremated. Since this is not possible in the Netherlands, this is done in the German town of Gotha. Multatuli is completely broke at the end of his life, even his cremation has to be paid. The urn with his ashes has been on the mantelpiece at his widow Mimi's home for years. In 1948 the ashes moved to Westerveld cemetery. There it is placed in a monument to Multatuli together with the ashes of his widow. Both empty urns are now in the Multatuli Museum in his birthplace on Korsjespoortsteeg.
Infidel
Above all, Multatuli as an atheist, rebel and champion of women's emancipation was of course far ahead of his time. In the Netherlands of the 19th century it was unthinkable that you did not belong to a religious community. But Multatuli was an unbelieving Freemason. He stood up for the poor worker, but unlike the socialists, he stood up for the smallest possible government. Everything to let man be free.
My Dutch Heritage
source: Lya van Zeller