Stefan Zweigwas born in 1881 in Vienna, a member - Pushkin Press

The Hidden Force
louiS CouPeruS
Translated from the Dutch by
Paul VinCent
Set in Java at the height of Dutch colonial rule in
the East Indies, Couperus’ evocative and sensual
narrative depicts the clash between Western
rationalism, represented by the district commissioner
Otto van Oudijck, and ancient indigenous mystical
traditions upheld by the local native prince, Sunario.
The behaviour of Van Oudijck’s promiscuous
wife Léonie proves to be his Achilles heel, and his
seemingly impregnable authority disintegrates.
“His insight into the tragedy of European colonialism
made Couperus a great writer. And his sympathy for
the hybrid, the impure, the ambiguous, gave him a
peculiarly modern voice.” Ian Buruma, The New York
Review of Books
Publication: autuMn 2012
ISBN 9781906548926 • 300pp • £12
Louis Couperus was born in The Hague in 1863. Couperus
spent much of his youth in the Dutch East Indies, and many of his novels and
stories are set there. He gained prominence in 1889 with the publication of
Eline Vere—a psychological novel inspired by the style of Zola and Flaubert.
Eline Vere was followed by Ecstasy in 1892, Psyche in 1898 and Inevitable
in 1900; all available from Pushkin Press. A renowned wit, raconteur and
commentator, Couperus continued to publish critically and commercially
successful work until his death in 1923.