Letters of a Javanese Princess

By Raden Adjeng Kartini and Kartini

Book Overview

"Letters of a Javanese Princess" offers a rare and intimate glimpse into the life and thoughts of Raden Adjeng Kartini, a pioneering figure in the history of Indonesia. Through her personal correspondence, this collection reveals Kartini's passionate advocacy for women's rights and her insightful observations on the social conditions of early 20th-century Java.

Living under Dutch colonial rule, Kartini challenged the constraints placed upon Javanese women, particularly within the context of a rigid social hierarchy. Her letters provide a powerful critique of colonialism and a moving testament to her dedication to education, equality, and reform.

This meticulously prepared print edition makes Kartini's powerful voice accessible, preserving her invaluable contributions to our understanding of Indonesian history, Southeast Asian history, and the global struggle for women's emancipation. Her reflections on culture, tradition, and the pursuit of progress continue to resonate with readers interested in social justice and the biography of remarkable women.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it.

This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.

Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1023327937
• ISBN13: 9781023327930
• Release Date: March 2025
• Publisher: Anson Street Press
• Length: 286 Pages
• Weight: 0.89 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Through darkness to light

This book is a collection of letters by Raden KARTINI, the daughter of a rather enlightened Javanese nobleman, who allowed his daughters some school education. At the beginning of the 20th century this was quite exceptional in a native society where the overwhelming majority of even the male population was illiterate and where an educated woman was considered to be something inconceivable. The young Kartini had some acquaintance with a few enlightened Dutch people, who appreciated her thirst for education and provided her with some books, thereby enabling her to acquire a good knowledge of western civilisation. Kartini had a lively correspondence with these persons, which were rather unrepresentative of the average colonial white people. Her letters have later been edited as this book, whose original Dutch title should be translated as "Through Darkness to Light". The letters were written in Dutch, a language of which Kartini had a good command and which was at the time the only vehicle for higher education in Indonesia.In her letters, Kartini stressed that education is a precious good, also from a moral point of view, to which every person, women included, is entitled. Her book is a cry for liberation of women from the cultural bondage to which they were condemned in traditional Javanese society. Kartini is considered to be a torchbearer for progressive ideas and education by Indonesian nationalists and feminists. While recognizing that the Javanese had a lot to learn from the progressive side of western culture, she was of course critical of the coarse, materialistic side of it, which predominated in colonial society. Unfortunately, Kartini died at the age of 25, giving birth to her first child.This is a very interesting book for those interested in the impact of western thought on indiginous people or the emnacipation of women. It is obligatory reading for anyone interested in the history of Indonesia during the colonial period.