Een Indische vrouw in Maleisië : Een onbekend reisverhaal van Dé-Lilah uit 1897

Abstract

In 1899, Dé-Lilah (pseudonym of Lucy van Renesse), a writer in the Dutch East Indies, published Mevrouw Klausine Klobben op Java, a fascinating travelogue in which she described, somewhat fictionalised, her five-month journey across Java. Less well known is that she wrote a second travelogue after this: Mevrouw Klausine Klobben bij de Overburen, which never appeared in print. In it, Dé-Lilah reports on a journey in 1897 along the west coast of what is now Malaysia. This story of an Indo-European (Eurasian) woman travelling alone through an inhospitable region is now being made public for the first time. It is a unique story because it offers a hybrid and critical perspective on European colonialism. Apart from that, its smooth style and many adventures make it a compelling travelogue. The introduction presents the literary-historical context.