Overview

In 1629, the ship Batavia, pride of the Dutch East India Company, was wrecked on the edge of a coral archipelago, some fifty miles from the Australian continent. Most of the people on board survived the wreck, only to become victims of a visionary psychopath who, with the help of a dozen mutineers, organised a methodical massacre of the hapless community awaiting rescue. The tragedy of the Batavia seized the European imagination even more than the sinking of the Titanic would do in the twentieth century.

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9781843545811

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* 'Leys is able to distil the essence of a moment in time and give it such a resonance that it rings like a bell.' Simon Hughes, Sydney Morning Herald * 'Luminous... Adventure, shipwreck, violence, sex, horror, an exotic setting - these are the elements that have made the story of the wreck of the Batavia off the West Australian coast in 1629 the stuff of legend.' Age * 'The Wreck of the Batavia is a dazzling tale told by a master. Not only is Leys a writer of classical simplicity, Ironic in emotional restraint, but his research is impeccable... His account is brief, direct, essential - and monstrous.' Phillip Sollers, Le Monde

"""* 'Leys is able to distil the essence of a moment in time and give it such a resonance that it rings like a bell.' Simon Hughes, Sydney Morning Herald * 'Luminous... Adventure, shipwreck, violence, sex, horror, an exotic setting - these are the elements that have made the story of the wreck of the Batavia off the West Australian coast in 1629 the stuff of legend.' Age * 'The Wreck of the Batavia is a dazzling tale told by a master. Not only is Leys a writer of classical simplicity, Ironic in emotional restraint, but his research is impeccable... His account is brief, direct, essential - and monstrous.' Phillip Sollers, Le Monde"""

Author Information

Simon Leys is the pen-name of Pierre Ryckmans, who was born in Belgium and settled in Australia in 1970. He taught Chinese Literature at the Australian National University and was Professor of Chinese Studies at the University of Sydney from 1987 - 1993. His most recent awards include the Prix Renaudot (France), Prix Henri Gal (Academie Francaise) and Prix Leygues (Academie de Marine, France).

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