The Babad Dipanagara is a Javanese historical chronicle which describes the events leading up to the outbreak of the Java War (1825 – 1830) between the Yogyakarta prince Dipanagara and the Dutch colonial regime.

“The Babad Dipanagara will be of considerable interest to both historians and students of Javanese language and culture. Whereas translations of chronicles or relatively obscure texts are often presented in a way which discourages the non-specialist reader, Carey, himself a historian rather than a language specialist, has succeeded in making his Babad accessible and attractive.The book is a pleasure to read, a tribute to the MBRAS. It is well designed, with a good clear text, useful maps and excellent illustrations. The English translation is clear and smooth, if not poetic. It tells a story of growing tension, dramatic incident and confrontation. Events and personalities emerge within a clear narrative. Summing up, it must be said that this is an exemplary annotated translation. Introduction, translation and notes are clear and informative, the bibliography impressive and the index comprehensive.”

Heather Sutherland

“Babad Dipanagara …gives a lively and detailed description of the events which precipitated the conflict and is of particular interest in that it reflects the cultural form then prevalent in Surakarta especially the vibrant imagery of the Javanese dance theatre (wayang wong). It also provides an unusual and critical view of Dipanagara. The edition comprises a full translation of the original Javanese text, translations in English and Indonesian Malay, together with extensive historical notes drawn from hitherto unresearched Javanese and Dutch materials. A 60-page Introduction prefaces the work, which helps to set the text against context of other contemporary Javanese accounts and the historical background of early nineteenth century Java.”

L. Claqueur, Itinerario vol. V (1981) 1

The Author:

Dr Peter Carey MBE, MA, PhD, FRHistS was born in Rangoon in 1948. Despite a childhood speech defect that resulted in a devastating stammer which required constant public vigilance and speech therapy, Dr Carey displayed all the signs of a redoubtable scholar when he graduated with a First in Modern History from Oxford. Following this, Carey went on to a graduate studentship at Cornell University, New York. He later returned to Oxford where he embarked on a three-decade career that saw him emerging as a specialist in the modern history and politics of Indonesia,Burma and East Timor. Apart from the current MBRAS monograph, Carey was also responsible for undertaking an oral history project that documented the Indonesian occupation of East Timor between 1975 and 1999. Carey was formerly the Laithwaite Fellow of Modern History at Trinity College, Oxford. A regular commentator on Southeast Asian politics to the British media, Carey is currently the Country Director for the Jakarta-based Cambodia Trust, a non-governmental initiative that was conceived by him and like-minded friends in an Oxford pub.

Contents:

Illustrations
Abbreviations
Preface & Acknowledgements
Note on the name “Dipanagara”
Introduction
The Manuscript

1. The Date of the Manuscript
2. The Authorship of the Manuscript
3. The Viewpoint of the Author
4. The Other Javanese Historical Accounts
5. The European Source
6. Orthography and Transliteration
7. The Dating Systems
8. Dipanagara and the Java War: An Historical Sketch
9. Synopsis of the Text

Text and English Translation
Indonesian Malay Translation
Historical Notes and Commentary
English Glossary of Javanese Words
Indonesian Malay Glossary
Bibliography
Index
Maps