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Batavia
Bedrog - schipbreuk - moord - slavernij - moed
Het waargebeurde, avontuurlijke verhaal van de ondergang van het VOC-schip Batavia in 1629
Het waargebeurde, meeslepende en bloedstollende verhaal van de ondergang van het grootste koopvaardijschip van de Verenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie. Bijna 400 jaar geleden voer de Batavia uit om nooit meer terug te keren.
Op 29 oktober 1628 vertrekt de Batavia - de trots van de Republiek - voor haar eerste zeereis van Texel richting Nederlands-Indië. Dit nieuwe vlaggenschip van de VOC, groter en sneller dan zijn voorgangers, is beladen met veel kostbaarheden en toegerust voor een reis van vele maanden. De lading bestaat onder meer uit kisten zilveren muntgeld en goud ter waarde van 260.000 gulden, luxe gebruiksgoederen, zilverwerk voor keizer Janghir, handelswaar en een kistje met zeer kostbare juwelen.
Maar al snel begint het te rommelen onder de bemanning en de ontevreden mannen staan op het punt van muiterij als het schip midden in de nacht op een rif voor de kust van Australië loopt en begint te zinken. Onder de mannen, vrouwen en kinderen aan boord breekt paniek uit.
Bij zonsopkomst wordt de ernst van de situatie helemaal duidelijk: de Batavia bevindt zich in een hopeloze situatie. Er is een straffe wind opgestoken die de golven hard tegen het dek laat beuken. Met kleine bootjes worden zo veel mogelijk opvarenden geëvacueerd naar een nabijgelegen eiland, dat later de geschiedenis in zal gaan als 'het kerkhof van de Batavia', omdat de muiters besluiten iedereen die hen in de weg zit, te vermoorden.
Van de 341 opvarenden van de Batavia komen er uiteindelijk slechts 68 op Java aan...
Het waargebeurde, avontuurlijke verhaal van de ondergang van het VOC-schip Batavia in 1629
Het waargebeurde, meeslepende en bloedstollende verhaal van de ondergang van het grootste koopvaardijschip van de Verenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie. Bijna 400 jaar geleden voer de Batavia uit om nooit meer terug te keren.
Op 29 oktober 1628 vertrekt de Batavia - de trots van de Republiek - voor haar eerste zeereis van Texel richting Nederlands-Indië. Dit nieuwe vlaggenschip van de VOC, groter en sneller dan zijn voorgangers, is beladen met veel kostbaarheden en toegerust voor een reis van vele maanden. De lading bestaat onder meer uit kisten zilveren muntgeld en goud ter waarde van 260.000 gulden, luxe gebruiksgoederen, zilverwerk voor keizer Janghir, handelswaar en een kistje met zeer kostbare juwelen.
Maar al snel begint het te rommelen onder de bemanning en de ontevreden mannen staan op het punt van muiterij als het schip midden in de nacht op een rif voor de kust van Australië loopt en begint te zinken. Onder de mannen, vrouwen en kinderen aan boord breekt paniek uit.
Bij zonsopkomst wordt de ernst van de situatie helemaal duidelijk: de Batavia bevindt zich in een hopeloze situatie. Er is een straffe wind opgestoken die de golven hard tegen het dek laat beuken. Met kleine bootjes worden zo veel mogelijk opvarenden geëvacueerd naar een nabijgelegen eiland, dat later de geschiedenis in zal gaan als 'het kerkhof van de Batavia', omdat de muiters besluiten iedereen die hen in de weg zit, te vermoorden.
Van de 341 opvarenden van de Batavia komen er uiteindelijk slechts 68 op Java aan...
456 pages, Paperback
First published February 28, 2011
446 people are currently reading
3063 people want to read
About the author
Peter FitzSimons
85 books479 followersPeter FitzSimons is one of Australia’s most prominent and successful media and publishing identities. His busy professional life involves co-hosting the breakfast program on Sydney's Radio 2UE, writing weekly columns for the Sydney Morning Herald and Sun Herald newspapers, appearing on Foxtel's Back Page television show and, when time permits, authoring best-selling books. A correspondent for London's Daily Telegraph as well, he is also in high demand as a guest speaker and presenter
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 405 reviews
March 2, 2025
Batavia: the epitome of Dutch empire and bearer of great treasures, yet corrupter of souls. The skipper Ariaen Jacobsz and junior merchant Jeronimus Cornelisz had fantasies of taking control from Commander Francisco Pelsaert and sailing the seven seas, living off the riches of the Dutch East India Company. However, their plans were thwarted. Skipper Jacobsz severely miscalculated their location and wrecked the ship on the Abrohlos Islands off the coast of Western Australia. As Jacobsz and Pelsaert sailed to Java to get help, Cornelisz unleashed a reign of murderous terror and rape upon the survivors.
This book is not original scholarship. For those interested in more scholarly works, one should read the books by either Hugh Edwards or Mike Dash. Rather, this book is an inventive retelling of one of the most appalling stories of maritime history. Every moment is gripping, and I could not put the book down once I started. I believe Peter Fitzsimons is the Tom Holland of Australian history and an exemplar of historical narrative. Fitzsimons also bookends the tale with a brief historical overview of the rise of the Dutch East India Company and how Batavia's wreck—and the skeletons of the murdered—were discovered.
Cornelisz was undone by the heroism of Webbie Hayes. I visited the island where Hayes captured Cornelisz, and a makeshift fort built by Hayes and his men remains to this day (the wreck and some skeletons can also be viewed at Geraldton's maritime museum). Cornelisz and his co-conspirators were hung after Pelsaert returned to rescue the survivors and retrieve the treasure. These gallows were the first permanent structures built by Europeans on soil that would one day become Australia—an apparatus that meted justice, but also portended the murderous advancement of European civilisation that would devastate Indigenous life in coming centuries.
This book is not original scholarship. For those interested in more scholarly works, one should read the books by either Hugh Edwards or Mike Dash. Rather, this book is an inventive retelling of one of the most appalling stories of maritime history. Every moment is gripping, and I could not put the book down once I started. I believe Peter Fitzsimons is the Tom Holland of Australian history and an exemplar of historical narrative. Fitzsimons also bookends the tale with a brief historical overview of the rise of the Dutch East India Company and how Batavia's wreck—and the skeletons of the murdered—were discovered.
Cornelisz was undone by the heroism of Webbie Hayes. I visited the island where Hayes captured Cornelisz, and a makeshift fort built by Hayes and his men remains to this day (the wreck and some skeletons can also be viewed at Geraldton's maritime museum). Cornelisz and his co-conspirators were hung after Pelsaert returned to rescue the survivors and retrieve the treasure. These gallows were the first permanent structures built by Europeans on soil that would one day become Australia—an apparatus that meted justice, but also portended the murderous advancement of European civilisation that would devastate Indigenous life in coming centuries.
June 27, 2011
I'm something of a Batavia buff. As a young bloke I spent a good chunk of my life sailing to and from the Abrolhos islands, off the coast of Western Australia, as part of my work on a Sail Training Vessel. Aside from being one of the most startlingly beautiful places on the planet, the Abrolhos islands are also home to one of the most bloody and violent episodes in Australian history - the wreck of the Dutch East Indiaman 'Batavia' on the Wallaby group of Islands during the 1500's, and the massacre which followed as mutineers mercilessly slaughtered over 100 of their fellow crew in order to hoard resources for themselves.
The wreck of the Batavia was located in the mid 1980's and the remains of the ship and many of her fittings are preserved in the Fremantle Maritime Museum, if you're ever in the neighbourhood.
In any case, I mention all of this just to set up the context. The story of the Batavia is one of the most awful, and fascinating in Australian history, not least because it includes the story of perhaps the first ongoing contact between Indigenous Australia and Europeans (two of the mutineers were abandoned on the Australian mainland as punishment for their crimes) and FitzSimmons has done a masterful job of bringing the story 'to life'. His research is meticulous, and his readings of the people and personalities involved both credible and engaging.
The wreck of the Batavia was located in the mid 1980's and the remains of the ship and many of her fittings are preserved in the Fremantle Maritime Museum, if you're ever in the neighbourhood.
In any case, I mention all of this just to set up the context. The story of the Batavia is one of the most awful, and fascinating in Australian history, not least because it includes the story of perhaps the first ongoing contact between Indigenous Australia and Europeans (two of the mutineers were abandoned on the Australian mainland as punishment for their crimes) and FitzSimmons has done a masterful job of bringing the story 'to life'. His research is meticulous, and his readings of the people and personalities involved both credible and engaging.
August 6, 2012
I did NOT enjoy reading this book. Still, it had me up til 2am like a slave one night trying to find out how, when and where Jeronimus get’s his come-uppance! And he does.
Well, what a sorry saga! Even allowing for the brutality that was so commonplace in the 17th Century, and for the tendency events have for expanding in the imagination as they age, the evil described was difficult to grasp. I found myself visualising a trip to those islands and wondering whether there’d be evidence, in some form, of the bloodshed and depravity - surely you can’t wipe away such evil in the space of a few hundred years? I mused.
Makes me shiver.
Yet the narrative was disappointing for me, its style inconsistent and jerky. When I was absorbed I found myself suddenly thrown with unsettling regularity by some inappropriate irony or sarcasm from the author. The bloodshed was certainly gruesome, but in the end repetitive. To document each and every murder (and there were many) seemed not only unnecessary but almost indulgent! So I skipped ahead, wanting to discover how J and the others get caught and are punished, although there was little satisfaction in that when it did finally happen I’m relieved for the sake of my own humanity, to say.
Yet the events of the story are ‘true’ (if there is such a thing) and very real for me and I was certainly confronted by the darker side of the human condition. But the author Peter Fitzsimons is caught, in my view, in the narrow vacuum between report and story and wavers there, brushing against the edges of each and robbing the story of its potential to flow. Still, I don’t regret reading it, for its insight into how life was and how fragile is a society whose fabric is made of fear, desperation and greed.
I read something recently in a New Age journal about a ‘consciousness’ emerging in humanity which emanates from the ‘higher self’, and I began to feel that, yes, despite relentless war, starvation and tragedy, we have evolved, because beside it I see plenty of examples of compassion, generosity and pure love.
But maybe that’s just the naivety of someone insulated from reality by the limited bounds of my daily life?
Well, what a sorry saga! Even allowing for the brutality that was so commonplace in the 17th Century, and for the tendency events have for expanding in the imagination as they age, the evil described was difficult to grasp. I found myself visualising a trip to those islands and wondering whether there’d be evidence, in some form, of the bloodshed and depravity - surely you can’t wipe away such evil in the space of a few hundred years? I mused.
Makes me shiver.
Yet the narrative was disappointing for me, its style inconsistent and jerky. When I was absorbed I found myself suddenly thrown with unsettling regularity by some inappropriate irony or sarcasm from the author. The bloodshed was certainly gruesome, but in the end repetitive. To document each and every murder (and there were many) seemed not only unnecessary but almost indulgent! So I skipped ahead, wanting to discover how J and the others get caught and are punished, although there was little satisfaction in that when it did finally happen I’m relieved for the sake of my own humanity, to say.
Yet the events of the story are ‘true’ (if there is such a thing) and very real for me and I was certainly confronted by the darker side of the human condition. But the author Peter Fitzsimons is caught, in my view, in the narrow vacuum between report and story and wavers there, brushing against the edges of each and robbing the story of its potential to flow. Still, I don’t regret reading it, for its insight into how life was and how fragile is a society whose fabric is made of fear, desperation and greed.
I read something recently in a New Age journal about a ‘consciousness’ emerging in humanity which emanates from the ‘higher self’, and I began to feel that, yes, despite relentless war, starvation and tragedy, we have evolved, because beside it I see plenty of examples of compassion, generosity and pure love.
But maybe that’s just the naivety of someone insulated from reality by the limited bounds of my daily life?
October 27, 2017
Peter Fitzsimons is very popular with the general Australian reading public. I see his tomes in the big box variety stores and at Christmas time, I note they are popular gifts to the adult male in the family. He caters for that guy; however, he doesn’t cater for me.
Unlike what Fitzsimons writes in his introductory chapter, I did learn about the Batavia wreck and some of the horrors at school. I knew what to expect. This is a lovingly researched and written book, and all the stars go to this. He used the two reports presented after the tragedy as well as a host of publications from the earliest Dutch account to the most recent history. The detail is meticulous, and he doesn’t skimp on the horror or violence. In fact, the common complaint is that it is too violent and every victim’s death is recounted – or close to it. I did learn a lot more from reading this book, and I’m glad of it.
Jeronimus is a psychopath of the worst order, coupled with an amazing charm. He was the man that was left with the survivors when the captain and leading Dutch East Indies Company representative left first to locate water & then as part of the rescue attempt. Without this amazing charm, Jeronimus could not have achieved what he did. He manipulated virtually everyone to have them accept, or not challenge, the carnage that he inflicted on the survivors. To slay this many people and not have the others rise up is astonishing; although, the average human is very selfish in preserving their own life at the expense of others, or to not get involved. Jeronimus becomes a despot that becomes unhinged. In my opinion, his scheme to hijack the rescue vessel and become pirates has too many unknown variables to make it a success.
Alternatively, Hayes who is sent to die on a perceived arid island is the people’s hero & showed the dichotomy between the two men. Had he been in charge, there is such a high probability that only say 5-10% of the survivors would have died before the rescue vessel arrived.
It is the writing style that made me so damned angry & spoilt my enjoyment. Fitzsimon’s did two unholies – he invented events, and he never allowed himself to be the passive narrator. With events such as Batavia’s there are always going to be lacunae – holes that are resultant from missing or conflicting information. It is the bane of the historian. I have never minded speculation to work through these holes. I can’t abide that you don’t tell me, but rather make it up as if it is fact. The worst was the bullshit about the whites meeting the local indigenous people and it being incorporated into the Dreaming. We don’t know this, so don’t write it as fact. Even giving the local tribal leader a name was astounding.
As a non-fiction historical narrator I don’t mind if they enter to explain their speculation or to make a commentary of opinion. What I really hate is if you have to pepper your account with modern day colloquialisms to engage your reader. Some colloquialisms used have really limited value – Not happy Jan (it is from a Yellow Pages TV advert) – was my least favourite – and obviously will not age well. I’m guessing these bon mots will last only for another 10 years before they will become stupid and meaningless. The invented dialogue was also astounding, and bad. Eventually, to get through this thing (it was my local book club choice), I started treating it as fiction & so I just didn't care after a while.
Well, I have read a Fitzsimons book, I doubt there will ever be another. As I said at the start, I am not his audience. I am interested in reading the Dash account which I suspect shall be more to my taste.
Unlike what Fitzsimons writes in his introductory chapter, I did learn about the Batavia wreck and some of the horrors at school. I knew what to expect. This is a lovingly researched and written book, and all the stars go to this. He used the two reports presented after the tragedy as well as a host of publications from the earliest Dutch account to the most recent history. The detail is meticulous, and he doesn’t skimp on the horror or violence. In fact, the common complaint is that it is too violent and every victim’s death is recounted – or close to it. I did learn a lot more from reading this book, and I’m glad of it.
Jeronimus is a psychopath of the worst order, coupled with an amazing charm. He was the man that was left with the survivors when the captain and leading Dutch East Indies Company representative left first to locate water & then as part of the rescue attempt. Without this amazing charm, Jeronimus could not have achieved what he did. He manipulated virtually everyone to have them accept, or not challenge, the carnage that he inflicted on the survivors. To slay this many people and not have the others rise up is astonishing; although, the average human is very selfish in preserving their own life at the expense of others, or to not get involved. Jeronimus becomes a despot that becomes unhinged. In my opinion, his scheme to hijack the rescue vessel and become pirates has too many unknown variables to make it a success.
Alternatively, Hayes who is sent to die on a perceived arid island is the people’s hero & showed the dichotomy between the two men. Had he been in charge, there is such a high probability that only say 5-10% of the survivors would have died before the rescue vessel arrived.
It is the writing style that made me so damned angry & spoilt my enjoyment. Fitzsimon’s did two unholies – he invented events, and he never allowed himself to be the passive narrator. With events such as Batavia’s there are always going to be lacunae – holes that are resultant from missing or conflicting information. It is the bane of the historian. I have never minded speculation to work through these holes. I can’t abide that you don’t tell me, but rather make it up as if it is fact. The worst was the bullshit about the whites meeting the local indigenous people and it being incorporated into the Dreaming. We don’t know this, so don’t write it as fact. Even giving the local tribal leader a name was astounding.
As a non-fiction historical narrator I don’t mind if they enter to explain their speculation or to make a commentary of opinion. What I really hate is if you have to pepper your account with modern day colloquialisms to engage your reader. Some colloquialisms used have really limited value – Not happy Jan (it is from a Yellow Pages TV advert) – was my least favourite – and obviously will not age well. I’m guessing these bon mots will last only for another 10 years before they will become stupid and meaningless. The invented dialogue was also astounding, and bad. Eventually, to get through this thing (it was my local book club choice), I started treating it as fiction & so I just didn't care after a while.
Well, I have read a Fitzsimons book, I doubt there will ever be another. As I said at the start, I am not his audience. I am interested in reading the Dash account which I suspect shall be more to my taste.
February 23, 2013
This book would be fine if it was fiction - but, despite the fact that Fitzsimons admits to dramatising the truth right at the start, it is still listed as non-fiction. I get it - Fitzsimons is trying to make the story interesting for a wide audience, however, lets put it this way:
shipwreck + mutiny + rebellion = it doesn't get any more interesting than that.
One thing I like about non-fiction is that I get to try to imagine what was going through the minds of the people involved in these events. Fitzsimons seems to suck the fun right out of that by telling us what the characters are thinking. His mix of truth with fiction also meant that I really didn't know what the exact truth (as historians know it) was.
As for his writing it is not bad however he occasionaly switches characters mid-paragraph leaving the reader confused.
While it's great to bring our Australian history to life if this is one of our greates non-fiction writers then I'm deeply worried.
shipwreck + mutiny + rebellion = it doesn't get any more interesting than that.
One thing I like about non-fiction is that I get to try to imagine what was going through the minds of the people involved in these events. Fitzsimons seems to suck the fun right out of that by telling us what the characters are thinking. His mix of truth with fiction also meant that I really didn't know what the exact truth (as historians know it) was.
As for his writing it is not bad however he occasionaly switches characters mid-paragraph leaving the reader confused.
While it's great to bring our Australian history to life if this is one of our greates non-fiction writers then I'm deeply worried.
August 2, 2017
I learned about the incredible story of the Batavia shipwreck during a visit to the Western Australian Maritime Museum. With a story as dramatic and bizarre as this, it would take a pretty exceptional writer to fuck it up. Peter FitzSimons unfortunately is that exception. FitzSimons approaches the story like an eleven-year-old boy: instead of bringing the story and characters to life through his dramatization, he makes fart jokes. He seizes on the "gory bits" and "sex bits" in a way that manages to be both disrespectful to the memory of the people who lived through it while simultaneously taking all the humanity out of the scenes.
The only part of the book that kept me interested was the opening chapters which set the historical context for the story. This also happened to be the only part of the book where FitzSimons approaches the scene as a non-fiction writer would, instead of indulging us in his Uncle-Pete-around-the-campfire style.
I really hope this guy stays away from stories about the Holocaust or anything that requires a light touch.
The only part of the book that kept me interested was the opening chapters which set the historical context for the story. This also happened to be the only part of the book where FitzSimons approaches the scene as a non-fiction writer would, instead of indulging us in his Uncle-Pete-around-the-campfire style.
I really hope this guy stays away from stories about the Holocaust or anything that requires a light touch.
January 2, 2013
I had to laugh when early on in this book FitzSimons states that not many Australians know about the story of the Batavia. It happened in WA, of course the other states don't care about it! However, West Australian school children rarely go throughout their education without learning of the most famous shipwreck of the west coast and most likely going on an excursion to the Maritime Museum in Fremantle to see the pieces of the boat on display (along with some of the skeletons of the victims).
It's a gruesome tale of rape, murder and power through fear - and FitzSimons does a pretty good job at revisiting it all. He takes an almost novelistic approach, which may offend some non-fiction purists, but it works here. The only annoying thing is the poor use of foreign language and the English translation in the dialogue. Choose one or the other, or leave using both for less obvious sentences. We don't need it for lines like "Bonjour. Hello." I'm using French examples here, but you get my drift.
A recommended read, but also an intense one with some graphic description of the events that occurred on that small group of islands. But that's history for you.
It's a gruesome tale of rape, murder and power through fear - and FitzSimons does a pretty good job at revisiting it all. He takes an almost novelistic approach, which may offend some non-fiction purists, but it works here. The only annoying thing is the poor use of foreign language and the English translation in the dialogue. Choose one or the other, or leave using both for less obvious sentences. We don't need it for lines like "Bonjour. Hello." I'm using French examples here, but you get my drift.
A recommended read, but also an intense one with some graphic description of the events that occurred on that small group of islands. But that's history for you.
February 14, 2019
While i admire the authors enthusiasm and depth of knowledge whenever I see him in the media, I think the style of Peter’s writing in this book is way over the top. As an interested person in the events of history, I like to get a “non-fiction” account of the story, with an element of backstory to give some foundation to the overall picture. However, as they say in most of the Hollywood movies, this story is based on true events. It seemed to be half way towards a work of fiction, with so much personal detail. I finished reading the book way before the end, and have switched to Mike Dash’s book of the story, and having got to about the same part of the story, have found it far more agreeable. In comparison, its as if Peter has read Mike Dash’s book, and tried to make it as different as viable.
April 28, 2011
I have been to visit what remains of the Batavia a number of times in the Fremantle museum and always knew it was something of a horror story in our local history.
Peter Fitsimons, however, manages to weave an incredible tale of corporate greed, sea faring adventure, genocide, repression, mutiny, sexual repression and all out bloody murder of innocents shipwrecked in his tale of the Batavia's cursed voyage.
This book is not for the faint hearted, if anything it is a study in the power a charismatic individual can exercise over the masses in a time of need. Sadly, in most cases, as in this particular one, those individuals are sociopaths and the result is a tragedy beyond imagining. Needless to say it ends badly for everyone. Such is this piece of our sad history.
Peter Fitsimons, however, manages to weave an incredible tale of corporate greed, sea faring adventure, genocide, repression, mutiny, sexual repression and all out bloody murder of innocents shipwrecked in his tale of the Batavia's cursed voyage.
This book is not for the faint hearted, if anything it is a study in the power a charismatic individual can exercise over the masses in a time of need. Sadly, in most cases, as in this particular one, those individuals are sociopaths and the result is a tragedy beyond imagining. Needless to say it ends badly for everyone. Such is this piece of our sad history.
May 17, 2014
This was an unexpected really good read. Couldn't put it down. Historical fact with a bit extra story telling.
February 27, 2017
I hadn't really thought of myself as a non-fiction reader, but this book was highly recommended to me by a friend, so I went for it. As I waded my way through an extraordinarily dull preface and author's note, I found myself beginning to question their judgement. I imagined the awkward conversation during which I confessed to finding the book that they so raved about, as dull as ditch water.
All of that changed however, as the actual story began, a story so engaging, so engrossing, that parts of it kept me awake at night. So incredible is the tale of the Batavia that I cannot understand why I have never heard of it before. FitzSimons brings the happenings of four centuries ago to life with glorious style, and my only wish was that I too had been marooned on an island, so that I could finish the story without interruption. I should probably be very clear that I mean a different island, most certainly not one near the disturbing events of Batavia's Graveyard.
I was shocked. Stunned. Confronted by the kind of actions that one normally reads in fiction. Yet these events were real. They actually happened. And may God help us all.
A spectacular read, but skim through the preface and the author's notes and get straight into the business, you won't regret it. And just one tip. Look at the photos in the middle AFTER you've finished the story. I found they gave away some of the story.
All of that changed however, as the actual story began, a story so engaging, so engrossing, that parts of it kept me awake at night. So incredible is the tale of the Batavia that I cannot understand why I have never heard of it before. FitzSimons brings the happenings of four centuries ago to life with glorious style, and my only wish was that I too had been marooned on an island, so that I could finish the story without interruption. I should probably be very clear that I mean a different island, most certainly not one near the disturbing events of Batavia's Graveyard.
I was shocked. Stunned. Confronted by the kind of actions that one normally reads in fiction. Yet these events were real. They actually happened. And may God help us all.
A spectacular read, but skim through the preface and the author's notes and get straight into the business, you won't regret it. And just one tip. Look at the photos in the middle AFTER you've finished the story. I found they gave away some of the story.
March 10, 2012
Being Dutch, living in Surabaya and counting Australians among my new friends, who incidentally have started me on an exploration of Australian authors, I was absolutely enthralled by this book. What an amazing reconstruction of a bonechilling story.
February 28, 2014
The Titanic Story GRABBED me by the throat many years ago.
I saw it grab my students and make them eager to read.
The Batavia, another SHIPWRECK story, does the same.
It is also a Tragedy, also chilling, terrifying,and full of dread
- but for a whole host of very different reasons.
A religious fanatic creates a Totalitarian State
on a set of barren islands off the vast and desert wilderness
that is Western Australia. His subjects are the survivors from
the Batavia, wrecked on its maiden voyage;
the Mutineers his henchmen.
To live you are required to kill.
Happily this recent version is what it should be.
I was willingly swept through over half its 450 pages this morning.
I'd just finished a 1966 prize winning version, an excellent one
by Hugh Edwards - "Islands of Angry Ghosts". Absorbingly well written,
and by one who was largely responsible for finally locating the infamous wreck and leading a dive on its lost treasures, both monetary and archaeological.
Peter Fitzsimons is a totally different character.
But he too is passionate about this tale and it shows.
He adds wonderful detail to Hugh Edward's shorter version.
It moves from island to island, group to individual, murderers to innocents...it seemed sometimes like a microcosm of Nazi Germany
with its senseless cruelty, casual killings of babies, pregnant women, children. No one is safe. Strong men are hacked to death.There is beauty and brave defiance in Lucretia; leadership and safety with soldier Wiebbe Hayes; tragic weakness in Commandeur Pelsaert; cunning manipulation in the psychopathic Jeronimus Cornelisz; and the 220 survivors who will largely perish by the sword.
A cast of rich characters that only a naive novelist would put together are here gathered together by History Itself.
Its Truth is the drug that keeps me glued to these pages.
I am ENGROSSED, Saddened, Disbelieving, Horrified, ...well, I could just go on and on which I will after completing this Rivetting yet Sorry Saga.
FINALE:
The Author, Peter Fitzsimons:
I was both surprised and pleased by a personality I find immensely irritating.Peter can be a bit of a bore when it comes to Table Talk.
His "uniform" has become the wearing of a red bandana which now figures in public appearances and the photograph that supports his sports column. But despite these personal irritants, I was even able to tolerate and enjoy his authorial appearances in the text of "Batavia", which were blessedly few, but almost abounding in the fascinating Epilogue, where I was glad to share his enthusiasm and company.
Reading his lengthy and fascinating preface, a real education, one realises that this book is not a one-man-show, but a Group Effort, since Fitzsimons has consulted widely, discussed in detail and travelled to every significant site in the story in pursuit of doing justice to this book.His bibliography alone mounts to 55 writers and even more books.
His detailed accounts of how he blends in fiction while always keeping his eye on a solid historical foundation puts to shame those historical fiction writers who cannot resist meddling with and deliberately distorting solid facts to suit their romantic notions or perverse plot lines to produce a totally untrustworthy "fictionalised history".
I look forward to reading more of his work.
I saw it grab my students and make them eager to read.
The Batavia, another SHIPWRECK story, does the same.
It is also a Tragedy, also chilling, terrifying,and full of dread
- but for a whole host of very different reasons.
A religious fanatic creates a Totalitarian State
on a set of barren islands off the vast and desert wilderness
that is Western Australia. His subjects are the survivors from
the Batavia, wrecked on its maiden voyage;
the Mutineers his henchmen.
To live you are required to kill.
Happily this recent version is what it should be.
I was willingly swept through over half its 450 pages this morning.
I'd just finished a 1966 prize winning version, an excellent one
by Hugh Edwards - "Islands of Angry Ghosts". Absorbingly well written,
and by one who was largely responsible for finally locating the infamous wreck and leading a dive on its lost treasures, both monetary and archaeological.
Peter Fitzsimons is a totally different character.
But he too is passionate about this tale and it shows.
He adds wonderful detail to Hugh Edward's shorter version.
It moves from island to island, group to individual, murderers to innocents...it seemed sometimes like a microcosm of Nazi Germany
with its senseless cruelty, casual killings of babies, pregnant women, children. No one is safe. Strong men are hacked to death.There is beauty and brave defiance in Lucretia; leadership and safety with soldier Wiebbe Hayes; tragic weakness in Commandeur Pelsaert; cunning manipulation in the psychopathic Jeronimus Cornelisz; and the 220 survivors who will largely perish by the sword.
A cast of rich characters that only a naive novelist would put together are here gathered together by History Itself.
Its Truth is the drug that keeps me glued to these pages.
I am ENGROSSED, Saddened, Disbelieving, Horrified, ...well, I could just go on and on which I will after completing this Rivetting yet Sorry Saga.
FINALE:
The Author, Peter Fitzsimons:
I was both surprised and pleased by a personality I find immensely irritating.Peter can be a bit of a bore when it comes to Table Talk.
His "uniform" has become the wearing of a red bandana which now figures in public appearances and the photograph that supports his sports column. But despite these personal irritants, I was even able to tolerate and enjoy his authorial appearances in the text of "Batavia", which were blessedly few, but almost abounding in the fascinating Epilogue, where I was glad to share his enthusiasm and company.
Reading his lengthy and fascinating preface, a real education, one realises that this book is not a one-man-show, but a Group Effort, since Fitzsimons has consulted widely, discussed in detail and travelled to every significant site in the story in pursuit of doing justice to this book.His bibliography alone mounts to 55 writers and even more books.
His detailed accounts of how he blends in fiction while always keeping his eye on a solid historical foundation puts to shame those historical fiction writers who cannot resist meddling with and deliberately distorting solid facts to suit their romantic notions or perverse plot lines to produce a totally untrustworthy "fictionalised history".
I look forward to reading more of his work.
July 12, 2018
I don’t recall ever having read another book that I was so hooked on, while at the same time suffering all the way to the end to read it, and feeling annoyed the whole time.
I read a lot of historical non-fiction, and also a lot of historical fiction, but I like to keep the two genres clearly separated. That’s not what I felt with “Batavia”... although the book is well researched (to the extent possible considering the particulars of the case), and the author includes a lengthy “Authors note” at the beginning explaining how the book was written and justifying why it was written in such a way, nothing could prepare me for what was ahead (perhaps I should have suspected from the subtitle and the note...).
The book tells the mesmerizing and deeply disturbing story of the East India ship Batavia, it’s trip from Amsterdam to the Dutch East Indies, and ultimately its shipwreck off the coast of what is today Western Australia, and the tragic events that followed. But instead of simply telling the story, the author tries to mix in, all throughout the book, his “guesses” as to what the various people involved thought, makes up dialogues that no one can know whether or not really existed, and fantasizes over parts of the plot, all to such a point that makes the book lose credibility.
There are non-fiction authors that can tell a tale in a captivating way without engaging in downright invention. Peter Fitzsimmons (at least in this book) is clearly unable to do that. The result? What I would call “Tabloid History”. A bit of historical fact sprinkled with pure fabrication and other artifacts to shock the reader. A book that reads like the front page of the daily telegraph, thoroughly annoying a history buff like myself. It could have (and should have) been written another way.
All in all an extremely interesting story, very badly told. Or perhaps, if I was clearly aware of what I was in for I would have enjoyed it more!
I read a lot of historical non-fiction, and also a lot of historical fiction, but I like to keep the two genres clearly separated. That’s not what I felt with “Batavia”... although the book is well researched (to the extent possible considering the particulars of the case), and the author includes a lengthy “Authors note” at the beginning explaining how the book was written and justifying why it was written in such a way, nothing could prepare me for what was ahead (perhaps I should have suspected from the subtitle and the note...).
The book tells the mesmerizing and deeply disturbing story of the East India ship Batavia, it’s trip from Amsterdam to the Dutch East Indies, and ultimately its shipwreck off the coast of what is today Western Australia, and the tragic events that followed. But instead of simply telling the story, the author tries to mix in, all throughout the book, his “guesses” as to what the various people involved thought, makes up dialogues that no one can know whether or not really existed, and fantasizes over parts of the plot, all to such a point that makes the book lose credibility.
There are non-fiction authors that can tell a tale in a captivating way without engaging in downright invention. Peter Fitzsimmons (at least in this book) is clearly unable to do that. The result? What I would call “Tabloid History”. A bit of historical fact sprinkled with pure fabrication and other artifacts to shock the reader. A book that reads like the front page of the daily telegraph, thoroughly annoying a history buff like myself. It could have (and should have) been written another way.
All in all an extremely interesting story, very badly told. Or perhaps, if I was clearly aware of what I was in for I would have enjoyed it more!
August 11, 2022
One of my favourite go-to recommendations. This well researched, factional story traces one of (for we have many) the episodes in the dark history of Australia. Claiming this one, even though they weren’t Australian.
It really is a Lord Of The Flies story, well before Golding was born.
In 1629, a Dutch East India ship sets sail from Amsterdam to the Dutch East Indies packed full of items to trade, and intending to fill with lucrative spices. However, discontent is brewing below decks, and it comes to a head when the ship founders on the reef off the coast of Western Australia. The captain takes his longboat in an attempt to sail 2000km to get help, leaving his second in charge.
Then things really start to go wrong.
Also on the same subject: Batavia’s Graveyard by Mike Dash.
It really is a Lord Of The Flies story, well before Golding was born.
In 1629, a Dutch East India ship sets sail from Amsterdam to the Dutch East Indies packed full of items to trade, and intending to fill with lucrative spices. However, discontent is brewing below decks, and it comes to a head when the ship founders on the reef off the coast of Western Australia. The captain takes his longboat in an attempt to sail 2000km to get help, leaving his second in charge.
Then things really start to go wrong.
Also on the same subject: Batavia’s Graveyard by Mike Dash.
May 6, 2012
Batavia by Peter Fitzsimons is amazing. It also brought to light the fact that Europeans came to Australia before the First Fleet Landing in 1788. Though dramatised, it is still hard to believe the utter evil that occurred during this disaster on the shores of Western Australia. It's not a spoiler when I say that voyage of Batavia didn't end well. Every Australian should read this book. I can't wait to read more by this incredible author and story-teller.
5 STARS.
5 STARS.
November 6, 2015
Amazing!!!! I love history and being Dutch I am very interested in everything Batavia related. This was a very nice/easy way to learn and read about the nasty things that happened during this VOC time in 'de Oost'. Highly recommend it to anyone who wants to know more about this, but doesn't want to read the standard textbook! Even tough the author romanticized the story in some ways, he did not mess with the actual history.
December 14, 2023
If it had not been for a recommendation from a friend over lunch, I would never have picked this book up. When I asked her for her favourite book of this year, she kept coming back to this one saying she couldn't stop thinking about it. As soon as I started it, I was in its grasp. I finished it in a couple of days, and despite its bloody tale, I was sad for it to end. This is an incredible true story from the 1600s that took place on a small group of islands off the Western Australian coast. It reads like the best type of thriller, and it stays with you. It is a story of a shipwreck, but it is really about greed, power, survival, heroism, and civilisation, and what happens when it breaks down.
May 3, 2025
Grim reading!
July 29, 2020
When i finish some books I think, “I may not have, strictly speaking, “enjoyed” that book, but I know that I have just read a substantial book.” Fitzsimon’s talent is to create historical fiction that is enjoyable yet seasoned with the insubstantial.
The wreck of The Batavia is a sorrowful tale. Fitzsimons lays his cards on the table in his author’s note - that the source material is limited and that, with historical rigor, he has taken liberty to create detail - dialogue and such - to aid the storytelling.
And isn’t that the thing about Fitzsimons’ histories. Like this review, regardless of the subject matter, you just can’t ignore the author. He photobombs everything he writes. I this case, less obviously by his opinions than by his embellishments. Half a cup of water in the pot of soup won’t make a difference, but there is a generous bucket of imaginative, speculative, fictionalised Fitsimonisms here which, I admit, crack his yarn, spin the story, up the pace, draws you in...that’s the enjoyable part.
But as the pages roll on I felt like The Batavia was a vehicle for the Fitzformula and I was put a pawn in his game. It is clearly well researched and his ability to sift a story and weave events together is unquestioned. It’s a page turner, no question.
But just like this review has his name in every paragraph, so this book embeds a new central character to the saga of the Dutch shipwreck of 1629 - Captain Peter Fitzsimons. Hi asides - “no more Mr Nice Guy” in reference to the monster, Jeronimus, who has been responsible for the brutal slaying of nearly 100 men, women, children and babies - are eye-rolling at best. At their worst, they nearly ship-wreck the entire historical integrity of the book. (“Not happy, Jan” (from a notable Yellow Pages TV commercial of the 90’s!) is another Fitzism that pops up later in the book.) And his graphic, fictionalised accounts of the numerous murders start to get a graphic, gory, over-wrought Friday 12th Part 6 horror movie tone which feels like the violence isn’t so much being described as exploited.
I guess I knew what I was getting myself into. Fitzsimons’ work is always marvellously paced, easy to read and well researched. No doubt you will finish an historical Fitz-ion informed and enlightened on the chosen subject, figure or event. Will I read another Fitz-orical work? Undoubtedly. Perfect airline/beach/relaxing read. And it will, quite likely, gain a guilty 5 stars for enjoyability - and 3 for substance. Too much water in the soup, Fitz. Not happy, Jan.
The wreck of The Batavia is a sorrowful tale. Fitzsimons lays his cards on the table in his author’s note - that the source material is limited and that, with historical rigor, he has taken liberty to create detail - dialogue and such - to aid the storytelling.
And isn’t that the thing about Fitzsimons’ histories. Like this review, regardless of the subject matter, you just can’t ignore the author. He photobombs everything he writes. I this case, less obviously by his opinions than by his embellishments. Half a cup of water in the pot of soup won’t make a difference, but there is a generous bucket of imaginative, speculative, fictionalised Fitsimonisms here which, I admit, crack his yarn, spin the story, up the pace, draws you in...that’s the enjoyable part.
But as the pages roll on I felt like The Batavia was a vehicle for the Fitzformula and I was put a pawn in his game. It is clearly well researched and his ability to sift a story and weave events together is unquestioned. It’s a page turner, no question.
But just like this review has his name in every paragraph, so this book embeds a new central character to the saga of the Dutch shipwreck of 1629 - Captain Peter Fitzsimons. Hi asides - “no more Mr Nice Guy” in reference to the monster, Jeronimus, who has been responsible for the brutal slaying of nearly 100 men, women, children and babies - are eye-rolling at best. At their worst, they nearly ship-wreck the entire historical integrity of the book. (“Not happy, Jan” (from a notable Yellow Pages TV commercial of the 90’s!) is another Fitzism that pops up later in the book.) And his graphic, fictionalised accounts of the numerous murders start to get a graphic, gory, over-wrought Friday 12th Part 6 horror movie tone which feels like the violence isn’t so much being described as exploited.
I guess I knew what I was getting myself into. Fitzsimons’ work is always marvellously paced, easy to read and well researched. No doubt you will finish an historical Fitz-ion informed and enlightened on the chosen subject, figure or event. Will I read another Fitz-orical work? Undoubtedly. Perfect airline/beach/relaxing read. And it will, quite likely, gain a guilty 5 stars for enjoyability - and 3 for substance. Too much water in the soup, Fitz. Not happy, Jan.
December 11, 2013
I lived in Freemantle for about 12 months. During my time there, I must have visited the Western Australian Maritime Museum on at least six occasions. I loved it. Probably the highlight for me was the remnants and stories of the macabre aftermath of the 17th Century ship wreck of the Dutch East Indies Ship, the Batavia off the north coast of West Aussie. The book, ‘Batavia’, is FitzSimons’ interpretation of those macabre months after the wreck.
I loved this book. From what I remembered from my visits and reading at the Museum, FitzSimons’ remains faithful to the historic data of the events that took place; certainly, it is well referenced and has had a great deal of research invested in it. Beyond that though, FitzSimons’ gives the book panache as he writes it as though he is telling us the story in his lounge room, next to the open fire, with enough good Scotch to share with all of us who care to listen. Having listened to FitzSimons’ commentary and him being interviewed on a number of occasions, his voice comes through loud and clear; and this is a bloke who doesn’t mind a chat. In Dec last year, 2011, he was the interviewee of a world breaking 24 hour radio interview. However, that very ‘storytelling’ nature of this book will, I imagine, irritate the ‘pure’ historians as FitzSimons breathes life into the history.
Given the distinct FitzSimons’ voice to the book, I am not sure it is for everybody. I can see that his voice can be irritating to many, but (and to use a quip he used in the book) ‘not this little black duck’. To further put readers off, it is not a book for the light hearted. This event is one of the many instances in history where men have demonstrated the depth of depravity to which we are capable and the giddying, corrosive nature that power secretes in us. Beware! This is a real life Lord of the Flies!
Lastly, and for no other reason than I am a Rugby tragic, FitzSimons’ played for the Wallabies! That has to give him creditability? Doesn’t it Warrick?rr
I loved this book. From what I remembered from my visits and reading at the Museum, FitzSimons’ remains faithful to the historic data of the events that took place; certainly, it is well referenced and has had a great deal of research invested in it. Beyond that though, FitzSimons’ gives the book panache as he writes it as though he is telling us the story in his lounge room, next to the open fire, with enough good Scotch to share with all of us who care to listen. Having listened to FitzSimons’ commentary and him being interviewed on a number of occasions, his voice comes through loud and clear; and this is a bloke who doesn’t mind a chat. In Dec last year, 2011, he was the interviewee of a world breaking 24 hour radio interview. However, that very ‘storytelling’ nature of this book will, I imagine, irritate the ‘pure’ historians as FitzSimons breathes life into the history.
Given the distinct FitzSimons’ voice to the book, I am not sure it is for everybody. I can see that his voice can be irritating to many, but (and to use a quip he used in the book) ‘not this little black duck’. To further put readers off, it is not a book for the light hearted. This event is one of the many instances in history where men have demonstrated the depth of depravity to which we are capable and the giddying, corrosive nature that power secretes in us. Beware! This is a real life Lord of the Flies!
Lastly, and for no other reason than I am a Rugby tragic, FitzSimons’ played for the Wallabies! That has to give him creditability? Doesn’t it Warrick?rr
April 2, 2016
There is a meme amongst Australians that our history is bland and insignificant, by virtue of the short period of written records and the (relatively) peaceful, orderly journey to modernity, carried by the inheritance gifted us by Britain. Is there any significant event or achievement which places on the world stage? I'm not sure Batavia ultimately ranks us in the significance stakes, but it is certainly not boring, or British, or post settlement, and certainly not peaceful.
The Dutch were perhaps the worlds greatest power when The Batavia left Europe in the late 1620s, by virtue in part of the wealth they controlled in the Spice Islands in eastern Indonesia. Leaving as the chief ship of a fleet bound for Indonesia via the fast route (tracking along the uncharted Western Australian coast), The Batavia carried a large proportion of Dutch net wealth. what could go wrong? Mutiny, shipwreck and a 'Lord of the Flies' descent into horror. The story plays out like a scripted thriller, including a just in time climax, although the movie wouldn't get a family friendly rating.
As I read the story, gripped by each episode, I was reminded of Pinker's . It is hard to conceive that the violence of the period was so easily accepted, even if it did not come easily to the conscience of everyone. At the same time, the consequences of a philosophy placing the 'great man' in the place of God suggests that the enlightenment alone was probably not responsible for the new peace we enjoy today. There are also mysteries remaining regarding the fate of the ships passengers and crew, in particular the men sentenced to exile on the Australian mainland, like so many others. Perhaps their ancestors are amongst the modern inhabitants like myself who are descended from less reputable forefathers.
Far from boring. Certainly more than insignificant.
The Dutch were perhaps the worlds greatest power when The Batavia left Europe in the late 1620s, by virtue in part of the wealth they controlled in the Spice Islands in eastern Indonesia. Leaving as the chief ship of a fleet bound for Indonesia via the fast route (tracking along the uncharted Western Australian coast), The Batavia carried a large proportion of Dutch net wealth. what could go wrong? Mutiny, shipwreck and a 'Lord of the Flies' descent into horror. The story plays out like a scripted thriller, including a just in time climax, although the movie wouldn't get a family friendly rating.
As I read the story, gripped by each episode, I was reminded of Pinker's . It is hard to conceive that the violence of the period was so easily accepted, even if it did not come easily to the conscience of everyone. At the same time, the consequences of a philosophy placing the 'great man' in the place of God suggests that the enlightenment alone was probably not responsible for the new peace we enjoy today. There are also mysteries remaining regarding the fate of the ships passengers and crew, in particular the men sentenced to exile on the Australian mainland, like so many others. Perhaps their ancestors are amongst the modern inhabitants like myself who are descended from less reputable forefathers.
Far from boring. Certainly more than insignificant.
September 13, 2022
One of the greatest nautical horror stories in history but with a big caveat
This book sits in a strange place, the author has clearly put a large amount of effort into learning the facts about the matter, however they have injected so much and their own imagination that its simply wrong to consider it anything but historical fiction.
The aftermath of the shipwreck of the Batavia will always be fascinating due to its blend of brutality, horror and misfortune with courage, endurance and luck that often seems more like divine provenance. Accordingly, if you just want an engaging work of historical fiction, you won’t be let down, but you wont get anything beyond that.
DNF
This book sits in a strange place, the author has clearly put a large amount of effort into learning the facts about the matter, however they have injected so much and their own imagination that its simply wrong to consider it anything but historical fiction.
The aftermath of the shipwreck of the Batavia will always be fascinating due to its blend of brutality, horror and misfortune with courage, endurance and luck that often seems more like divine provenance. Accordingly, if you just want an engaging work of historical fiction, you won’t be let down, but you wont get anything beyond that.
DNF
October 14, 2016
I actually hadn't heard of this wreck until the book was on sale (kindle edition). I picked it up. I read it after reading a fictional book that mentioned the wreck.
This is a very gripping account of the wreck, near Australia of a Dutch ship. What then follows is a horror story as those who survive the wreck struggle to survive themselves.
As a woman, however, I do have to wonder why Peter FitzSimons never used the word rape to describe what happened to the women. Even taking into account the view of women back then, still use of the word at least once would have been justified. It was a rather strange omission.
This is a very gripping account of the wreck, near Australia of a Dutch ship. What then follows is a horror story as those who survive the wreck struggle to survive themselves.
As a woman, however, I do have to wonder why Peter FitzSimons never used the word rape to describe what happened to the women. Even taking into account the view of women back then, still use of the word at least once would have been justified. It was a rather strange omission.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 24, 2023
The story of the sinking of the Batavia is fascinating on it's own and deserves to be told, but quite frankly I was shocked by the way FitzSimons writes about this terrible event.
The author does a good job outlining the personal relationships and positions of power of the people that were onboard the Batavia, he shows the reader that he has read relevant primary sources as well as sufficient secundary literature to give insight into the tragedy. So I didn't have a lot of problems with the first ~150 pages of the book.
It's after the Batavia starts to sink that I started to become uncomfortable reading further. The author doesn't consistently use a way of storytelling, even within a chapter he sometimes switches between being an all-knowing narrator and telling the story from the perspectives of one of the survivors. This didn't suit the story at all and the inappropriate fictive jokes, along with the detailed descriptions of murders made the story progressively worse.
Because of the scarce scourcematerial it's impossible to completly follow the facts, but the journalist-author gave himself a bit too much freedom to dramatise an already dramatic story in my opinion. It's an eternal struggle between historians and people who are interested in history: where is the middle ground?
In any case, the book missed it's mark for me. The author did know of the incoming critique, since he already defended his approach in the introduction. That being said, I do think it's a decent effort to remember a story worth telling.
The author does a good job outlining the personal relationships and positions of power of the people that were onboard the Batavia, he shows the reader that he has read relevant primary sources as well as sufficient secundary literature to give insight into the tragedy. So I didn't have a lot of problems with the first ~150 pages of the book.
It's after the Batavia starts to sink that I started to become uncomfortable reading further. The author doesn't consistently use a way of storytelling, even within a chapter he sometimes switches between being an all-knowing narrator and telling the story from the perspectives of one of the survivors. This didn't suit the story at all and the inappropriate fictive jokes, along with the detailed descriptions of murders made the story progressively worse.
Because of the scarce scourcematerial it's impossible to completly follow the facts, but the journalist-author gave himself a bit too much freedom to dramatise an already dramatic story in my opinion. It's an eternal struggle between historians and people who are interested in history: where is the middle ground?
In any case, the book missed it's mark for me. The author did know of the incoming critique, since he already defended his approach in the introduction. That being said, I do think it's a decent effort to remember a story worth telling.
June 30, 2018
This book is on a topic of tremendous interest to me. I recently visited the Abrolhos islands and saw Beacon Island, E. and W. Wallabi Islands, and the site of the wreck first-hand. That visit provided vivid context for picturing the situations imagined or recounted by FitzSimons. I also read Mike Dash's masterful historical account of the Batavia ordeal, which FitzSimons seems to agree, is the authoritative source. With all that in mind, I have four observations about this book.
1. I don't care for "creative non-fiction" as a book genre. I find it readable in magazine articles of a few thousand words, but at book length it is cloying and I find myself rolling my eyes at some authors' inventions. Reading this book, I couldn't help wondering how FitzSimons would kick off a book about the Titanic. Probably thus:
You get the idea. Lincoln's assassination? "The president was looking forward to an evening at Ford's Theater – it had been a long, difficult day. Being president wasn't easy, and he deserved a relaxing night with his wife. He greeted well-wishers as he walked with Mary to their private box. That man there, though - something about him. He kept one hand in his coat pocket - and could it be that he didn't smile sincerely? No, probably just the president's fatigue playing tricks on him."
And so on.
2. The footnotes to this book show that FitzSimons did his research fully, and that he thought through the entire treatment honestly and with care. It is a monumental achievement, and he deserves credit for that. And yet, as descriptive and detailed as much of the narrative is, somehow, the book fails to convey the sheer, mind-boggling horror and appallingly grotesque reality that the Batavia story represents.
The violence, the sheer cruelty, the unimaginable fear, disgust and despair that the survivors must have experienced – it's just not there. There are descriptions of it - but its impact is somehow missing. By page 300 I was just reading along, thinking, "Oh right, another innocent child stabbed in the neck. So what happened next?" It's hard to capture in words something as viscerally horrific as the Batavia experience...but this just doesn't ever approach the potential, in my view.
3. Some of the writing is awful. Not much, but enough to jump off the page here and there. One example, on page 116: "And then, from completely out of nowhere, comes a sudden explosion of sound..."
"Completely out of nowhere"? Maybe the editor missed a trick, but some of the phrasing and dialog needed closer review. Writing is hard, and FitzSimons has done a lot of it. But still he has work to do.
4. Finally, I need to say a word about his descriptions of how Batavia's women were treated by the mutineers. These women were - as the book's cover says - sexual slaves. This means that they were raped, again and again, by dozens of men, for months. In my reading, the word "rape" appears once in the text (p. 338) and once in the end notes.
FitzSimons prefers throughout the book to use the violators' point of view to characterize the women's ordeal. The result is to dramatically minimize the violence and unfathomable evil of the men's behavior. He refers to Anneken Hardens as "concubine to many." He says that Jeronimus is "putting it through" Lucretia. And when he explains (in a purely imagined contextualization) that Anneken is refusing to give in to some of the men's assaults, he writes:
Huh? So...if she didn't "outright refuse" then it isn't rape? She is confined to a tent set aside for the express purpose of serving as a place where men come to rape the woman who is in the tent. What part of that isn't "always" being raped?
Whether from the attacker's POV or not, the awful implication is that at some point the women willingly obliged their rapists and accepted their role as sex slaves. We not only don't know that, but it seems beyond imagination to believe that good Dutch Calvinist wives in the early 17th century would just roll with it if told they were to serve as sexual slaves to dozens of violent, depraved sailors. Would they practice self-preservation by any means, to stay alive? Evidently. Does this mean that just because they didn't fight back or resist or deny at every turn that some of the assaults were not rape?
No. It doesn't.
Maybe I'm splitting hairs with the point of view being used, but if so, it is because the author wasn't clear enough in his own use of the perpetrators' viewpoint throughout the book.
Summary
Bottom line, if you thought that "Into Thin Air" or "The Perfect Storm" were well-written works, then you will find this book to be well-written. I did not. If you want to get to the chronology and the legacy of this amazing, awful episode in history without wondering whether what you are reading is real or imagined (without having to check the end notes every couple of pages), stick with Mike Dash's excellent book.
And above all, if you ever, ever have the opportunity, you simply must visit the Shipwrecks Museum in Fremantle, the Museum of Western Australia in Geraldton, and then fly or sail out to the Abrolhos and see for yourself the place where this incredible story unfolded. You'll never regret it.
1. I don't care for "creative non-fiction" as a book genre. I find it readable in magazine articles of a few thousand words, but at book length it is cloying and I find myself rolling my eyes at some authors' inventions. Reading this book, I couldn't help wondering how FitzSimons would kick off a book about the Titanic. Probably thus:
Capt. E.J. Smith paced the bridge of RMS Titanic late at night on April 14, 1912. His Earl Grey tea with a splash of milk had long-since cooled in its fine china cup. But he wasn't thinking about tea just then. He was thinking about how lucky he was to be commanding the largest liner in the world under cloudless skies on a perfectly calm ocean. He scanned the dark horizon - was that something? Just there, maybe a bluish white shape? No...it couldn't have been...
You get the idea. Lincoln's assassination? "The president was looking forward to an evening at Ford's Theater – it had been a long, difficult day. Being president wasn't easy, and he deserved a relaxing night with his wife. He greeted well-wishers as he walked with Mary to their private box. That man there, though - something about him. He kept one hand in his coat pocket - and could it be that he didn't smile sincerely? No, probably just the president's fatigue playing tricks on him."
And so on.
2. The footnotes to this book show that FitzSimons did his research fully, and that he thought through the entire treatment honestly and with care. It is a monumental achievement, and he deserves credit for that. And yet, as descriptive and detailed as much of the narrative is, somehow, the book fails to convey the sheer, mind-boggling horror and appallingly grotesque reality that the Batavia story represents.
The violence, the sheer cruelty, the unimaginable fear, disgust and despair that the survivors must have experienced – it's just not there. There are descriptions of it - but its impact is somehow missing. By page 300 I was just reading along, thinking, "Oh right, another innocent child stabbed in the neck. So what happened next?" It's hard to capture in words something as viscerally horrific as the Batavia experience...but this just doesn't ever approach the potential, in my view.
3. Some of the writing is awful. Not much, but enough to jump off the page here and there. One example, on page 116: "And then, from completely out of nowhere, comes a sudden explosion of sound..."
"Completely out of nowhere"? Maybe the editor missed a trick, but some of the phrasing and dialog needed closer review. Writing is hard, and FitzSimons has done a lot of it. But still he has work to do.
4. Finally, I need to say a word about his descriptions of how Batavia's women were treated by the mutineers. These women were - as the book's cover says - sexual slaves. This means that they were raped, again and again, by dozens of men, for months. In my reading, the word "rape" appears once in the text (p. 338) and once in the end notes.
FitzSimons prefers throughout the book to use the violators' point of view to characterize the women's ordeal. The result is to dramatically minimize the violence and unfathomable evil of the men's behavior. He refers to Anneken Hardens as "concubine to many." He says that Jeronimus is "putting it through" Lucretia. And when he explains (in a purely imagined contextualization) that Anneken is refusing to give in to some of the men's assaults, he writes:
Anneken has been less than generous in recent days in dispensing her charms and has even outright refused. Though this is not necessarily a problem, as she can always be raped.
Huh? So...if she didn't "outright refuse" then it isn't rape? She is confined to a tent set aside for the express purpose of serving as a place where men come to rape the woman who is in the tent. What part of that isn't "always" being raped?
Whether from the attacker's POV or not, the awful implication is that at some point the women willingly obliged their rapists and accepted their role as sex slaves. We not only don't know that, but it seems beyond imagination to believe that good Dutch Calvinist wives in the early 17th century would just roll with it if told they were to serve as sexual slaves to dozens of violent, depraved sailors. Would they practice self-preservation by any means, to stay alive? Evidently. Does this mean that just because they didn't fight back or resist or deny at every turn that some of the assaults were not rape?
No. It doesn't.
Maybe I'm splitting hairs with the point of view being used, but if so, it is because the author wasn't clear enough in his own use of the perpetrators' viewpoint throughout the book.
Summary
Bottom line, if you thought that "Into Thin Air" or "The Perfect Storm" were well-written works, then you will find this book to be well-written. I did not. If you want to get to the chronology and the legacy of this amazing, awful episode in history without wondering whether what you are reading is real or imagined (without having to check the end notes every couple of pages), stick with Mike Dash's excellent book.
And above all, if you ever, ever have the opportunity, you simply must visit the Shipwrecks Museum in Fremantle, the Museum of Western Australia in Geraldton, and then fly or sail out to the Abrolhos and see for yourself the place where this incredible story unfolded. You'll never regret it.
November 29, 2023
Gripping. Gruesome. Gory.
Peter FitzSimons has produced a concise, fascinating, never dry, dramatic account of the last voyage of the Batavia. The context is effectively given without overweighing or getting dull. Then begins an extremely grisly episode in explorative history. The characters are well defined, the action is tense, the plotting is well developed, all the scenes are vivid.
FitzSimon's specifies that he has imagined some of the situations to make it read like a narrative. I appreciate this. Some might find this takes away from the historical accuracy.
Ready made for a quality miniseries. Apparently Russel Crowe owns the rights. Get it made.
Spoilers:
Many of the survivors died shortly after returning to civilisation. The curse of Jeronimus pronounced as he being hanged. Ready made for conversion into a supernatural horror story. Get it made.
Peter FitzSimons has produced a concise, fascinating, never dry, dramatic account of the last voyage of the Batavia. The context is effectively given without overweighing or getting dull. Then begins an extremely grisly episode in explorative history. The characters are well defined, the action is tense, the plotting is well developed, all the scenes are vivid.
FitzSimon's specifies that he has imagined some of the situations to make it read like a narrative. I appreciate this. Some might find this takes away from the historical accuracy.
Ready made for a quality miniseries. Apparently Russel Crowe owns the rights. Get it made.
Spoilers:
Many of the survivors died shortly after returning to civilisation. The curse of Jeronimus pronounced as he being hanged. Ready made for conversion into a supernatural horror story. Get it made.
August 22, 2024
Dit boek is pure horror. Letterlijk. Ik was de ganse tijd ongemakkelijk. Ik kende het verhaal van de Batavia niet.
Onder de titel staat: het bloedstollende verhaal van de ondergang van het grootste schip van de VOC. Dit mag je dus letterlijk nemen: bloedstollend. Of vloeiend, zoals je wil...
Er hangt constant een zeer dreigende sfeer, die al begint wanneer het schip vertrekt en de elitaire topman van de VOC Pelsaert absoluut niet overeenkomt met de bonkige en geharde schipper Jacobsz.
Wanneer de Batavia zich vervolgens afzondert van de rest en veel te snel vaart, belandt het hopeloos op een rif voor de kust van Australië. Wat volgt is een pure horrorfilm. Ik heb nog nooit eerder zo'n gruwelijke non-fictie gelezen.
Dit boek is zeer goed en vlot geschreven, ik heb het in een drietal dagen uitgelezen. Niet lezen voor het slapengaan!
Onder de titel staat: het bloedstollende verhaal van de ondergang van het grootste schip van de VOC. Dit mag je dus letterlijk nemen: bloedstollend. Of vloeiend, zoals je wil...
Er hangt constant een zeer dreigende sfeer, die al begint wanneer het schip vertrekt en de elitaire topman van de VOC Pelsaert absoluut niet overeenkomt met de bonkige en geharde schipper Jacobsz.
Wanneer de Batavia zich vervolgens afzondert van de rest en veel te snel vaart, belandt het hopeloos op een rif voor de kust van Australië. Wat volgt is een pure horrorfilm. Ik heb nog nooit eerder zo'n gruwelijke non-fictie gelezen.
Dit boek is zeer goed en vlot geschreven, ik heb het in een drietal dagen uitgelezen. Niet lezen voor het slapengaan!
August 22, 2024
This book will give you nightmares. It is truly horrifying and the fact that it is non fiction makes it worse. However, the story is quite interesting and the pace is sometimes a bit slow. I found the number of names, and the fact that they are Dutch names to be quite difficult, but that's a me problem. The author did a great job at making a non fiction telling of an event compelling. I thought it strange that I had never heard of this shipwreck before. I would recommend people who like survival stories, but not to people who are squeamish in any way.
December 16, 2020
A dramatic re-telling of the sad (but fascinating) tale of the wreck of the spice-ship Batavia, and the horrific events that followed for the survivors. A good case study of how Crisis +Pyschopathic Leadership + Weak Opposition = Horrific and Deadly Outcomes. IMO, the book would have been better if it included some analysis of the survival situation in the postcript, as I was left hungry for a reckoning of how different it might have been. But maybe that would be a different sort of book.
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