Content Warning: Chapter 6 contains a description of rape.

Max Lane, the translator who translated This Earth of Mankind three times, sets the stage for the economics of Indonesia that made it attractive to Europeans. He describes the characteristics of Dutch colonialism, how it disempowered Natives and made the Netherlands, like other colonial powers, very wealthy.

The characters in the novel are divided into several distinct groups. Lane describes the groups’ languages, the way they relate to each other, and most importantly, their relationships with the Dutch colonial rulers. He concludes the Translator’s Note by saying he tried to make the novel as easy to read as possible, though translating phrases with specific cultural meanings can make this process difficult.

Minke, the narrator, identifies himself by this name, implying it means “monkey”—though it can also be translated to “mine.” He writes about a series of events that happened 13 years ago, meaning the novel’s present day should be 1912. He refers to someone who left him, a woman whom he is uncertain he will ever see again. Minke took notes throughout his life prior to writing the novel, and he compares these notes so he will know what to say.