Friday 18 May 2012, death of Hans Teeuw, architect of modern Indonesia Studies in the Netherlands

Hans Teeuw was born as Andries Teeuw on 12 August 1921 in Gorinchem, NL. The name Andries was used for official use only and become unknown in daily use. In 1938 he became student of Indology in Leiden the common education for future colonial officials. In 1941 the war made formal study impossible. Teeuw, barely further than a brilliant BA student addressed prof. Jan Gonda and, while in hiding in different places, managed to write the draft of a Ph D Dissertation that was in 1946 accepted as his first proof of excellency: the edition and translation of the story and death of the criminal Bhoma. In 2005 an English of this work was published by Teeuw, in cooperation with Stuart Robson. In 2011 a more poetic Dutch rendering was finished by Hans Teeuw. It was his last work: now he had to prepare himself for death, not the preliminary death, of 'those who died but did not reach Death' (Bhomantaka, Canto 11:9) preceding a new and better life in this earthly regions, but the fulfillment of all duties and the act of becoming unchained.  That is Death written with a capital, also in Teeuw's translation. His wife Joosje had preceded him in late May 2009, now Hans decided to opt for starvation and reached his goal in five days. In peace and harmony.