Pramoedya writes a novel that begins as Minke, a Javanese student and aspiring writer is drawn into the Mansion of the mysterious Mellema family. Here he finds a new love- the exquisite with fragile and allies and here he finds a new teacher the charismatic concubine to so rude. But he also finds intrigue cruelty mortal danger and betrayal. Released to extraordinary women he must confront the power and prejudice that threaten to overwhelm them all. This Earth of mankind is a novel about love and brutality and the painful emergence of a people from stifling tradition in colonial domination. From the Hardcover Edition