Author Guide · History & Essays
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To write the history of Congo, David Van Reybrouck, a Flemish archaeologist and writer, spent six years talking to Congolese people of every generation, including a man he believed to be well over a hundred who remembered the colonial era. The book became an international bestseller and won some of Europe's most important prizes. He applied the same method to Indonesia's struggle for independence in Revolusi, and has become one of Europe's best-known advocates of democracy by lot. In 2025 he was named Thinker of the Netherlands. This guide covers his eleven books in order, with which ones you can read in English, and where to start.
By Lisanne Swart · 11 books · History and essays · 2001–2025 · Updated October 2026
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Quick answer
David Van Reybrouck has published eleven books since 2001: the great histories Congo (2010) and Revolusi (2020); essays on democracy, Pleidooi voor populisme and Tegen verkiezingen (in English Against Elections); the essay Zink; and more. Congo, Against Elections and Revolusi are available in English.
Where to Start with David Van Reybrouck
If you want the famous one
→ Congo (2010).
If you want Indonesia
→ Revolusi (2020).
If you want democracy
→ Tegen verkiezingen (2013).
If you want the most recent
→ De wereld en de aarde (2025).
All 11 David Van Reybrouck Books, in Order
De plaag
No English edition · available in Dutch
A mix of biography, travel and reporting connecting South Africa, the study of termites and the Belgian writer Maurice Maeterlinck.
Pleidooi voor populisme
No English edition · available in Dutch
A provocative essay arguing that the rise of populism points to a real democratic divide between the more and less educated.
Congo
The history of Congo from before Stanley to the twenty-first century, built from hundreds of interviews with Congolese people. In English it is Congo: The Epic History of a People.
Tegen verkiezingen
An argument that democracy should be renewed by selecting citizens by lot rather than only by elections. In English it is Against Elections, translated into more than twenty languages.
Zink
The story of Neutral Moresnet, a tiny territory between Belgium and Germany, and one of its inhabitants who changed nationality five times without ever moving.
Een jihad voor liefde
Written with Mohamed El Bachiri, whose wife was killed in the Brussels attacks of 2016: his response to terror.
Odes
No English edition · available in Dutch
Short texts in praise of everything from the night and music to failure.
De odyssee van Mohamed
No English edition · available in Dutch
Written with Mohamed El Bachiri: a second book about his life after the attacks.
Revolusi
Indonesia's struggle for independence, told through interviews with some two hundred witnesses in Indonesia, Japan, the Netherlands and elsewhere. In English it is Revolusi: Indonesia and the Birth of the Modern World; it won the Geschwister-Scholl-Preis.
De kolonisatie van de toekomst
No English edition · available in Dutch
The fiftieth Huizinga lecture, delivered in Leiden in 2021, on how the present generation is colonising the future.
De wereld en de aarde
No English edition · available in Dutch
His most recent book, written as he took up the role of Thinker of the Netherlands.
How Many Books Did David Van Reybrouck Write?
Eleven books between 2001 and 2025, besides plays and poetry.
- Colonial history — Congo (2010) and Revolusi (2020). Read the entries →
- Democracy — Pleidooi voor populisme and Tegen verkiezingen. Read the entries →
- Essays and other books — from De plaag to De wereld en de aarde. Read the entries →
In What Order to Read David Van Reybrouck
His books are not a series. Congo and Revolusi belong together: two histories of colonialism and independence built from the voices of those who lived through them.
A reading path
1. Congo (2010)
2. Revolusi (2020)
3. Tegen verkiezingen (2013)
4. Zink (2016)
Quick facts about David Van Reybrouck
- Born
- 11 September 1971, Bruges
- Studied
- Archaeology and philosophy, Leuven and Cambridge; doctorate, Leiden
- Founded
- G1000, a platform for democratic innovation in Belgium
- Role
- Thinker of the Netherlands, 2025–2027
- In English
- Congo; Against Elections; Revolusi
- Books
- 11, from 2001 to 2025
How David Van Reybrouck Writes: History from Below
Van Reybrouck builds his histories from hundreds of interviews with ordinary witnesses, combined with archival research, so that history is told by the people who lived it.
He is also an essayist and activist, and his books on democracy try to turn ideas into practical proposals.
Frequently asked questions about David Van Reybrouck's books
How many books has David Van Reybrouck written?
David Van Reybrouck has published eleven books, from De plaag (2001) to De wereld en de aarde (2025).
Which David Van Reybrouck books are in English?
Congo: The Epic History of a People, Against Elections and Revolusi: Indonesia and the Birth of the Modern World are available in English.
What is Congo about?
Congo (2010) tells the history of Congo, from the colonial period to the present, through hundreds of interviews.
Footnotes
Bibliography last verified 1 October 2026.
This list was not put together by a machine.
The notes are all mine,
and the books are all his.
Lisanne x
Written by Lisanne Swart, who has curated reading lists and author guides at lisanneswart.com since 2021.
See more on her personal bookshelf.
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