Placeholder text

Go to cart

The Pole

By Coetzee, J. M.

The Pole Contemporary literature

The Pole

Only 1 item left in stock
Description
Renowned for his sparse yet powerful prose, J. M. Coetzee is unquestionably among the most influential-and provocative-authors of our time. With characteristic insight and a "brittle wit that forces our attention on the common terrors we don't want to think about" (Washington Post), Coetzee here challenges us to interrogate our preconceptions not only of love, but of truth itself. Exacting yet unpredictable, pithy yet complex, Coetzee's The Pole tells the story of Wittold Walccyzkiecz, a vigorous, extravagantly white-haired pianist and interpreter of Chopin who becomes infatuated with Beatriz, a stylish patron of the arts, after she helps organize his concert in Barcelona. Although Beatriz, a married woman, is initially unimpressed by Wittold and his "gleaming dentures," she soon finds herself pursued and ineluctably swept into his world. As the journeyman performer sends her countless letters, extends invitations to travel, and even visits her husband's summer home in Mallorca, their unlikely relationship blossoms, though only on Beatriz's terms. The power struggle between them intensifies, eventually escalating into a full-fledged battle of the sexes. But is it Beatriz who limits their passion by paralyzing her emotions? Or is it Wittold, the old man at his typewriter, trying to force into life his dream of love? Reinventing the all-encompassing love of the poet Dante for his Beatrice, Coetzee exposes the fundamentally enigmatic nature of romance, showing how a chance meeting between strangers-even "a Pole, a man of seventy, a vigorous seventy," and a stultified "banker's wife who occupies her days in good works"-can suddenly change everything. Reminiscent of James Joyce's "The Dead" in its exploration of love and loss, The Pole, with lean prose and surprising feints, is a haunting work, evoking the "inexhaustible palette of sensations, from blind love to compassion" (Berna González Harbour, El País) typical of Coetzee's finest novels.
Product details
Binding:
Paperback
Edition:
1
Number of Pages:
166
Release Date:
2024-09-03
Publication Date:
2024-09-03
Publisher:
Norton & Company
Languages:
Original: English
ISBN10:
1324095660
ISBN13:
9781324095668
GPSR Manufacturer Reference:
[email protected]
Weight:
150 g
Height:
137 cm
Width:
205 cm
Thickness:
12 cm

Condition

Show more

Show less
Very good
Almost no signs of wear. Book pages have no markings, accessories are intact and all other media are in good condition.
Available immediately
€6,69

Incl. VAT, plus shipping costs

PayPal
Visa
Mastercard
American Express
Only 1 item left in stock

Verified second-hand article

Verified second-hand item

Free shipping from 19€

€6,69