baloch786

Wow. Very impressive. A friend of mine said of a Coetzee book (not this one) that it was as if he had an outline, indeed a whole framework, of very good ideas and concepts, but then forgot to add the story and the writing to it. I disagree. This book becomes very densely packed especially in the latter parts, and it would require at least a couple more readings to get a better grasp of Coetzee's ideas. But it's still a beautifully written little book (only 157 pages, with biggish print and spacing) and the ideas are compelling to me, focussing very much on the nature of writing - and of being written - with all the consequences that has for identity, history etc. It's also interesting if you've already read Robinson Crusoe, since this is a fictional re-figuring of how it was may have been written. There's a particular focus on Friday, and his side of the story that was not (and still is not) told, but is nevertheless constructed. But reading Crusoe first is not a prerequisite. If you haven't read Coetzee before I'd recommend Disgrace as the better, or easier, book, but then this is a more compact read. You really should read some Coetzee though.

2022-10-29 03:41