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Title details for The Pole by J.M. Coetzee - Available

The Pole

by J.M. Coetzee
Colin Mace
Audiobook
19 of 20 copies available
Borrow Listen to a sample Listen to a sample
19 of 20 copies available
An indelible tale of life, love, death, and Chopin—from the Novel Prize–winning author of Disgrace.
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" (Ron Charles, 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 Spanish 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 fullfledged 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 intolife 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.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    September 19, 2023

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9798890590923
      • File size: 101554 KB
      • Duration: 03:31:34

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Colin Mace portrays the two seniors in this novel. Wittold Walccyzkiecz, a Polish pianist specializing in Chopin, falls in love with the woman who organized his concert in Barcelona. With skill and empathy, Mace uses pauses, changes in pitch, and emphasis as he navigates the complicated plot. Wittold's pursuit of Beatriz is deliberate and sensuous. Mace enhances the story's heartbreaking culmination with a sad and forlorn tone that suggests what might have been. Is there an expiration date on love? Coetzee says no, and Mace's narration illuminates a love story that transcends death. R.O. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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