Waiting for the Barbarians by J.M. Coetzee
Release date: 1982 / 152 pages
Synopsis (from back cover): Set in an isolated outpost on the edge of a great Empire, Waiting for the Barbarians is a startling allegory of the war between oppressor and the oppressed.
First line:”I have never seen anything like it: two little discs of glass suspended in front of his eyes in loops of wire.”
Review: Hmmm… This was my book club’s latest pick and I can say that I’m not sorry that I read it, but I realize saying this is not the most ringing endorsement! I had read Coetzee’s Disgrace a few months ago and loved it. Coetzee’s writing was compelling and his depth of thought profound. So my expectations were a little high for this one, and I quickly realized I would need to decide how many pages to read a day in order to finish it. Fortunately, I started it early enough that my daily allotment was only 10 pages! However, some days even 10 pages felt long.
The story follows the journey of an older man whose country is in deep conflict. The “barbarians” seemed to be indigenous people, possibly black, while the ruling party seemed to be white. Coetzee sets up Barbarians as an allegory, so the specifics of time, place, individual personalities, etc. are not important. On the other hand, I am not a fan of allegories as a rule, possibly because the specifics of time, place, personality are important to my enjoyment.
I struggle when the “art” of a work is sacrificed to the “politics” — and I struggle when a message is shoved down my throat — even when I whole-heartedly agree with the message. But nothing is as off-putting as self-righteous, condescending preaching — which is why Animal, Mineral, Vegetable, by one of my favorite authors, was rushed back to the library after only 50 pages. So, this was my fear with Barbarians.
Now, happily, this fear was never quite realized. Coetzee does create a 3-dimensional character in the narrator and his journey from a position of power to imprisonment to humility was reluctantly engaging. I also enjoyed contemplating what “freedom” means when one is imprisioned — freedom of thought, freedom of action, freedom of belief. Also, our discussion was excellent. My book club consists of three other English teachers, who, not surprisingly, love to discuss complex, thought-provoking literature. So, even though I had found much to appreciate in this novel on my own, this appreciation was much deeper at the end of our dinner.
So, while I was relieved once I read the last page, I was definitely not sorry that I had read it.
I enjoyed Life & Times of Michael K but I haven’t read any other Coetzee. Thanks for this overview. I think I’ll try Disgrace next. Have you reviewed it on this site?
Hi Rebecca! I did review Disgrace — here’s the link:
http://bookclubclassics.com/Blog/2008/04/09/wednesday-what-are-you-reading-10/
Be sure to let me know what you think if you read it!