Does he reflect Coetzee’s own development? If so, there is a huge amount of prejudice and misogyny in his world view, almost painfully evident in every sentence. This makes me wonder what the character meant to the author. There is no other way to describe what I felt, page after page, digging deeper into his psyche filled with pretentious nothingness and arrogance. It is the search of the poet for the right modus vivendi to develop his creativity. The character is called John, and aspires to become a poet, or writer in general, while trying to fit in by taking a job as a computer programmer. There are autobiographical elements in the story of the young man who leaves Cape Town in 1962 to start a new life in London. But it has left me agonising over its content in a way I did not anticipate at all. It is very easy to read, and in fact, I finished it in an afternoon. This one is clear-cut, with simple language and a typical coming-of-age plot. What can I say? This is the tenth novel (or so, I just made a quick calculation in my head) by Coetzee that I have read, and it leaves me puzzled in a way that the others do not, even though they may be less approachable, more brutal and enigmatic.
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