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Diary of a Bad Year
Diary of a Bad Year takes on the world of politics—a new topic for Coetzee—and explores the role of the writer in our times with an extraordinary moral compass.
J.M. Coetzee once again breaks literary ground with Diary of a Bad Year, a book that is, in the words of its protagonist, a response to the present in which I find myself. Aging author Senor C has been commissioned to write a series of essays entitled Strong Opinions, of which he has many. After hiring a beautiful young typist named Anya, the two embark on a relationship that will have a profound impact on them both especially when Alan, Anya's no-good boyfriend, develops designs on Senor C's bank account. Told in these three voices simultaneously, Coetzee has created any entirely new way of telling a story, and nothing less than an involving, argumentative, moving novel (The New Yorker).
J.M. Coetzee once again breaks literary ground with Diary of a Bad Year, a book that is, in the words of its protagonist, a response to the present in which I find myself. Aging author Senor C has been commissioned to write a series of essays entitled Strong Opinions, of which he has many. After hiring a beautiful young typist named Anya, the two embark on a relationship that will have a profound impact on them both especially when Alan, Anya's no-good boyfriend, develops designs on Senor C's bank account. Told in these three voices simultaneously, Coetzee has created any entirely new way of telling a story, and nothing less than an involving, argumentative, moving novel (The New Yorker).
231 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2007
About the author
J.M. Coetzee
171 books4,985 followersJohn Maxwell Coetzee is an author and academic from South Africa. He became an Australian citizen in 2006 after relocating there in 2002. A novelist and literary critic as well as a translator, Coetzee has won the Booker Prize twice and was awarded the 2003 Nobel Prize in Literature.
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June 29, 2023
SEGRETA ARIA
In copertina Trophime Bigot: Allegoria della vanità (1580 circa).
John Maxwell Coetzee, meglio noto come J.M.Coetzee, secondo me il premio Nobel per la letteratura più meritato dall’inizio di questo terzio millennio, è scrittore che continua instancabilmente a sperimentare (sempre fedele alla lezione dei suoi maestri settecenteschi, Diderot e Sterne): qui s’inventa un’ampia fascia alta della pagina dove si sussegue una teoria di brevi saggi di argomento vario (politica, guerra, vecchiaia, fotografia, Machiavelli…) – mentre nella ridotta fascia bassa della pagina c’è la storia dell’incontro tra un anziano scrittore e una sua giovane vicina di casa.
J.M.Coetzee oltre che sperimentatore è un burlone: perché le due fasce si possono leggere separatamente, a prescindere l’una dall’altra. E mentre quella sopra, ben più ampia, è seriosa, sono opinioni forti, ostinate, gelide, testarde, su argomenti che possono facilmente anche annoiare il lettore (democrazia, anarchia, terrorismo, origini dello stato, sistemi di orientamento missili, Al Qaeda, Guantanamo, pedofilia…), sia per l’argomento in sé che per il tono con cui sono trattati: quella sotto è subito ghiotta perché il narratore è uno scrittore di oltre settant’anni, si chiama John C., vive in Australia ma viene dal Sudafrica, ha scritto un libro che si chiama Aspettando i barbari – tutte caratteristiche che lo identificano perfettamente con lo stesso autore J.M. Coetzee – e la ragazza è molto avvenente, e l’anziano ha da subito una specie di sturbo perché si sente troppo avanti con gli anni e sul viale del tramonto per una creatura così giovane fresca e attraente.
Opera di Alejandra Caballero.
J.M.Coetzee oltre che sperimentatore e burlone è un sadico: perché mentre la fascia alta, alla quale regala molto più spazio, è sempre meno coinvolgente, sempre più in tono di breve “trattato”, quella sotto diventa sempre più ghiotta col moltiplicarsi delle voci. Perché se è vero che la maggior parte del racconto è in capo all’anziano scrittore John C., non si può tralasciar di segnalare che dopo un poco prende voce anche Anya, la giovane vicina molto graziosa. E ancora più avanti le voci diventano tre, perché si aggiunge quella di Alan, il compagno di Anya, anche se a filtrarla è sempre Anya.
Opera di Elena Mutinelli.
Forse con la speranza di un tardivo rimorchio, oppure per circondarsi dell’avvenenza di Anya, bella ventinovenne di origine filippine, superficiale all’apparenza, ma più probabilmente per un ultimo contatto con il fascino e la sensibilità femminile incarnate da una giovane bella donna, l’anziano scrittore John C. le propone di fargli da segretaria: sbobinare i nastri dove incide le sue “opinioni forti” battendoli a macchina. Anya accetta: ha capito subito che il vecchio le sbava dietro e si diverte a flirtare con lui, sa che più che una “segretaria” lui cerca la sua “segreta aria”.
Ma il gioco si complica quando il compagno di lei, Alan, il consulente finanziario, s’inserisce nel rapporto tra scrittore e dattilografa.
J.M.Coetzee oltre che sperimentatore e burlone e sadico è un magnifico scrittore, di razza, forse il mio preferito tra i viventi. Così bravo da trasformare del materiale tanto eterogeneo e neppure troppo originale in un bellissimo racconto che tocca punte di intenso struggimento. Il che avviene soprattutto quando le “opinioni forti” lasciano il campo alle “opinioni tenere”.
Il che avviene nonostante Coetzee mantenga i suoi spigoli, la sua proverbiale distanza, una sorta di freddezza calorosa.
Molto bello il paragone tra queste pagine e un pentagramma: la suddivisione in fasce, il procedere del racconto graficamente presentato così, richiamano molto lo spartito musicale.
Gustave Moreau: La testa di Orfeo (1890).
In copertina Trophime Bigot: Allegoria della vanità (1580 circa).
John Maxwell Coetzee, meglio noto come J.M.Coetzee, secondo me il premio Nobel per la letteratura più meritato dall’inizio di questo terzio millennio, è scrittore che continua instancabilmente a sperimentare (sempre fedele alla lezione dei suoi maestri settecenteschi, Diderot e Sterne): qui s’inventa un’ampia fascia alta della pagina dove si sussegue una teoria di brevi saggi di argomento vario (politica, guerra, vecchiaia, fotografia, Machiavelli…) – mentre nella ridotta fascia bassa della pagina c’è la storia dell’incontro tra un anziano scrittore e una sua giovane vicina di casa.
J.M.Coetzee oltre che sperimentatore è un burlone: perché le due fasce si possono leggere separatamente, a prescindere l’una dall’altra. E mentre quella sopra, ben più ampia, è seriosa, sono opinioni forti, ostinate, gelide, testarde, su argomenti che possono facilmente anche annoiare il lettore (democrazia, anarchia, terrorismo, origini dello stato, sistemi di orientamento missili, Al Qaeda, Guantanamo, pedofilia…), sia per l’argomento in sé che per il tono con cui sono trattati: quella sotto è subito ghiotta perché il narratore è uno scrittore di oltre settant’anni, si chiama John C., vive in Australia ma viene dal Sudafrica, ha scritto un libro che si chiama Aspettando i barbari – tutte caratteristiche che lo identificano perfettamente con lo stesso autore J.M. Coetzee – e la ragazza è molto avvenente, e l’anziano ha da subito una specie di sturbo perché si sente troppo avanti con gli anni e sul viale del tramonto per una creatura così giovane fresca e attraente.
Opera di Alejandra Caballero.
J.M.Coetzee oltre che sperimentatore e burlone è un sadico: perché mentre la fascia alta, alla quale regala molto più spazio, è sempre meno coinvolgente, sempre più in tono di breve “trattato”, quella sotto diventa sempre più ghiotta col moltiplicarsi delle voci. Perché se è vero che la maggior parte del racconto è in capo all’anziano scrittore John C., non si può tralasciar di segnalare che dopo un poco prende voce anche Anya, la giovane vicina molto graziosa. E ancora più avanti le voci diventano tre, perché si aggiunge quella di Alan, il compagno di Anya, anche se a filtrarla è sempre Anya.
Opera di Elena Mutinelli.
Forse con la speranza di un tardivo rimorchio, oppure per circondarsi dell’avvenenza di Anya, bella ventinovenne di origine filippine, superficiale all’apparenza, ma più probabilmente per un ultimo contatto con il fascino e la sensibilità femminile incarnate da una giovane bella donna, l’anziano scrittore John C. le propone di fargli da segretaria: sbobinare i nastri dove incide le sue “opinioni forti” battendoli a macchina. Anya accetta: ha capito subito che il vecchio le sbava dietro e si diverte a flirtare con lui, sa che più che una “segretaria” lui cerca la sua “segreta aria”.
Ma il gioco si complica quando il compagno di lei, Alan, il consulente finanziario, s’inserisce nel rapporto tra scrittore e dattilografa.
J.M.Coetzee oltre che sperimentatore e burlone e sadico è un magnifico scrittore, di razza, forse il mio preferito tra i viventi. Così bravo da trasformare del materiale tanto eterogeneo e neppure troppo originale in un bellissimo racconto che tocca punte di intenso struggimento. Il che avviene soprattutto quando le “opinioni forti” lasciano il campo alle “opinioni tenere”.
Il che avviene nonostante Coetzee mantenga i suoi spigoli, la sua proverbiale distanza, una sorta di freddezza calorosa.
Molto bello il paragone tra queste pagine e un pentagramma: la suddivisione in fasce, il procedere del racconto graficamente presentato così, richiamano molto lo spartito musicale.
Gustave Moreau: La testa di Orfeo (1890).
June 13, 2019
J. M. Coetzee may just be the only living contemporary writer that actually gets better & better with age. (An anomaly if there ever was one...). Against the very paradigms that cemented him as a worthy premiere multi-award recipient celebrity writer in the first place, Coetzee is an astonishing artist. Validation of the writer seems to be Coetzee's most recent and compelling theme. With "Elizabeth Costello" (his magnum opus in my view) we reached the heavens (!). In "Summertime" we delved into the inner realms of not all writers, just this singular one, Coetzee. But when coming upon the "How Can I Possibly Contribute Something New to My Art" Rubicon, what does Coetzee do? Tie up more loose ends that sums up his own poetics*, while making the reader's experience a refreshingly new one. The continuity of this top-notch intuition (which has made its way in the more recent books by the South African) transforms the writer's life into the body of work itself. That is, it lives on... with brilliance, with raw nerve. This is why if you haven't read any of his books (all of 'em are "great"-to-"absolutely perrrfect" in rating) please start soon (& all of 'em are brief).
In this mesmerizing and intrepid fiction, three or more events are occurring simultaneously. The trick is pulled off brilliantly--and you know this because it has never been done in this way before.
Instead of gimmicky, I feel that all these writerly acrobatics actually bring us closer and closer to a more profound and concrete Truth that had not til today seemed possible. (Both the Question & the Answer.)
*the Otherness as adversary ("Disgrace"), physical deterioration ("Slow Man"), intellectual dignity ("E. Costello") to name some.
In this mesmerizing and intrepid fiction, three or more events are occurring simultaneously. The trick is pulled off brilliantly--and you know this because it has never been done in this way before.
Instead of gimmicky, I feel that all these writerly acrobatics actually bring us closer and closer to a more profound and concrete Truth that had not til today seemed possible. (Both the Question & the Answer.)
*the Otherness as adversary ("Disgrace"), physical deterioration ("Slow Man"), intellectual dignity ("E. Costello") to name some.
July 15, 2020
في سرد غير تقليدي يرسم كوتزي صورة كاملة لرجل في نهاية العمر تبدو فيها مشاعره وشغفه بجانب أفكاره وآراؤه
بنية الرواية السردية مختلفة.. مقسمة لثلاثة أجزاء أفقيا وكلهم مرتبطين بشخصية الراوي
وهو كاتب مشهور تعدى السبعين ويتشابه إلى حد ما مع جى ام كوتزي
في آخر جزئين يحكي الراوي عن حياته بشيء من التفصيل وعن علاقته بجارته الجميلة
ثم تبدأ هي أيضا في الحكي عن حياتها ونظرتها للكاتب الكبير واختلافها مع أفكاره
أما أول جزء فهو مجموعة مقالات ويوميات للراوي في موضوعات مختلفة
ما بين سياسية وعامة وذكريات ويوميات خاصة
آراء قوية ينقد فيها بعض الشخصيات والظواهر العامة والسياسات
منها التمييز العنصري في جنوب افريقيا, وإدانة السياسة الأمريكية في تعاملها مع الإرهاب
وهناك موضوعات أجمل كانت عن الموسيقى واللغة والأدب
بنية الرواية السردية مختلفة.. مقسمة لثلاثة أجزاء أفقيا وكلهم مرتبطين بشخصية الراوي
وهو كاتب مشهور تعدى السبعين ويتشابه إلى حد ما مع جى ام كوتزي
في آخر جزئين يحكي الراوي عن حياته بشيء من التفصيل وعن علاقته بجارته الجميلة
ثم تبدأ هي أيضا في الحكي عن حياتها ونظرتها للكاتب الكبير واختلافها مع أفكاره
أما أول جزء فهو مجموعة مقالات ويوميات للراوي في موضوعات مختلفة
ما بين سياسية وعامة وذكريات ويوميات خاصة
آراء قوية ينقد فيها بعض الشخصيات والظواهر العامة والسياسات
منها التمييز العنصري في جنوب افريقيا, وإدانة السياسة الأمريكية في تعاملها مع الإرهاب
وهناك موضوعات أجمل كانت عن الموسيقى واللغة والأدب
August 25, 2021
01. Options on Reading Diary of a Bad Year
1. Page by page. Begin at the beginning, end at the end. Turn to the Next page.
2. Section by section. Begin at the beginning, end at the end. Proceed to the next section.
3. Chapter by chapter. Begin at the beginning, end at the end. Proceed to the next chapter.
1. This can be done page by page or section by section.
4. Word for word. Begin at the beginning and end at the end.
I may be alone in this opinion, but I prefer later Coetzee. It may come as a shocker, but not everything a South African writer produces has to comment on apartheid or post-apartheid South Africa. Rather than simply telling a story, Coetzee becomes interested in the mechanics of telling a story—Foe and The Master of Petersburg were already fairly experimental—and blends fact and fiction in such a way that they are indistinguishable. This isn’t part of his autobiographical fiction trilogy, but it could be. Could it really, though? Yes—no—maybe so. Either way, I’ll be the guinea pig for JM Coetzee’s experimental fiction any day.
The protagonist here is an aging writer—JC, Juan C, author of Waiting for the Barbarians, but older than Coetzee was when writing it. He is a South African living in Australia, writing a book of ‘strong’ opinions on various political subjects, but also on (more interesting) subjects such as the body, the slaughter of animals, tourism, and the afterlife. Are these JM Coetzee’s opinions? Not necessarily—fictional nonfiction seems like daunting task. Later follow ‘soft’ opinions, and woven throughout is commentary by the author of these opinions as well as by his typist, Anya.
Are Coetzee and metafiction ever going to be synonymous? Coetzee and Vonnegut mentioned in the same breath? Probably not.
1. Page by page. Begin at the beginning, end at the end. Turn to the Next page.
2. Section by section. Begin at the beginning, end at the end. Proceed to the next section.
3. Chapter by chapter. Begin at the beginning, end at the end. Proceed to the next chapter.
1. This can be done page by page or section by section.
4. Word for word. Begin at the beginning and end at the end.
I may be alone in this opinion, but I prefer later Coetzee. It may come as a shocker, but not everything a South African writer produces has to comment on apartheid or post-apartheid South Africa. Rather than simply telling a story, Coetzee becomes interested in the mechanics of telling a story—Foe and The Master of Petersburg were already fairly experimental—and blends fact and fiction in such a way that they are indistinguishable. This isn’t part of his autobiographical fiction trilogy, but it could be. Could it really, though? Yes—no—maybe so. Either way, I’ll be the guinea pig for JM Coetzee’s experimental fiction any day.
The protagonist here is an aging writer—JC, Juan C, author of Waiting for the Barbarians, but older than Coetzee was when writing it. He is a South African living in Australia, writing a book of ‘strong’ opinions on various political subjects, but also on (more interesting) subjects such as the body, the slaughter of animals, tourism, and the afterlife. Are these JM Coetzee’s opinions? Not necessarily—fictional nonfiction seems like daunting task. Later follow ‘soft’ opinions, and woven throughout is commentary by the author of these opinions as well as by his typist, Anya.
Are Coetzee and metafiction ever going to be synonymous? Coetzee and Vonnegut mentioned in the same breath? Probably not.
June 8, 2010
The novel is written in three continuous strands. First, a series of short essays. What some people call Occasional Pieces. Second, the story of the writer and the lady. Or what could be called the general plot of the book. And third the perspective of the lady, her observations and narration of the events of strand two and sometimes opinions of strand one, of which she has been hired to type up for the aging author.
Almost every page is split into three sections. Each section corresponding to a different strand.
At first the sections neatly frame each of the strands. But then the sections begin to be less contiguous. Some sections are very short and episodic, some go on stretching for multiple chapters. The chapter lengths decided by the length of the essays. Some stories keeping going on and on. The reader has to make a choice, follow the story or follow the pages.
The reader must make a choice. There is no way around it. A choice must be made.
Inevitably what the reader choses implicates him or her into the crime of authorship. The crime of choice, of discrimination. The book I read and gave four stars to could be the same one physically that you read, but the text inevitably would be radically different. There is little chance you could make the same choices I did. The text would be radically different the next time I read this book. There is little chance I would make the same choices again.
I can't help but wonder what the experience would have been to read the book in a different order.
To have read the third section through all of the chapters and then return to read the essays, and finally read the story: what would this book have been? I fear falling into a Borgesian trap with contemplation of all the possible texts contained within this one unassuming book.
How would Coetzee have wanted this book to be read? I mean how did he perceive his perfect reader to read this book, does he still perceive the perfect reader in the same way?
Coetzee, theauthor writer, remains almost silent on the Question within the confines of the book. To go outside of the book and see what he may have said in an interview, what some scholar or that scholar says and thinks, or what another reviewer states would not answer anything. Instead, merely another layer would be added to the text, a barrier would be erected, even though it was meant to be a bridge meant to cross the abyss of distance between the writer, the book, and the reader.
Coetzee, the writer, mentions Barthes. He acknowldges the death of the author as figurehead. Of the text as a monolithic totality. Coetzee mentions Focault.
By what right do I have to be writing any of this? To be adding my own voice to this book, to any book. To be forcing my way between a person and a book and trying to add my own voice to the resonance of voices. To the white noise of people all trying to add their own nonsense into the din.
We are all tyrannical authors, at least in our dreams. Most of us are just lazy authors though, and commit our crimes without the labor of creation.
Almost every page is split into three sections. Each section corresponding to a different strand.
At first the sections neatly frame each of the strands. But then the sections begin to be less contiguous. Some sections are very short and episodic, some go on stretching for multiple chapters. The chapter lengths decided by the length of the essays. Some stories keeping going on and on. The reader has to make a choice, follow the story or follow the pages.
The reader must make a choice. There is no way around it. A choice must be made.
Inevitably what the reader choses implicates him or her into the crime of authorship. The crime of choice, of discrimination. The book I read and gave four stars to could be the same one physically that you read, but the text inevitably would be radically different. There is little chance you could make the same choices I did. The text would be radically different the next time I read this book. There is little chance I would make the same choices again.
I can't help but wonder what the experience would have been to read the book in a different order.
To have read the third section through all of the chapters and then return to read the essays, and finally read the story: what would this book have been? I fear falling into a Borgesian trap with contemplation of all the possible texts contained within this one unassuming book.
How would Coetzee have wanted this book to be read? I mean how did he perceive his perfect reader to read this book, does he still perceive the perfect reader in the same way?
Coetzee, the
Coetzee, the writer, mentions Barthes. He acknowldges the death of the author as figurehead. Of the text as a monolithic totality. Coetzee mentions Focault.
By what right do I have to be writing any of this? To be adding my own voice to this book, to any book. To be forcing my way between a person and a book and trying to add my own voice to the resonance of voices. To the white noise of people all trying to add their own nonsense into the din.
We are all tyrannical authors, at least in our dreams. Most of us are just lazy authors though, and commit our crimes without the labor of creation.
October 12, 2022
El hombre reflexiona sobre el origen del estado. Ve entrar a una “asombrosa joven” a la lavandería y piensa en ella y en su vestido rojo. A mí la lectura ya me ha encantado. Creo que es una especie de monólogo interior. Pero no. Las reflexiones del señor son sus textos para un libro de opiniones y, en cambio, sobre la chica de rojo escribe en su diario. Esta chica se llama Anya y se convierte en su mecanógrafa y comenta las opiniones del señor con su marido quien, a la vez, opina sobre todo. Entonces, Anya piensa: “Pero ¿y yo qué? ¿Quién escucha mis opiniones?”.
Esta estructura dialógica es de lo más divertida, son interesantes las “opiniones contundentes” de este escritor que es un poco parecido a Coetzee, y podría ser él, y lo es de a ratos porque escribió Esperando a los bárbaros y tiene en mente un argumento digno de Elizabeth Costello.
También es entretenida la relación con Anya. La historia y los ensayos se intercalan de manera equilibrada integrando un corpus impecable. Las opiniones son sobre temas muy variados.
En la primera parte se exponen temas serios que formarán parte de un libro: “Se trata de que seis escritores de diversos países digan lo que piensan acerca de los temas que ellos mismos elijan, cuanto más polémicos mejor. Seis eminentes escritores pronunciándose sobre lo que va mal en el mundo de hoy”. Lo que nuestro escritor ve como “Una oportunidad de refunfuñar en público, una oportunidad mágica de llevar a cabo una venganza contra el mundo por rechazar adecuarse a mis fantasías”.
En la segunda parte los temas son más ligeros y personales, Anya los llama “opiniones suaves”.
Fue un deleite leer Diario de un mal año, vino a rescatarme de unos días difíciles porque yo también estoy teniendo un mal año y la literatura salva y esto es literatura y metaliteratura de la buena, muy buena, la mejor.
Esta estructura dialógica es de lo más divertida, son interesantes las “opiniones contundentes” de este escritor que es un poco parecido a Coetzee, y podría ser él, y lo es de a ratos porque escribió Esperando a los bárbaros y tiene en mente un argumento digno de Elizabeth Costello.
También es entretenida la relación con Anya. La historia y los ensayos se intercalan de manera equilibrada integrando un corpus impecable. Las opiniones son sobre temas muy variados.
En la primera parte se exponen temas serios que formarán parte de un libro: “Se trata de que seis escritores de diversos países digan lo que piensan acerca de los temas que ellos mismos elijan, cuanto más polémicos mejor. Seis eminentes escritores pronunciándose sobre lo que va mal en el mundo de hoy”. Lo que nuestro escritor ve como “Una oportunidad de refunfuñar en público, una oportunidad mágica de llevar a cabo una venganza contra el mundo por rechazar adecuarse a mis fantasías”.
En la segunda parte los temas son más ligeros y personales, Anya los llama “opiniones suaves”.
Fue un deleite leer Diario de un mal año, vino a rescatarme de unos días difíciles porque yo también estoy teniendo un mal año y la literatura salva y esto es literatura y metaliteratura de la buena, muy buena, la mejor.
December 2, 2019
Coetzee's take in this book is a bit sarcastic: he presents us a world famous, celebrated writer with the initials J.C., who belittles himself, questions his merit, and indicates how futile his literary work actually is. Automatically you have the impression Coetzee is writing about himself.
This diary starts with a series of short essays on all kinds of issues, often international politics and human rights. Of course, we soon have the impression that here the author himself (Coetzee) speaks, hidden behind the very transparent alter ego J.C., an aged South African writer, a bit sick and lonely, for some years living in Australia (as Coetzee is), and disillusioned in the politics of that new country as those of his motherland. We hear the voice of what you can call 'liberal reasonableness', JC himself favors the term anarchism.
Coetzee immediately adds a second and later also a third 'Melody-line', literally visible with a three-panel layout in the book. The second melody/layer seems to be quite trivial and describes the platonic relationship of JC with a Philippine beauty he has hired to type his a manuscript; initially the focus is on the rather pathetic obsession of the older man (she calls him Senor C.) for the charms of his secretary. In the third melody-line we hear the Philippine woman herself, and it appears that she consciously uses these charms. But at some point her focus turns to what the old man writes, she brings into words what that does with her (she finds it all rather pedantic actually) and she gradually develops sympathy for the pathetic old man. She urges him even to shift the angle of his writing to a more introspective stance and to write more about life and literature. That leads to a breakup with her own boyfriend, an intelligent but downright rude Australian who disparages the author with arguments that also seem to contain some truth.
The three melodies together form a very complex, rich book that you can access from different angles. Intriguing, yet not quite successful. Especially the second and third melody-line constantly feel underdeveloped; one yearns to have more details on the (emotional) interaction between JC and the woman. It seems that Coetzee only uses this storyline as a teaser, to indicate what evolution takes place in the head of the author, doubting himself and his work, shifting his attention from the ‘serious’ world of politics and ethics to that of life, death and literature. In this way the short, dry essays ('opinions') keep dominating this book, at the expense of the real story line. And that is a pity. No, this Coetzee is an ingenious composition, but it did not captivate me as much as his other work. (2.5 stars)
This diary starts with a series of short essays on all kinds of issues, often international politics and human rights. Of course, we soon have the impression that here the author himself (Coetzee) speaks, hidden behind the very transparent alter ego J.C., an aged South African writer, a bit sick and lonely, for some years living in Australia (as Coetzee is), and disillusioned in the politics of that new country as those of his motherland. We hear the voice of what you can call 'liberal reasonableness', JC himself favors the term anarchism.
Coetzee immediately adds a second and later also a third 'Melody-line', literally visible with a three-panel layout in the book. The second melody/layer seems to be quite trivial and describes the platonic relationship of JC with a Philippine beauty he has hired to type his a manuscript; initially the focus is on the rather pathetic obsession of the older man (she calls him Senor C.) for the charms of his secretary. In the third melody-line we hear the Philippine woman herself, and it appears that she consciously uses these charms. But at some point her focus turns to what the old man writes, she brings into words what that does with her (she finds it all rather pedantic actually) and she gradually develops sympathy for the pathetic old man. She urges him even to shift the angle of his writing to a more introspective stance and to write more about life and literature. That leads to a breakup with her own boyfriend, an intelligent but downright rude Australian who disparages the author with arguments that also seem to contain some truth.
The three melodies together form a very complex, rich book that you can access from different angles. Intriguing, yet not quite successful. Especially the second and third melody-line constantly feel underdeveloped; one yearns to have more details on the (emotional) interaction between JC and the woman. It seems that Coetzee only uses this storyline as a teaser, to indicate what evolution takes place in the head of the author, doubting himself and his work, shifting his attention from the ‘serious’ world of politics and ethics to that of life, death and literature. In this way the short, dry essays ('opinions') keep dominating this book, at the expense of the real story line. And that is a pity. No, this Coetzee is an ingenious composition, but it did not captivate me as much as his other work. (2.5 stars)
December 3, 2020
A week ago I woke up and had no interest in reading. Over all these years this never happened. It wasn't that I had no interest in reading in that moment or that day but that interest in reading as a whole, as a part of me was gone. I felt the loss. The next day the same and the next.
Recently I bought a few books. All supposedly very good but dipping into them I drew a blank. It soon dawned on me that what these new books did not provide was a, PLACE TO RESIDE. Looking back over my GR list of books read, scanning my shelves at home, I realized that who did provide this in the past was J.M. Coetzee, his, Diary of a Bad Year and Carole Maso's, astonishing Ava. The particular genious of Maso's poetry in prose and prose in poetry bring the past to be experienced in the most vivd and difficult present. Don't get me started that will be for the next review.
What Coetzee so generously lent me was an atmosphere, a quality of tone, a voice inviting me into a literary consciousness that intoned a quality of perspective that I took with me in my daily life. I resided there.
Interestingly I did not like the book itself as much this time around. At the end I felt according to other literary criteria that it was slight leaving little impact; no scarring or burrowed creases of wisdom rising. But I am so grateful for having residence in that literary world which felt much like home.
Recently I bought a few books. All supposedly very good but dipping into them I drew a blank. It soon dawned on me that what these new books did not provide was a, PLACE TO RESIDE. Looking back over my GR list of books read, scanning my shelves at home, I realized that who did provide this in the past was J.M. Coetzee, his, Diary of a Bad Year and Carole Maso's, astonishing Ava. The particular genious of Maso's poetry in prose and prose in poetry bring the past to be experienced in the most vivd and difficult present. Don't get me started that will be for the next review.
What Coetzee so generously lent me was an atmosphere, a quality of tone, a voice inviting me into a literary consciousness that intoned a quality of perspective that I took with me in my daily life. I resided there.
Interestingly I did not like the book itself as much this time around. At the end I felt according to other literary criteria that it was slight leaving little impact; no scarring or burrowed creases of wisdom rising. But I am so grateful for having residence in that literary world which felt much like home.
April 10, 2014
I read this on the recommendation of a friend, who said that she didn't know anyone else who had read the book and wanted to have someone to talk about it with. I had never heard of it, although JM Coetzee does have several books on The List (not this one, unfortunately, but now I at least want to seek out some more of his work). I also realized, looking over my Goodreads shelves, that this is the first book I've read in 2014 that was written by a man. So take that, patriarchy!
The format of Diary of a Bad Year is, at first glance, daunting. Each page is divided up into three sections, each representing the viewpoints of a different character. The first section is for the official writings of Senor C, an aging author who is putting together a collection of essays for a book called "Strong Opinions." The second section is Senor C's personal perspective, describing what occurred while he was working on his essays. The third section is for Anya, the woman Senor C hires as a typist. Coetzee starts out easy, dividing each page into just Senor C's essay and his personal narration, and then gradually adds Anya's perspective to the bottom of the page. The three voices share pages for a while, and then gradually things shift. Senor C's essay sections get shorter as the personal perspectives get longer. Sometimes an essay will extend to the second page, leaving you with a choice that another reviewer phrased beautifully: follow the writing, or follow the story? Reading Diary of a Bad Year was, if nothing else, a fun exercise in form, and it's to Coetzee's credit that all three sections remain cohesive and never become too confusing.
My biggest problem with this book was Anya - as a character, she's frustrating. Senor C hires her because he thinks she has a great butt and wants an excuse to spend time with her. Anya is aware of this, and is proud of it. She's portrayed pretty shallowly, always talking about how it's important for her to be attractive to men, and she's in a relationship with an older man who left his wife for Anya. The man, Alan, intrudes on the story halfway through (he has some dumb plan about stealing from Senor C's bank account with computers, I don't know) and soon Anya's perspective becomes overshadowed by Alan's presence. Anya starts out disdainful of Senor C, gently mocking him as a silly and slightly creepy old man, but by the end of the book, she thinks of him only with respect and reverence. Anya seemed less like a character and more like the personification of JM Coetzee's personal wish fulfillment - it's such a cliche, the idea of an older male author wanting some young pretty girl to worship him and his writing, but here it is. It was profoundly irritated to me to see Anya start out looking at Senor C with derision, and end with wide-eyed admiration, especially because he hadn't done anything to earn it.
It's an interesting book, especially in terms of form, and I enjoyed it despite my issues with Anya. I'll have to keep Coetzee in mind the next time I'm looking for a new book, and see if I have a better experience the second time around.
"Of late, sketching stories seems to have become a substitute for writing them. I think of Gyula and his harem of images. It is one of the consequences of growing older that one no longer needs the thing itself, that the idea of the thing suffices - as, in matters of the heart, the entertainment of a possibility, called ideal love by Gyula but more familiar to ordinary people as flirtation, may become a substitute, a not unwelcome substitute, for love itself?"
The format of Diary of a Bad Year is, at first glance, daunting. Each page is divided up into three sections, each representing the viewpoints of a different character. The first section is for the official writings of Senor C, an aging author who is putting together a collection of essays for a book called "Strong Opinions." The second section is Senor C's personal perspective, describing what occurred while he was working on his essays. The third section is for Anya, the woman Senor C hires as a typist. Coetzee starts out easy, dividing each page into just Senor C's essay and his personal narration, and then gradually adds Anya's perspective to the bottom of the page. The three voices share pages for a while, and then gradually things shift. Senor C's essay sections get shorter as the personal perspectives get longer. Sometimes an essay will extend to the second page, leaving you with a choice that another reviewer phrased beautifully: follow the writing, or follow the story? Reading Diary of a Bad Year was, if nothing else, a fun exercise in form, and it's to Coetzee's credit that all three sections remain cohesive and never become too confusing.
My biggest problem with this book was Anya - as a character, she's frustrating. Senor C hires her because he thinks she has a great butt and wants an excuse to spend time with her. Anya is aware of this, and is proud of it. She's portrayed pretty shallowly, always talking about how it's important for her to be attractive to men, and she's in a relationship with an older man who left his wife for Anya. The man, Alan, intrudes on the story halfway through (he has some dumb plan about stealing from Senor C's bank account with computers, I don't know) and soon Anya's perspective becomes overshadowed by Alan's presence. Anya starts out disdainful of Senor C, gently mocking him as a silly and slightly creepy old man, but by the end of the book, she thinks of him only with respect and reverence. Anya seemed less like a character and more like the personification of JM Coetzee's personal wish fulfillment - it's such a cliche, the idea of an older male author wanting some young pretty girl to worship him and his writing, but here it is. It was profoundly irritated to me to see Anya start out looking at Senor C with derision, and end with wide-eyed admiration, especially because he hadn't done anything to earn it.
It's an interesting book, especially in terms of form, and I enjoyed it despite my issues with Anya. I'll have to keep Coetzee in mind the next time I'm looking for a new book, and see if I have a better experience the second time around.
"Of late, sketching stories seems to have become a substitute for writing them. I think of Gyula and his harem of images. It is one of the consequences of growing older that one no longer needs the thing itself, that the idea of the thing suffices - as, in matters of the heart, the entertainment of a possibility, called ideal love by Gyula but more familiar to ordinary people as flirtation, may become a substitute, a not unwelcome substitute, for love itself?"
January 13, 2009
I was slightly dismayed to find that this is one of those books which manipulates the reader with strange page arrangements and multiple points of view, but I was soon drawn into the story. In fact, it is suspenseful, thought-provoking, and quite interesting. Maybe it is a story about relationships; between men and women, between youth and age, between ideas and emotions, between prose and essay, between reader and author. Well, I'm not the first person to say that Coetzee is a great original writer but I'm happy to join the throng.
March 27, 2017
never again
January 5, 2020
Every time I read a Coetzee novel, I wonder why I've not read more of his work; it's the same way I feel about Margaret Atwood - neither of them ever disappoints. Essentially, the book has only three characters, The Author (C), Anya, and Alan, and Coetzee's characterization of each is spot on. Coetzee explores, at length, his thoughts about the decline of morality of the State (this was 2006, mind you, so I can only imagine his dismay at the situation in 2020), and he ruminates on a variety of other issues from moral choices (what is worse, killing an albatross or pulling the plug on a brain-dead baby) to J.S. Bach. But we are left to guess whether these are indeed Coetzee's opinions or simply a literary device. I think the former.
Each page after Chapter 5 is divided in three parts, the putative literary output of C, the thoughts and sayings of Anya, and conversations between Anya and Alan. It's an interesting approach, but the perspective of Anya is what drives the narrative forward, in my opinion. Since I've lived outside the US twice for extended periods, it is always interesting to hear opinions about the States from someone like Coetzee who lived in the US for seven years, and knows it well, but is an outsider.
I found this book in a pile of others (all previously read), and I suspect it's been gathering dust for at least ten years. Now I need to go back and read his first Mann Booker Prize winner, Life & Time of Michael K.
Each page after Chapter 5 is divided in three parts, the putative literary output of C, the thoughts and sayings of Anya, and conversations between Anya and Alan. It's an interesting approach, but the perspective of Anya is what drives the narrative forward, in my opinion. Since I've lived outside the US twice for extended periods, it is always interesting to hear opinions about the States from someone like Coetzee who lived in the US for seven years, and knows it well, but is an outsider.
I found this book in a pile of others (all previously read), and I suspect it's been gathering dust for at least ten years. Now I need to go back and read his first Mann Booker Prize winner, Life & Time of Michael K.
September 15, 2007
coetzee, one of the great living writers, has lost his faith in narrative... in the power of fictional characters and situations to illuminate some kind of truth as it pertains to real life. Elizabeth Costello was fascinating if only to watch coetzee wrestle with his objections to conventional narrative. Slow Man, on the other hand, was just horrible. his first horrible novel. and Diary of a Bad Year is somewhere in between. its worst crime, perhaps, is a blandness and breeziness just not acceptable from the guy who wrote The Life and Times of Michael K and Waiting for the Barbarians.
June 15, 2018
If you ever wonder how not to write a book, well, here’s you’re number one example. I’ll admit the stylistic choice in and of itself is an intriguing concept, but when 60% of the novel is shoving a grumpy old mans perspective on the world down your throat, 20% is an old male writer ogling a younger woman with several bordering racist and sexist comments, and the rest the most degrading and humiliating representation of a woman’s thoughts I’ve ever encountered, there is no doubt in my mind that this book doesn’t even deserve to be returned to a charity shop.
December 2, 2023
There are three strands to this book almost on every page. Firstly, essays on various topics by an elderly author, initials JC. In the middle the authors reflections on the interactions with Anya, a sexy young woman who lives in the same building. He gets her to be a kind of secretary for him, typing up the essays. And the third section is Anya’s thoughts on both the author and her relationship with Alan, the man she lives with (a totally unlikeable man).
Published in 2007, much of the politics are of the time, the war on terror, Guantanamo bay, Australia’s treatment of refugees, Howard, Blair, Bush etc but as I was reading I found it quite an interesting look back at those years, and really it’d be great to have a follow up to see where Coetzee’s thoughts are now. There’s more than just politics, thoughts on nature, religion, ageing, the afterlife, writing, art, music, and so on. I enjoyed the interplay between the three strands and wondered how much the author in the book is the same as Coetzee himself.
Published in 2007, much of the politics are of the time, the war on terror, Guantanamo bay, Australia’s treatment of refugees, Howard, Blair, Bush etc but as I was reading I found it quite an interesting look back at those years, and really it’d be great to have a follow up to see where Coetzee’s thoughts are now. There’s more than just politics, thoughts on nature, religion, ageing, the afterlife, writing, art, music, and so on. I enjoyed the interplay between the three strands and wondered how much the author in the book is the same as Coetzee himself.
November 24, 2021
Que divertido de leer me ha resultado. El que quiera ver a un autor consagrado (y ya veterano cuando escribió este libro), probando cosas nuevas, aquí tenemos a Coetzee buscando retos como un debutante.
Sin correr riesgo de hacer spoiler, se puede decir que son 3 historias relacionadas y paralelas que se van contando simultáneamente, en las cuales el lector es libre de avanzar con una y dejar el resto rezagado, realizar una lectura continua y correlativa, avanzar 2-3 páginas o un capítulo entero de una historia que te interese y retornar después a las otras, incluso abandonar o saltar algunas líneas de algún ensayo que te interese menos de los que propone el autor (que por lo general son muy lúcidos). No se puede abandonar por entero una de las tres líneas del relato, ya que como digo, se hacen referencias continuas en unas a otras.
Al principio no me pareció tan novedosa la propuesta, creí que no era tan original (Vargas Llosa y otros mezclan 2 y hasta 3 conversaciones) y me llevó 20 o 30 páginas reconocer lo difícil y nuevo de esta novela, mezclando tiempos y relacionando las historias, comprobando además que la forma más adecuada de leerla, yo diría que es en horizontal en lugar de en vertical, ya que no va con manual de instrucciones.
Sin correr riesgo de hacer spoiler, se puede decir que son 3 historias relacionadas y paralelas que se van contando simultáneamente, en las cuales el lector es libre de avanzar con una y dejar el resto rezagado, realizar una lectura continua y correlativa, avanzar 2-3 páginas o un capítulo entero de una historia que te interese y retornar después a las otras, incluso abandonar o saltar algunas líneas de algún ensayo que te interese menos de los que propone el autor (que por lo general son muy lúcidos). No se puede abandonar por entero una de las tres líneas del relato, ya que como digo, se hacen referencias continuas en unas a otras.
Al principio no me pareció tan novedosa la propuesta, creí que no era tan original (Vargas Llosa y otros mezclan 2 y hasta 3 conversaciones) y me llevó 20 o 30 páginas reconocer lo difícil y nuevo de esta novela, mezclando tiempos y relacionando las historias, comprobando además que la forma más adecuada de leerla, yo diría que es en horizontal en lugar de en vertical, ya que no va con manual de instrucciones.
June 30, 2020
There are books that tell a story and there are books that are the story. This book belongs to the latter category - quite masterfully done by Mr.Coetzee with three parallel narratives. I read later than in the paperback version of the book - it runs as three frames!
A 70+ South African author with onset of Parkinsons is writing his new book in Australia. The commission is called "Strong Opinions" which will be published in German and the book talks about hugely political and hardline topics like On Terrorism and On Anarchism and On Pedophilia. In a parallel thread between the chapters, he meets a young woman who lives in the same apartment and takes her on as his typist.
You know how it is a general phenomenon that a hot headed man slowly gets his act right and his edges smoothened by the influence of a woman? What happens to a work of art by a lonely author spewing anger by the influence of a young woman who is not a lover or not all platonic?
In the words of the woman towards the end of the book "Your Strong opinions seem to have become soft opinions"
So
"Whether the citizen lives or dies is not a concern of the state. What matters to the state and its records is whether the citizen is alive or dead.”
becomes
"Perhaps certain qualities of feeling that found expression in music can be recorded by being notated on paper, have become so remote that we can no longer inhabit them as feelings, can get a grasp of them only after long training in the history and philosophy of music, the philosophical history of music, the history of music as a history of the feeling soul."
The only other character is her live-in boyfriend who is a crook and a boor making the author the easy 'hero' in the triangle. The book has a sense of autobiography, sense of an elective emotion that distinguishes it. I probably missed a few references, but the essays were brilliant!
An amazing achievement - even without the gimmicky plotline.
A 70+ South African author with onset of Parkinsons is writing his new book in Australia. The commission is called "Strong Opinions" which will be published in German and the book talks about hugely political and hardline topics like On Terrorism and On Anarchism and On Pedophilia. In a parallel thread between the chapters, he meets a young woman who lives in the same apartment and takes her on as his typist.
You know how it is a general phenomenon that a hot headed man slowly gets his act right and his edges smoothened by the influence of a woman? What happens to a work of art by a lonely author spewing anger by the influence of a young woman who is not a lover or not all platonic?
In the words of the woman towards the end of the book "Your Strong opinions seem to have become soft opinions"
So
"Whether the citizen lives or dies is not a concern of the state. What matters to the state and its records is whether the citizen is alive or dead.”
becomes
"Perhaps certain qualities of feeling that found expression in music can be recorded by being notated on paper, have become so remote that we can no longer inhabit them as feelings, can get a grasp of them only after long training in the history and philosophy of music, the philosophical history of music, the history of music as a history of the feeling soul."
The only other character is her live-in boyfriend who is a crook and a boor making the author the easy 'hero' in the triangle. The book has a sense of autobiography, sense of an elective emotion that distinguishes it. I probably missed a few references, but the essays were brilliant!
An amazing achievement - even without the gimmicky plotline.
December 17, 2014
„Дневник на една лоша година” е многостранен експеримент на Кутси. Жанрово неопределим, опит за автобиография в обем от два дневника, смес от фикция и мемоари. Изпитание за читателите дали и в каква степен ще го разпознаят там, ако разбира се, имат търпение и налучкат своя си правилен начин да прочетат книгата. Защото това е единственото, които евентуално би затруднило някого в асимилирането на литературното му предизвикателство като форма и съдържание.
"Роман ли? О, не. Вече нямам тази издръжливост. За да пишеш роман, трябва да си като Атлас, да крепиш целия свят върху плещите си и да го държиш там в продължение на месеци и години, докато нещата се избистрят от само себе си." Опровергава се през 2013 г. с The Childhood of Jesus, но при написването на дневниците изглежда изцяло погълнат от идеята да нахвърля само отделни мисли. Резултатът е триптих, в който дори и страниците са разделени визуално в началото на две, а след първите глави – на три.
В горната част е гръбнакът на книгата, есета по различни, най-често глобални теми, в които прави интересни асоциации и сравнения: за политическия живот в Австралия, засяга също Южна Африка, САЩ и Канада, за анархизма и демокрацията, тероризма и Ал Кайда, за затвора в Гуантанамо, бежанските лагери, аборигените и апартейда, за клането на животни и птичия грип, тялото, педофилията, интелигентния дизайн и животът след смъртта, конкуренцията, музиката, литературата, английския език и университетите.
В средата на страниците един стар, кротък, наивен, меланхоличен и трудно контролиращ мускулите си писател работи по книга. В нея шестима известни автори от различни страни ще споделят "Категорични мнения" за онова, което според тях е сбъркано в този свят и той се опитва да спази кратките срокове за своята част с есетата. В общата пералня на сградата среща красива млада жена. Единственият начин да случи наивната си мечта за една последна любов, каквато е възможна извън и след физическите желания, е да задържи обсебилото го миньонче край себе си с предложение срещу почти нереално високо заплащане „да го разбира интуитивно” и да набира и оформя текстовете му.
В общуването между двамата и взаимното им опознаване образът на Аня се развива от работеща бързо, но без мисъл сексапилна машинописка, цинична и глуповата, типична златотърсачка до чувствена млада жена с неподозирани качества и умствени способности. Писателят започва да се възприема през нейните очи, да осъзнава колко остарели, скучни и резки са мненията му. Съветите й резултират в по-краткия, по-интимен и мек втори дневник, където той споделя за баща си, еротиката, остаряването, целувката, птиците, децата, Бах, Достоевски и съседката, която носи кофа с вода на жабите в пресъхващия в парка поток.
И както това не е точно класически роман, така и любовният триъгълник не е съвсем такъв. След първите глави в двата дневника в дъното на страниците се включва и светът на Аня. Алан, чийто живот тя споделя, е тръгнал от нищото на сиропиталището и си е осигурил охолен и сравнително скучен живот – работа, самообразоване и неистова възбуда, когато други мъже си падат по скъпо платената му, красива домашна кукла. Работата й с писателя обаче е отдалечаване от този й образ и от Алан, тя започва да има мнение, да го изказва и в обсъждането на части от книгата и автора й вижда другата, тъмна страна на алчния, пресметлив и циничен мъж до себе си.
Втората и третата част от страниците са и различните гледни точки за проблемите в една любовна история. Оформени са като бележки под линия, вървят с различно темпо една спрямо друга и спрямо есетата, понякога доминират над тях, но трите нишки остават чудесно вплетени до последната страница. Поведението на двойката, анализите й на книгата и автора и сблъсъкът с него е отговорът, който писателят получава на въпросите и предизвикателствата към света, изразени в есетата му. В едно дълго писмо на Аня са както финалните щрихи на образа й, така и развръзката.
"Роман ли? О, не. Вече нямам тази издръжливост. За да пишеш роман, трябва да си като Атлас, да крепиш целия свят върху плещите си и да го държиш там в продължение на месеци и години, докато нещата се избистрят от само себе си." Опровергава се през 2013 г. с The Childhood of Jesus, но при написването на дневниците изглежда изцяло погълнат от идеята да нахвърля само отделни мисли. Резултатът е триптих, в който дори и страниците са разделени визуално в началото на две, а след първите глави – на три.
В горната част е гръбнакът на книгата, есета по различни, най-често глобални теми, в които прави интересни асоциации и сравнения: за политическия живот в Австралия, засяга също Южна Африка, САЩ и Канада, за анархизма и демокрацията, тероризма и Ал Кайда, за затвора в Гуантанамо, бежанските лагери, аборигените и апартейда, за клането на животни и птичия грип, тялото, педофилията, интелигентния дизайн и животът след смъртта, конкуренцията, музиката, литературата, английския език и университетите.
В средата на страниците един стар, кротък, наивен, меланхоличен и трудно контролиращ мускулите си писател работи по книга. В нея шестима известни автори от различни страни ще споделят "Категорични мнения" за онова, което според тях е сбъркано в този свят и той се опитва да спази кратките срокове за своята част с есетата. В общата пералня на сградата среща красива млада жена. Единственият начин да случи наивната си мечта за една последна любов, каквато е възможна извън и след физическите желания, е да задържи обсебилото го миньонче край себе си с предложение срещу почти нереално високо заплащане „да го разбира интуитивно” и да набира и оформя текстовете му.
В общуването между двамата и взаимното им опознаване образът на Аня се развива от работеща бързо, но без мисъл сексапилна машинописка, цинична и глуповата, типична златотърсачка до чувствена млада жена с неподозирани качества и умствени способности. Писателят започва да се възприема през нейните очи, да осъзнава колко остарели, скучни и резки са мненията му. Съветите й резултират в по-краткия, по-интимен и мек втори дневник, където той споделя за баща си, еротиката, остаряването, целувката, птиците, децата, Бах, Достоевски и съседката, която носи кофа с вода на жабите в пресъхващия в парка поток.
И както това не е точно класически роман, така и любовният триъгълник не е съвсем такъв. След първите глави в двата дневника в дъното на страниците се включва и светът на Аня. Алан, чийто живот тя споделя, е тръгнал от нищото на сиропиталището и си е осигурил охолен и сравнително скучен живот – работа, самообразоване и неистова възбуда, когато други мъже си падат по скъпо платената му, красива домашна кукла. Работата й с писателя обаче е отдалечаване от този й образ и от Алан, тя започва да има мнение, да го изказва и в обсъждането на части от книгата и автора й вижда другата, тъмна страна на алчния, пресметлив и циничен мъж до себе си.
Втората и третата част от страниците са и различните гледни точки за проблемите в една любовна история. Оформени са като бележки под линия, вървят с различно темпо една спрямо друга и спрямо есетата, понякога доминират над тях, но трите нишки остават чудесно вплетени до последната страница. Поведението на двойката, анализите й на книгата и автора и сблъсъкът с него е отговорът, който писателят получава на въпросите и предизвикателствата към света, изразени в есетата му. В едно дълго писмо на Аня са както финалните щрихи на образа й, така и развръзката.
December 2, 2020
I really wanted to like this novel. I liked the idea of it. There are three different narrative strands, all going on simultaneously, usually on the same page. The first is, basically, the text itself: a collection of short essays on various topics. The second is a running commentary of the author's thoughts. And the third consists of reflections by the author's typist.
I think I declared Slow Man the most experiemental of the Coetzee novels that I had read. Well, that didn't last long, because this is definitely more experimental than Slow Man. It's also less cohesive, in my opinion. I can't help but think that this novel might have been better as a collection of essays. Because the essays only seem to relate very slightly to the commentary that comes with them. That is to say, the commentary seems to be an addendum to the essays - they didn't feel to me as though they had been written together, reflecting each other. The commentary always felt kind of one-way. I might be wrong, and Coetzee may have intended this work as a cohesive whole, but I struggled to see an evolving thread in the essay section. For want of a better term, the topics seemed random.
The idea of this novel sounded intersting, but I found it so hard to get engaged with it. I almost started to dread reading it, and that's not a good sign. I feel like I have a much better idea of JM Coetzee's ideas on various social and political issues. But do I feel like I've read another Coetzee novel? Not really, no.
I think I declared Slow Man the most experiemental of the Coetzee novels that I had read. Well, that didn't last long, because this is definitely more experimental than Slow Man. It's also less cohesive, in my opinion. I can't help but think that this novel might have been better as a collection of essays. Because the essays only seem to relate very slightly to the commentary that comes with them. That is to say, the commentary seems to be an addendum to the essays - they didn't feel to me as though they had been written together, reflecting each other. The commentary always felt kind of one-way. I might be wrong, and Coetzee may have intended this work as a cohesive whole, but I struggled to see an evolving thread in the essay section. For want of a better term, the topics seemed random.
The idea of this novel sounded intersting, but I found it so hard to get engaged with it. I almost started to dread reading it, and that's not a good sign. I feel like I have a much better idea of JM Coetzee's ideas on various social and political issues. But do I feel like I've read another Coetzee novel? Not really, no.
February 3, 2019
Много любопитна книга. За пръв път виждам книга, в която на една страница се преплитат три "сюжетни линии". Едната третина от страницата са есета на всякакви теми от автора; другата третина - отношенията на автора (никъде не се споменава, че е самия Курсове) с млада филипинска, на която е възложена задача да редактира есетата му; третата - отношенията на филипинската с любовника й и разговорите им за автора на есетата и темите, наблегнати в тях. И трите сюжетни линии са виртуозно преплетени, подобаващи на голям писател като Курсове.
Има няколко начина да се чете тази книга:
1. Стандартния
2. Да се прочете първо (по избор) само една от сюжетните линия и след това другите Ако ще се действа по този начин препоръчвам първо да се заемете с есетата.
3. Да четете глава за глава - подобен е на горния начин, но се използва при изчитането на една, т.е. в началото на една глава се започва с есето. Прочита се. След това се минава на втората сюжетна линия. И тя се изпита до края на главата. И накрая се изпита и третата сюжетна линия до края на главата.
И така за всяка глава до края на книгата
Има няколко начина да се чете тази книга:
1. Стандартния
2. Да се прочете първо (по избор) само една от сюжетните линия и след това другите Ако ще се действа по този начин препоръчвам първо да се заемете с есетата.
3. Да четете глава за глава - подобен е на горния начин, но се използва при изчитането на една, т.е. в началото на една глава се започва с есето. Прочита се. След това се минава на втората сюжетна линия. И тя се изпита до края на главата. И накрая се изпита и третата сюжетна линия до края на главата.
И така за всяка глава до края на книгата
November 17, 2015
ما جذبني لهذه الرواية هو عنوانها ، اشتريتها أثناء التسجيل في الجيش ودائما ما كان يراودني عنوانها في أثنائه ، إلى أن قررت قرائتها في آخر أيامي فيه.
طريقة العرض كان�� غريبة في حد ذاتها بل وكانت مرهقة جدا فالصفحة مقسمة لثلاثة أجزاء كلا منهم منفل عن الآخر ولكنهم متوالون مع بعضهم البعض ، فكان لزاما عليك لكي تستوعب جزئية ما أن تقرأ كامل الجزء على مدار عدد محدد من الصفحات ، ثم تعود لتقرأ جزءا آخر .
الجزء الأول عبارة عن عن مقالات لبطل الرواية وهو مؤلف ، المقالات منفصلة عن بعضها وليست جيدة في المجمل لكنها تعطى لك نظرة عن آراء الكاتب وتحولاته من خلال مسار الرواية نفسها كتحوله لكتابة مقال رومانسي ثم حديثه عن اللغة بعد مناقشة له مع الفتاة التي يهيم بها .
الجزء الثالث هو الرواية ذاتها وهو الجزء الجيد في الموضوع ولعل أجمل ما فيه أجزائه الأخيرة منها.
أما الجزء الثاني فهو هامش على الرواية والمقالات معا وهو إكمال لحدث الرواية .
الرواية ككل جيدة ولكن طريقة العرض لم تعجبني وكانت مملة في أحيان كثيرة .
طريقة العرض كان�� غريبة في حد ذاتها بل وكانت مرهقة جدا فالصفحة مقسمة لثلاثة أجزاء كلا منهم منفل عن الآخر ولكنهم متوالون مع بعضهم البعض ، فكان لزاما عليك لكي تستوعب جزئية ما أن تقرأ كامل الجزء على مدار عدد محدد من الصفحات ، ثم تعود لتقرأ جزءا آخر .
الجزء الأول عبارة عن عن مقالات لبطل الرواية وهو مؤلف ، المقالات منفصلة عن بعضها وليست جيدة في المجمل لكنها تعطى لك نظرة عن آراء الكاتب وتحولاته من خلال مسار الرواية نفسها كتحوله لكتابة مقال رومانسي ثم حديثه عن اللغة بعد مناقشة له مع الفتاة التي يهيم بها .
الجزء الثالث هو الرواية ذاتها وهو الجزء الجيد في الموضوع ولعل أجمل ما فيه أجزائه الأخيرة منها.
أما الجزء الثاني فهو هامش على الرواية والمقالات معا وهو إكمال لحدث الرواية .
الرواية ككل جيدة ولكن طريقة العرض لم تعجبني وكانت مملة في أحيان كثيرة .
June 10, 2022
El Sr. C., que envejece, escribe varios ensayos por encargo de una editora, y contrata como dactilógrafa a la atractiva Anya, vecina de edificio, filipina, casada con un joven y ambicioso australiano (“con pecas en la espalda”).
La historia (cada página), transcurre en tres planos: el ensayo, y los “diarios” del Sr. C, y los pensamientos de Anya.
La lectura es inicialmente difícil (he utilizado varias técnicas para seguirlo), pero vale la pena: los ensayos tienen aportes originales y valiosos; y la pequeña historia que transcurre, relatada por dos voces, muy humana.
La historia (cada página), transcurre en tres planos: el ensayo, y los “diarios” del Sr. C, y los pensamientos de Anya.
La lectura es inicialmente difícil (he utilizado varias técnicas para seguirlo), pero vale la pena: los ensayos tienen aportes originales y valiosos; y la pequeña historia que transcurre, relatada por dos voces, muy humana.
April 12, 2021
Savory bite size judgments, plus authorial reflections and fractal echoes. Or text, subtext, and other-text. Commentary on contemporary matters of fact, embellished and fictionalized. Coetzee is a fount of moral decency without being the least bit sententious and readily admitting that pure motives are as implausible as predictable outcomes. The writing is pensive and quite somber, befitting the menace of death and redoubtable distance of beauty, an old, cruel joke in which time plops an abyss between people in the same space. A very quick read yet with plenty to ponder, a modest yet vital contribution.
December 26, 2018
Labai patiko pasakojimo "sukarpymas".
Read
January 23, 2009Read the STOP SMILING review of Diary of a Bad Year:
J. M. Coetzee is a bit of a recluse — he persistently denies interviews and was not present at either of the Booker Prize award ceremonies held in his honor. For a man whose written word is so eloquent, he is famously tight-lipped in person. “A colleague who has worked with him for more than a decade claims to have seen him laugh just once,” said fellow South African Rian Malan in a New Statesmen article. “An acquaintance has attended several dinner parties where Coetzee has uttered not a single word.” But one of the powerful suggestions made by Coetzee’s crafty new novel, Diary of a Bad Year, is a fundamental distinction between words that last and words that fade — literature falling in the former camp and timely opinions into the latter. Diary reveals a mind concerned with writerly comportment, sketching an ideal model of the author not as society’s bellwether or prophet, but rather as an artist with designs on the eternal.
Read the complete STOP SMILING review...
J. M. Coetzee is a bit of a recluse — he persistently denies interviews and was not present at either of the Booker Prize award ceremonies held in his honor. For a man whose written word is so eloquent, he is famously tight-lipped in person. “A colleague who has worked with him for more than a decade claims to have seen him laugh just once,” said fellow South African Rian Malan in a New Statesmen article. “An acquaintance has attended several dinner parties where Coetzee has uttered not a single word.” But one of the powerful suggestions made by Coetzee’s crafty new novel, Diary of a Bad Year, is a fundamental distinction between words that last and words that fade — literature falling in the former camp and timely opinions into the latter. Diary reveals a mind concerned with writerly comportment, sketching an ideal model of the author not as society’s bellwether or prophet, but rather as an artist with designs on the eternal.
Read the complete STOP SMILING review...
January 11, 2020
Un roman greu de parcurs, pentru că e scris pe trei registre, fiecare pagină fiind divizată în trei părți, cu extrem de mici excepții. Palierele de relatare sunt autonome astfel încât este necesar să te resetezi pentru a urmări dinamica narațiunii și nu pierde firul.
La fel ca în celelalte scrieri ale sale rămâne fidel admirației pentru literatura rusă, în special Dostoievski și Tolstoi și persistă în filosofia conceptului de etică.
Coetzee nu este un autor facil, el nu merge la acrobații stilistice pentru a-și impresiona cititorul. La fel nu pune verdicte pe personajele sale, cititorul singur hotărăște cine sunt ele cu adevărat.
Așa că dacă sunteți în căutarea lecturilor siropoase, sau intens descriptive, Coetzee nu este pentru dvs.
La fel ca în celelalte scrieri ale sale rămâne fidel admirației pentru literatura rusă, în special Dostoievski și Tolstoi și persistă în filosofia conceptului de etică.
Coetzee nu este un autor facil, el nu merge la acrobații stilistice pentru a-și impresiona cititorul. La fel nu pune verdicte pe personajele sale, cititorul singur hotărăște cine sunt ele cu adevărat.
Așa că dacă sunteți în căutarea lecturilor siropoase, sau intens descriptive, Coetzee nu este pentru dvs.
June 24, 2013
I think the reason why I have read so many books by Coetzee is because I always end up finding he has a strong narrative voice, always convincing. But the structure he chose for this book in particular I found very exasperating, I mean, writing a book in three parts is great, but three parts at the same time was a little much. I like the essays, I like the story. Just, does it have to be all at once?
August 25, 2012
Como un coctel explosivo.
October 31, 2022
read this for class not willingly but i think we need to stop letting white people write whatever this genre is (metautofiction?) where they go on vague, incoherent political tangents interspersed with uncomfortable erotic relationships. this to me is a book written from the emotion of boredom - or disillusionment, whatever you want to call it - but as a result has nothing interesting to say because its not interested in anything but itself. which is to say coetzee strikes me, in his writing, as someone not interested in anything but himself. even the tricks he attempts to play with the form of this novel fall flat, all succumbing to his fucking drone. like my god who gives a shit
October 11, 2017
Coetzee'ye olan hayranlığım giderek büyümekte. Okuduğum en ilginç yapıdaki kitaplardandı. Çok farklı bir teknikle aynı anda aslında üç ayrı hikaye okumuş oluyorsunuz. Her sayfası 3 çizgiyle birbirinden ayrılmış durumda ve ister bu 3 çizgiyi ayrı ayrı okuyabilir ,isterseniz aynı anda ilerleyebilirsiniz. Yine de sayfaların ikinci ve üçüncü bölümleri diyebileceğim kısımları birlikte okumakta fayda var.
Baş kahramanımız olan yazardan 'Çarpıcı Fikirler' adlı kitap için yazı yazmasını isterler. Altı farklı yazarın katkıda bulunduğu bir kitap olacaktır. Yaşının ilerlemiş olması dolayısıyla Filipinli komşusunda ses kayıtlarına daktilo yoluyla yazıya dökmesi üzerine iş teklifinde bulunur ve kadın işi kabul eder ve kitap bu şekilde başlar.
Başta bahsettiğim gibi sayfaların birinci bölümü , sanat , müzik , dünya siyaseti hakkında eleştirel ve sivri yazılardan oluşan köşe yazılarıdır. İkinci bölümler yazarın , daktilocusu üzerinde düşünceleri ve diyalogları , üçüncü bölümde daktilocu kızın ağzından eşiyle ve yazarla arasında geçen diyalog ve gözlemler üzerinedir.
Beni fazlasıyla tatmin eden bir kitap oldu. Bir süre sonra mutlaka yine elime alacağım.
Baş kahramanımız olan yazardan 'Çarpıcı Fikirler' adlı kitap için yazı yazmasını isterler. Altı farklı yazarın katkıda bulunduğu bir kitap olacaktır. Yaşının ilerlemiş olması dolayısıyla Filipinli komşusunda ses kayıtlarına daktilo yoluyla yazıya dökmesi üzerine iş teklifinde bulunur ve kadın işi kabul eder ve kitap bu şekilde başlar.
Başta bahsettiğim gibi sayfaların birinci bölümü , sanat , müzik , dünya siyaseti hakkında eleştirel ve sivri yazılardan oluşan köşe yazılarıdır. İkinci bölümler yazarın , daktilocusu üzerinde düşünceleri ve diyalogları , üçüncü bölümde daktilocu kızın ağzından eşiyle ve yazarla arasında geçen diyalog ve gözlemler üzerinedir.
Beni fazlasıyla tatmin eden bir kitap oldu. Bir süre sonra mutlaka yine elime alacağım.
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