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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
No. I did not like this book. I did not like this book at all.
Quinto livro de Coetzee e de novo sinto que vi o mundo por meio de um olhar muito particular, capaz de generalizar situações, torná-las universais, por meio de eventos concretos e imediatos que acontecem aos personagens que coloca em cena. Existe uma melancolia que tudo atravessa, existe um sentimento de desamparo, que encenado como realidade parece poder brotar do sentir interior de qualquer um de nós. Claro que sentimos a geografia de Coetzee por detrás do relato, inevitável, mas sentimos mais do que isso, isto não é apenas sobre o Apartheid, é muito mais do que isso.
O personagem não é dono de todas as suas faculdade cognitivas, mas quem o é? E no entanto consegue demonstrar em cada momento a sua vontade de prosseguir, de seguir o objetivo estabelecido, desligando-se, apartando-se da realidade que se lhe impõe continuamente. Os outros, todos os outros se impõem, porque parece existir uma ordem que regula tudo e todos, e todos devem obedecer-lhe em cada momento. A ordem que muda no tempo e segue quem a define, independentemente de sobre quem ordena, regulando as suas vidas.
"A Vida e o Tempo de Michael K" é uma parábola curta, mas incisiva e gratificante, permite-nos olhar o mundo e questioná-lo.
O personagem não é dono de todas as suas faculdade cognitivas, mas quem o é? E no entanto consegue demonstrar em cada momento a sua vontade de prosseguir, de seguir o objetivo estabelecido, desligando-se, apartando-se da realidade que se lhe impõe continuamente. Os outros, todos os outros se impõem, porque parece existir uma ordem que regula tudo e todos, e todos devem obedecer-lhe em cada momento. A ordem que muda no tempo e segue quem a define, independentemente de sobre quem ordena, regulando as suas vidas.
"A Vida e o Tempo de Michael K" é uma parábola curta, mas incisiva e gratificante, permite-nos olhar o mundo e questioná-lo.
the other english class in high school got to read this, it sounded good so i read it too. i think i was the only person who enjoyed it. i have loved coetzee ever since.
adventurous
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This is my fourth Coetzee and there is just something about his writing that speaks to me. It slowly builds up, creates a world and then when you least expect it, he hits you, and hits you hard. But I really really understand he is not everyone's cup of tea.
Sort of an easy read -- certainly compelling, as it sweeps you along -- but not an easy book, as concerns the themes. Thoughtful and affecting, it addresses individuality and solitude within a society of forced, close imprisonment and what it takes from one to escape all that, all addressed through the life of one man who is innocent in so many ways.
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
My all-time favorite Coetzee
There are protest novels that protrude a very clear message: an openly rejection of certain political systems, of injustice, discrimination or sheer terror. And then you have a book like this one: very clearly rooted in a moralising story (against apartheid), but at the same time having a much more subtle and much broader message, exhibiting nothing less than a reflection on human condition.
Coetzee does this through the main character, Michaël K, a "simple" coloured man living in a town near the sea, a gardener working for the city council. In the background there is a civil war going on, regularly disrupting ordinary life. Michael is seen by others as a simpleton: he has been born with a hare lip, grew up in a youth institution, but is living now with his mother; this mother is getting sick, feels her end approaching and wants to return to her native ground.
At the outset, you can recognize 4 literary references: the K. in the name of the main character is a clear reference to Kafka (the whole novel is drenched in the atmosphere of [b:The Castle|333538|The Castle|Franz Kafka|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1646336042l/333538._SY75_.jpg|17778410], the journey Michael makes, first with his mother and than on his own, is like an odyssey, in which Michael develops into an Everyman (like [b:Peer Gynt|279221|Peer Gynt|Henrik Ibsen|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1389996366l/279221._SY75_.jpg|1661962] or other variations), and the gardening motive clearly refers to [b:Candide|19380|Candide|Voltaire|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1345060082l/19380._SY75_.jpg|2833018] by Voltaire.
But Coetzee has molded this rich material into a very original story. In the eyes of most of the other men Michael just is an idiot, he struggles with structures, regulations and human relations he does not understand, but he keeps on searching for a way to remain upright in life and in time (the experience of time also is a very important theme in this book). And without noticing it, this walking skeleton (as Michael has become in the end), develops into an icon of humanity! I can't say anything more about it without spoiling the story, but this novel really did captivate me. Coetzee certainly keeps on amazing me.
There are protest novels that protrude a very clear message: an openly rejection of certain political systems, of injustice, discrimination or sheer terror. And then you have a book like this one: very clearly rooted in a moralising story (against apartheid), but at the same time having a much more subtle and much broader message, exhibiting nothing less than a reflection on human condition.
Coetzee does this through the main character, Michaël K, a "simple" coloured man living in a town near the sea, a gardener working for the city council. In the background there is a civil war going on, regularly disrupting ordinary life. Michael is seen by others as a simpleton: he has been born with a hare lip, grew up in a youth institution, but is living now with his mother; this mother is getting sick, feels her end approaching and wants to return to her native ground.
At the outset, you can recognize 4 literary references: the K. in the name of the main character is a clear reference to Kafka (the whole novel is drenched in the atmosphere of [b:The Castle|333538|The Castle|Franz Kafka|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1646336042l/333538._SY75_.jpg|17778410], the journey Michael makes, first with his mother and than on his own, is like an odyssey, in which Michael develops into an Everyman (like [b:Peer Gynt|279221|Peer Gynt|Henrik Ibsen|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1389996366l/279221._SY75_.jpg|1661962] or other variations), and the gardening motive clearly refers to [b:Candide|19380|Candide|Voltaire|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1345060082l/19380._SY75_.jpg|2833018] by Voltaire.
But Coetzee has molded this rich material into a very original story. In the eyes of most of the other men Michael just is an idiot, he struggles with structures, regulations and human relations he does not understand, but he keeps on searching for a way to remain upright in life and in time (the experience of time also is a very important theme in this book). And without noticing it, this walking skeleton (as Michael has become in the end), develops into an icon of humanity! I can't say anything more about it without spoiling the story, but this novel really did captivate me. Coetzee certainly keeps on amazing me.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Coetzee is an accomplished writer. Of course he is, because he won the Booker twice, with this and Disgrace, which I also found to be powerful and moving. Michael K is something different, his central character a world apart from the cerebral and willful David Lurie. Michael is an unlikely hero, hare-lipped, mentally deficient, poor, unfortunate, he is almost an afterthought in God's plan. Everywhere he goes he is misunderstood and downtrodden. His life spirals ever downward from a place of sad humility. You cannot easily identify with Michael, so benighted is his place in the world.
But this is not simply a tale of endless woe, even if, at some superficial level it seems to suggest as much. Michael relates a position outside normal considerations and ultimately becomes an enigma. This is eventually spelt out in a round about manner by the camp doctor who sees him. 'Sees' him, in a way that less observant men cannot. Somewhere in the course of this narrative, Michael transcends his dreadful human condition and becomes - entirely unintentionally - a saint like figure. Divorced from earthly concerns. To the extent in fact that he no longer has any interest in the most basic of functional pursuits. He cares little for eating even.
It's an interesting and insightful novel. Coetzee is a special kind of writer.
But this is not simply a tale of endless woe, even if, at some superficial level it seems to suggest as much. Michael relates a position outside normal considerations and ultimately becomes an enigma. This is eventually spelt out in a round about manner by the camp doctor who sees him. 'Sees' him, in a way that less observant men cannot. Somewhere in the course of this narrative, Michael transcends his dreadful human condition and becomes - entirely unintentionally - a saint like figure. Divorced from earthly concerns. To the extent in fact that he no longer has any interest in the most basic of functional pursuits. He cares little for eating even.
It's an interesting and insightful novel. Coetzee is a special kind of writer.