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A review by readingtheother
Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
White male authors are not really a demographic I engage with a lot. But a friend recommended J.M. Coetzee's writing, so I dove in, trying to keep an open mind.
The premise is not exactly what I had thought would be my cup of tea. A 53 year old professor of Literature in a South African university has an affair with his 20 year old student, for which he gets fired. He then moves in with his daughter who runs a homestead in a rural area. Exiled and disgraced, he learns there's a lot further to fall.
At first, I was a little disgusted. Here is an old man, lusting after young women and using his power to coerce her when she is unwilling. But then he reflects on what he's done, acknowledging it as sexual violence. I was shook. Self awareness? From a white man? In 1999? He's convinced that there's no changing for him. He's too stuck in his ways to repent and seek to be better; better to exile himself to the countryside and have that be his punishment.
And then, when he moves to his daughter's homestead, he's forced to contend with power. The power that he has as a man. The power he has, specifically, as a white man in Africa. The power he has as an agent, or as a result, or colonialism and imperialism. And his vulnerability when the people, who see him as a symbol of that power, decide to seek revenge.
What starts as a me too situation turns into a very insightful look into power, gender, colonialism and race. Coetzee is an undeniably powerful writer, who can draw you in with his dry prose and lightning strikes of insight. So if you think you might be willing to give a white male author a chance, Coetzee is a great choice.
The premise is not exactly what I had thought would be my cup of tea. A 53 year old professor of Literature in a South African university has an affair with his 20 year old student, for which he gets fired. He then moves in with his daughter who runs a homestead in a rural area. Exiled and disgraced, he learns there's a lot further to fall.
At first, I was a little disgusted. Here is an old man, lusting after young women and using his power to coerce her when she is unwilling. But then he reflects on what he's done, acknowledging it as sexual violence. I was shook. Self awareness? From a white man? In 1999? He's convinced that there's no changing for him. He's too stuck in his ways to repent and seek to be better; better to exile himself to the countryside and have that be his punishment.
And then, when he moves to his daughter's homestead, he's forced to contend with power. The power that he has as a man. The power he has, specifically, as a white man in Africa. The power he has as an agent, or as a result, or colonialism and imperialism. And his vulnerability when the people, who see him as a symbol of that power, decide to seek revenge.
What starts as a me too situation turns into a very insightful look into power, gender, colonialism and race. Coetzee is an undeniably powerful writer, who can draw you in with his dry prose and lightning strikes of insight. So if you think you might be willing to give a white male author a chance, Coetzee is a great choice.