Two books by J M Coetzee ,Vintage

Youth 

Youth is a story about a young man who leaves his home in South Africa and comes to England to study .The protagonist dreams of becoming an artist but gets entangled into living a solid life – regular  job , assignments , home .Solidity is his Achilles Heels. He initially joins IBM. But IBM he can swear, is killing him, turning him into a zombie. He is in the world of business and in the world of business one does not need to be polite. He quits  IBM . Works for another computer company which allows some scope for creativity and innovation .He discovers something outside American culture which was their staple food in South Africa. I was pleasantly surprised to discover references to India and Indian culture . He watches and experiences the magic of  Ray’s Apu  trilogy  – the music grips him. He explores further and is enchanted by Ustad Vilayat khan’s music.

He makes Indian friends. He dines with a South Indian couple .Meets Ganapathy the computer wizard who is too lazy to cook and eats bananas to survive .

There is lot of confusion about love ,sex ,life .The young man finds no real passion for any woman and gets involved in casual relationships  which frustrate him. “ If he is a mystery to himself how can he be anything but a mystery to others. “

Youth is part autobiographical and recounts the author's early days in England.

Life and times of Michael K 

Set in South Africa torn  by civil war  this  is the  story of Michael K a man born with a hare lip who is an object of pity and ridicule. Michael tries to take his ailing mother away from the city to the countryside where she was born . She dies on the way and Michael is left all alone in the world. She was the only person he loved in this world and the narrative captures beautiful moments of his many valiant efforts to make his mother happy. For example he slogs hard to make a cart which  he uses to take his sick mother around and to travel  from one place to another. After his mother’s death Michael is on his own and wants nothing from anyone but society will not allow him to do so. He is arrested several times and placed in camps , confinements but escapes to live life on his own terms. No papers, no  money, no family , no friends, no sense of who you are- the obscurest of the obscure – so obscure as to be a prodigy-that is what he is. Yet  he survives the war and lives in a world of his own . He is a simpleton but fiercely defends his independence . “People like Michaels are in touch with things you and I don’t understand”

The book won the Booker Prize in 1983.

Coetzee tries to explore the inner world of man in both the works. The language is simple and lucid .He won the Nobel Prize in 2003 and the Booker twice .

Ref:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._M._Coetzee

Letters from the Edge: 12 women of the world write home.

 Published by New Internationalist

I picked up this book on a friend’s recommendation.The foreword says the letters, though written from different locations of the world, have a timeless quality about them. Very true. When Elisabeth writes Nigeria is a nation of hoarders and savers and poverty forces people to find a use for virtually everything I can jolly well relate this to the habits of people here. Plastic pouches,old newspapers, broken taps,glass bottles ,old clothes,old computers, even hair which falls while combing and brushing everything is hoarded and sold at a price to be recycled. Igbo customs like shaving off a widow’s head in Nigeria is similar to an ancient Bengalee practice which you fortunately do not see any more. The book presents a snapshot of different cultures but also shows how similar human aspirations, hopes ,concerns for family and community ,pain and suffering can be.

The letters are from India, China, Pakistan, Bolivia, Zimbabwe, Russia, Colombia, Lebanon, Mauritius, Egypt ,Colombia ,Mongolia. Good read.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Letters-Edge-Women-World-Write/dp/1904456979

Love life Goethe : how to be happy in an imperfect world /John Armstrong, Penguin Books

While reading this mesmerizing biography I was transported to a different age and time. This is exactly what happens when you read a well written biography. Such books are enjoyed best with your favourite music playing in the background.

What comes across is Goethe’s balanced view of life which he achieved through a wonderful integration of “ material and emotional stability with an astonishingly fertile creative life”. Armstrong has been extremely insightful in trying to analyse Goethe’s standpoint on life in general . It is probably a very personal interpretation on Goethe’s life and work . It is a good read and keeps you engaged throughout.



The Independent wrote a very critical review of the book. Check link below
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/love-life-goethe-how-to-be-hapy-in-an-imperfect-world-by-john-armstrong-474010.html



I could not be bothered as long as the writing keeps me hooked.