The Pole tells the story of Witold Walczykiewicz, a vigorous, white-haired pianist who becomes infatuated with Beatriz, a stylish patron of the arts, after she helps organize his Barcelona concert.
Although Beatriz, who is married, is initially unimpressed by Wittold, she soon finds herself pursued and ineluctably swept into his world. As he sends her letters, extends countless invitations to travel, and even visits her husband's summer home in Mallorca, their unlikely relationship blossoms, though only on her terms.
As the power struggle between them intensifies -- Is it Beatriz who limits their passion by controlling her emotions? Or is it Witold, trying to force into life his dream of love? Evocative of Joyce's 'The Dead,' The Pole is a haunting work, evoking the 'inexhaustible palette of sensations, from blind love to compassion' (El País) typical of Coetzee's finest novels.
In this beautifully written and compulsively readable story of love and the mutability of human relationships, pianist Witold's infatuation with Beatriz will change them both.
A Sunday Times, Daily Telegraph and Financial Times Book of the Year
'Confirms Coetzee as one of the great writers of fiction' Observer
After his piano recital in Barcelona, Witold Walczykiewicz - white-haired virtuoso, controversial interpreter of Chopin - becomes infatuated with Beatriz, his designated companion at dinner. Beatriz, a stylish patron of the arts, is at first unmoved. But as the stranger's letters, music, and poetry flood into her home, a dream of love begins that surprises them both.
'One of the world's most original writers... He is still breaking new ground at the same time as revealing a funny side' i
'His prose, apparently simple, is so perfected at every turn that it is moving to read, line after line' Sunday Times
