The Pole

Written by J. M. Coetzee

Narrated by Colin Mace

An indelible tale of life, love, death, and Chopin—from the Novel Prize–winning author of Disgrace.

Renowned for his sparse yet powerful prose, J. M. Coetzee is unquestionably among the most influential—and provocative—authors of our time. With characteristic insight and a “brittle wit that forces our attention on the common terrors we don’t want to think about” (Ron Charles, Washington Post), Coetzee here challenges us to interrogate our preconceptions not only of love, but of truth itself.

Exacting yet unpredictable, pithy yet complex, Coetzee’s The Pole tells the story of Wittold Walccyzkiecz, a vigorous, extravagantly white-haired pianist and interpreter of Chopin who becomes infatuated with Beatriz, a stylish Spanish patron of the arts, after she helps organize his concert in Barcelona. Although Beatriz, a married woman, is initially unimpressed by Wittold and his “gleaming dentures,” she soon finds herself pursued and ineluctably swept into his world. As the journeyman performer sends her countless letters, extends invitations to travel, and even visits her husband’s summer home in Mallorca, their unlikely relationship blossoms, though only on Beatriz’s terms.

The power struggle between them intensifies, eventually escalating into a fullfledged battle of the sexes. But is it Beatriz who limits their passion by paralyzing her emotions? Or is it Wittold, the old man at his typewriter, trying to force intolife his dream of love? Reinventing the all-encompassing love of the poet Dante for his Beatrice, Coetzee exposes the fundamentally enigmatic nature of romance, showing how a chance meeting between strangers—even “a Pole, a man of seventy, a vigorous seventy,” and a stultified “banker’s wife who occupies her days in good works”—can suddenly change everything.

Reminiscent of James Joyce’s “The Dead” in its exploration of love and loss, The Pole, with lean prose and surprising feints, is a haunting work, evoking the “inexhaustible palette of sensations, from blind love to compassion” (Berna González Harbour, El País) typical of Coetzee’s finest novels.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Sep 19, 2023
• ISBN: 9798890590930

Reviews for The Pole

[Elizabeth Maness · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A very short novel, or a very long short story? Moments of two lives that cross at a time when both souls needed nourishing, both feeding that which was lacking for them. A story of mature love, or was it an affair? Beautifully written, with sparse scenes that tell just what needs to be said.

[jamey oneal · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Ah.The Pole. Audiobook. I enjoyed the narrator very much. He embodied the Pole perfectly and did an amazing job on the icy, controlled Beatriz.
This is a romance for people who intellectualize romance. Sometimes that's considered a cold way of loving, but, among certain people, it's so compelling, deep, and warm, but covered by a sheet of ice. The Pole, an absolute mess who finds himself pursuing the stylish Beatriz, who sisn't even a fan of his artistry, is indeed a romantic, but so is Beatriz, and he can see it in her. Their devotion to each other in a doomed romance is actually touching, even if it lacks the usual trappings. The prose is spare and elegant. Never too much, yet not lacking.

This is not a novel for everyone. It;s sparseness and lonely feeling can read dry and distant as other have commented. If, however, you can find beauty is that. you will enjoy this lovely novel.

[Mariam Shah-Rais · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really liked this well-written book, although I think it is better to read than listen to it. The short chapters and the announcement of the chapter numbers make it sound too mechanical. I also cringed at the narrator’s pronunciation of Haydn’ name. It is a simple story of love, expectation, vanity, loneliness, and hope for love when faced with mortality.

[Mary · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Too dry, distant, removed….like so many men, erudite or not….so tiring.

[Mary Luttrell · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Very engaging and well written. Moving. I highly recommend it.