Waiting for the Barbarians - J M Coetzee

Every occupation has few common traits. It does not matter whether it's man versus nature, or man versus man. Once you set foot in a new land, its the struggle over the resources with the rest. The concept of co-existence is not known to us. We need complete control over the territory and all that it an bring us. Once you are in, then you set about conquering more and more, by encroaching into what belongs to the others. Every occupation, since the beginning of the world, or from when we have the documentary evidence, is followed the same pattern. The inhabitants of the land is driven away, by force ( most of the times) or by crooked action of cheating them. The indigenous population, not familiar with  the ways of the visitors, with their life style in perfect harmony with the universe, is now subjected to the new ways of the foreigner.  Every act of rebel, is quashed with force, by means of humiliation, torture and killing. The action is justified under various pretexts. Religion and God ( those who does not follow my God is a Pagan and uncultured),  education and culture or the approval of the authority ( empire). Even after many centuries, these fears continue to torment man-kind across the universe.

Waiting for the Barbarians, brings this fear into light. In an unnamed colony, the new occupants spread their holdings by expanding their territory by driving away the 'barbarians'. The imminent threat on the population of this border town, from the attack of barbarians continue to be the point of discussion. On the directive of the Empire, new forces are deployed to hunt and bring them to 'justice'. The expedition, mostly unsuccessful, manages to bring a few 'fugitives' as a catch. They are subjected to all those inhuman torture and abuse, and put in jail, until they perish.

On this small frontier town, the Magistrate, had been running the state of affairs for decades now, under the constant threat of war between the Official forces and the Barbarians. However, with the arrival of new sets of specialist officers for interrogation, His sympathy takes a turn towards those who were at the receiving end. His rescue of a violated girl, blinded by the interrogators, rejected and left for survival by her comrades, forced to live by begging in the street gets him on the wrong books of the Empire. The relation, kindled hidden desires in the old man, only to be satisfied with the local prostitute, gets into a strange affair of love ( very physical but not sexual) . Later,  under his authority and his ability, he decides to take her back to her people, travelling into their territories, meeting their leader and leaving the girl to her members of the clan. It did not take long for him to be named an enemy of the state and put under arrest and a subject to torture ( not physically, though). Under solitary confinement,  with more and more arrests and torture of the 'barbarians' , he confronts the authorities in public.

As time passes, the Empire, under the torments of waiting and their failure to capture the 'tyrants' make their retreat, leaving the town people to fend for themselves. Now back on control, the Magistrate, lead the remaining inhabitants, in their wait for the imminent attack, helpless, abandoned.

All the symbols of the colonialism is present here. The religion, the use of power, the need to exhibit control by all means. As the interrogator puts it. ''First, I get lies, you see -this is what happens - first lies, then pressure, then more lies, then more pressure, then the break, then more pressure, then the truth''.

The eternal struggle between the oppressed and the oppressor, the tense atmosphere there of ( Its the scare that is driving people and not the action) is brought out fabulously by the Nobel Laureate. The story has no specific place or time. Its universal and is beyond time and space. Its the same with man and nature/wild. The recent news about animals ( elephants / leopard) entering human settlements in Mysore, Bangalore, many parts of Kerala can be read along with this.

Coetzee, deploy some clever signals in here. The language for example is very interesting. collecting the wooden engraves of the inhabitants. the Magistrate tries to find the meaning of their words and a glimpse into their way of living. He even tries to interpret them , in his own mocking ways to the authorities, but  realises that language can be a powerful tool under occupation and he don't 'understand' his own people despite speaking the same language.

Under a fairly simple narrative, a very deep, fundamental questions on civilization. Profound and master class.

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Waiting for the Barbarians ( 1980)

J M Coetzee

Vintage Books

170 Pages
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Wiki Entry, NY Times, Academia.Edu,

The House Gun - Nadine Gordimer

"Something terrible has happened" said the messenger on a dreadful night. For Harald ( director of Board in an Insurance Company) and Claudia ( a working doctor of repute), the world is about to change. Their son has been arrested for murdering his friend and house mate, shooting him. Importantly, he has admitted the crime to the police.

Duncan, 27, staying in a cottage of the house in which three of his friends are residing had murdered his friend. His girlfriend, whom he had rescued from committing suicide some time ago, was found making love to the deceased, the previous night. This was cited as the motivation behind the murder. Duncan is now in prison awaiting trial, and Hamilton Motsamai, a black lawyer has been hired to defend him.

As the planning and preparation begin, for the defence of the case, many unpleasant truths are out in the open. Natalia, whom Duncan have rescued and was brought back to life is now not able to bare the weight of obligation. Though she spent her night with Duncan, the relationship is far from what is being called a true love. More over, the house mates among themselves lead a gay relationship, to which Duncan was also a participant until recently. Is this the sexuality and the related jealousy the reason ? Duncan, don't seems to be bothered about the incident of witnessing his lovers love-making to his friend. Hence, it is important to know the real motive, the circumstances that made Duncan to perform the gruesome act despite his nature ( he does not exhibit any tendency towards violence) has to be extablished.

For Harald and Claudia, the trial is on them. They share the guilt along with their son. Apart from being looked at as the parents of a murderer, they also have to endure the process of trial in the court. They seek among themselves and find out incidents which could have made the behavioural changes in Duncan. Parents starts suspecting the upbringing, their love and guidance and their own relationship with their child as well as among themselves. They also have to reconcile to the fact that a black lawyer is going to take up their son's defence, despite their prejudice. There is also debate in the society against 'death penalty' and that decision will also have direct impact on the fortune of their son. As the trial begins, and the curtains of individuals life as well as the social structure opens up. Motsamai, on his part has done a commendable job and manages to reduce the sentence to the least possible in the given circumstances.

This book was written just after the end of apartheid. One should approach this book in that context. The house gun, is a symbol of the larger social issue of lawlessness and violence, prevalent in South Africa. It is also interesting to note the changing social order, with the black lawyer defending the white middle class family. Harald and Claudia have to come out of their usual white middle class background, to accommodate the need to have the black lawyer to save the life of their child, but also have a foster son (albeit for a short period) in the form of Khulu ( one of the house mate and a friend of Duncan) to give them emotional and moral support, through out the period of trial.

Nadine Gordimer's use of language and the style is very good. However, the second part of the novel with the elaborate court room drama , however important it is, was not something I liked. I found this book also testing the relationship at various level. The husband and wife, the lovers, the society and the government, the white and black ; I would say she has walked this delicate path admirably. May not be the best of books by the Nobel laureate,but an important one, nonetheless.

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The House Gun
Nadine Gordimer
Penguin Classics
294 Pages
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Further Read : Africafiles.org , Salon Interview with Nadine Gordimer, NY Times

Life & Times of Michael K - J.M.Coetzee

When his ailing mother wanted to spent the remaining of her time in her birth place near Prince Albert, away from the crowd and chaos of Cape Town, Michael K agreed and carried her in a wheel-cart to the distant town Price Albert, leaving his job as a gardener. The Civil war is at its peak and it is not easy to leave the town. You need permission to enter or leave a place. His initial attempt to sneak out failed and was forced to return. Determined, the second attempt to leave staying away from the highways and prominent places met with better result. However, the on going war and the disaster do not leave him. On the way, his mother was admitted in a hospital and was declared dead by one of the nurse. Not knowing what to do, he finally decides to continue the journey with the ashes of his mother to Price Albert where he will spread the ashes of his mother in the fields as per her wishes. However, the fate does not take him there , as he was caught and was sent to forced labour at the railways. He was released after the work and finally manages to reach the town. The only known name in the place ( as told by his mother) is no more and the farm has been abandoned. Michael starts living there, learning to live the available means. When one of the relatives of the owner returns, defecting from the Army and on the run, Michael leaves the place and hide in the mountains. The living has been tough and in one of his trip to the town, he was caught and sent to a labour camp again. Michael escapes the camp after one of the skirmishes there, and come back to live in the farm. Instead of living in the house, he build his own hut near the lake, and start living there cultivating and farming. The rebels and the military men visits the place in turn and he was again caught by the soldiers and was sent to the rehabilitation camp.
The life in camp was also not of his choice and he refuses to eat. The doctor who treats him gets interested him and tries to understand this man, while trying to cajol him into eating and living. Michael K escapes once again and returns back to Cape Town, where he meets a group of nomads, and get on with their style of living, before returning to the same apartment complex, where he lived with his mother before his departure.

Michael is some one who is a misfit in this society. He does not belong to the world we are living in. The life he carries is almost parallel to what the world. thus, the worldly matters does not affect him. Nor he can adjust with the people. Every attempt to bring him to this world, to the people was a failure as he always escapes to his freedom, to his own life, away from the main stream. While refusing to eat at the camp, he is not trying to commit suicide, but was trying to live in his own terms.

Michael is born with 'hare-lips', but was not interested in rectifying it. He is only 31, but looks much older. the only contact he has in this life, apart form the trees in the garden is his mother. The demise of his mother broke the last connect he had with the people. While there was an attempt to connect to people of his nature towards the end, he still recollect those days in Prince Albert where he was gardening.
"I was mute and stupid in the beginning, I will be mute and stupid at the end. There is nothing to be ashamed of in being simple."

The world around him was also trying to get him back to the ways of life. Robert at the workers Camp, the doctor at the rehabilitation camp and the nomads. But he can not be part of that world. He is living a life of his own at his own terms.
"I am more like an earth worm. Which is also kind of a gardener. Or a mole, that does not tell stories because it lives in silence. But a mole or an earthworm on a cement floor."'

Very interesting book, written by this Nobel Prize winner. It is daunting and disturbing. Michael K , I guess is created in similarity with the Joseph K of Kafka. Haven't seen many comparisons of this sort though.
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Life & Times of Michael K
J.M.CoetzeeVintage Books
184 Pages
Rs 335
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More Reads : Complete Review , New York Times