Exacting yet maddeningly unpredictable, J. M. Coetzee's The Pole tells
the story of Wittold Walccyzkiecz, a vigorous, "extravagantly
white-haired" Polish pianist who becomes infatuated with Beatriz, a
stylish patron of the arts, after she helps organize his Barcelona
concert. Although Beatriz, a married woman, is initially unimpressed by
Wittold, she soon finds herself pursued and ineluctably swept into the
world of the journeyman performer. 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, it
seems, only on her terms. The power struggle between them
intensifies--Is it Beatriz who limits their passion by controlling her
emotions? Or is it Wittold, 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.
