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HYBRID Second Monday Book Discussion: The Pole

HYBRID Second Monday Book Discussion: The Pole

We'll be reading The Pole by J.M. Coetzee. Request a copy of this book by placing a hold

About the book: 

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 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 full-fledged 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 into life 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.

 

Literary minded discussion. Open to new members. Join us in person or join via Zoom!

 

 

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Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/91486186242?pwd=K3NYcjEwNlFZckJnNFhNNmhUYXJqUT09

Meeting ID: 914 8618 6242
Passcode: 939659

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Date:
Monday, October 7, 2024 Show more dates
Time:
6:30pm - 8:00pm
Time Zone:
Eastern Time - US & Canada (change)
Location:
Watson Room
Categories:
  Adult Events     Book Discussions     Recurring Events     Virtual  

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