Studia Filologiczne UJK

Summary

This review examines J.M. Coetzee’s latest book The Pole, noting its superficial treatment of Poland, musicality, and the protagonists’ relationship. The reviewer criticizes the use of outdated stereotypes and Chopin’s reduction to a symbolic prop. The characters’ psychology, particularly the dynamic between the ageing pianist Witold and Beatriz, is flat and schematic, weakening the plot’s emotional credibility. At the same time, strengths are acknowledged: vivid portrayals of old age, decline, and existential solitude. The Pole is thematically rich, formally between a novel and novella, yet uneven in execution.