Waiting for the Barbarians by J. M. Coetzee
The novel is set in a small frontier town of an unnamed empire, where the magistrate lives a life of civil service and relative peace. His world is disrupted when the Empire declares a state of emergency due to rumors of barbarian uprising. The magistrate becomes a critic of the Empire's brutal and inhumane methods of dealing with the perceived threat, which leads to his arrest and torture. As he tries to understand his role in the vast political machinery, he also grapples with questions of power, justice, and humanity.
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- Published
- 1980
- Nationality
- South African
- Length
- Short
- Pages
- 150-200
- Original Language
- English
- Avg User Rating
-
(4.3)
- Alternate Titles
-
- Aspettando I Barbari
- Barbaarit Tulevat
- Esperando A Los Bárbaros
- Wachten Op De Barbaren
- à Espera Dos Bárbaros
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This book is on the following 16 lists:
- 88th on The 100 Best Books from 1900 to the Present (Yedioth Ahronoth)
- 92nd on 20th Century's Greatest Hits: 100 English-Language Books of Fiction (Larry McCaffery)
- 1393rd on Our Users' Honorable Mention Favorite Books of All Time (The Greatest Books Users)
- 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read (The Guardian)
- 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (The Book)
- 100 Books You Must Read Before You Die (BBC Radio Oxford)
- 48 Good Books (University of Buffalo)
- A Hundred Novels to Change Your Life (The Daily Mail)
- From Zero to Well-Read in 100 Books (Jeff O'Neal at Bookriot.com)
- James Tait Black Memorial Prize: Fiction (James Tait Black Memorial Prize)
- Laila Lalami's Book Choices from "The Writer's Library" ( The Writer's Library: The Authors You Love on the Books That Changed Their Lives (Book))
- NY Times Editors Choice 1980-1989 (NY Times)
- The 100 Best Books in the World (AbeBooks.de (in German))
- The 100 Best Novels Of All Time (Runners-Up) (The Guardian)
- The 100 Greatest Novels of All Time: The List (The Observer)
- The 100 Novels You Must Read in Your Lifetime (Esquire)