shaunrandol
Reader
New on The Mantle, a review of Coetzee's third-person narrative memoir that, oddly, better depicts a strong mother than a boy's life.
The hero of J.M. Coetzee?s childhood memoir is not the boy who grows up to become the 2003 recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature. Nor is the hero, as some might suspect, a literary one who fostered through verse a young boy?s passion for writing. The hero of Boyhood: Scenes from Provincial Life is his mother, the driving force behind his devotion to academia and the shadow behind the man who is known, according to fellow writer Rian Malan, for his ?monkish self-discipline and dedication.?1 Though the memoir is replete with fascinating tidbits that reveal the seeds of genius which took root early in Coetzee?s childhood, the most poignant moments of the work revolve around the boy?s larger-than-life mother, a woman of many dimensions and layers.
Boyhood?s publication served as a turning point for Coetzee?s writing career. Though he had already received acclaim for previous works, like Dusklands (1974), In the Heart of the Country (1976), and Waiting for the Barbarians (1980), he chose to remain decisively private about his life, even declining to accept either of his two Booker Prizes at the award ceremonies. Unlike the traditional memoir, Boyhood is written entirely in third-person, narrated by a character who may only closely resemble the actual author. In addition, the memoir addresses larger issues, such as sexual awakening and apartheid in South Africa. These themes are largely overshadowed, however, by the mundane. What makes Boyhood such a fascinating work is not the breathtaking landscapes of Cape Town or the interesting characters that pass fleetingly through Coetzee?s life: it is the boy?s relationship with his mother that transforms the chronicle into something much more than an account of one?s childhood. Nearly every chapter of Boyhood conveys the sheer terror of a child who is deathly afraid of losing his mother, who chooses to scorn her while taking advantage of her unconditional love. This love, though heartbreaking and tragic, continues to haunt Coetzee, even on the verge of adolescence.
Continue reading Living in a Mother's Shadow | The Mantle.
The hero of J.M. Coetzee?s childhood memoir is not the boy who grows up to become the 2003 recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature. Nor is the hero, as some might suspect, a literary one who fostered through verse a young boy?s passion for writing. The hero of Boyhood: Scenes from Provincial Life is his mother, the driving force behind his devotion to academia and the shadow behind the man who is known, according to fellow writer Rian Malan, for his ?monkish self-discipline and dedication.?1 Though the memoir is replete with fascinating tidbits that reveal the seeds of genius which took root early in Coetzee?s childhood, the most poignant moments of the work revolve around the boy?s larger-than-life mother, a woman of many dimensions and layers.
Boyhood?s publication served as a turning point for Coetzee?s writing career. Though he had already received acclaim for previous works, like Dusklands (1974), In the Heart of the Country (1976), and Waiting for the Barbarians (1980), he chose to remain decisively private about his life, even declining to accept either of his two Booker Prizes at the award ceremonies. Unlike the traditional memoir, Boyhood is written entirely in third-person, narrated by a character who may only closely resemble the actual author. In addition, the memoir addresses larger issues, such as sexual awakening and apartheid in South Africa. These themes are largely overshadowed, however, by the mundane. What makes Boyhood such a fascinating work is not the breathtaking landscapes of Cape Town or the interesting characters that pass fleetingly through Coetzee?s life: it is the boy?s relationship with his mother that transforms the chronicle into something much more than an account of one?s childhood. Nearly every chapter of Boyhood conveys the sheer terror of a child who is deathly afraid of losing his mother, who chooses to scorn her while taking advantage of her unconditional love. This love, though heartbreaking and tragic, continues to haunt Coetzee, even on the verge of adolescence.
Continue reading Living in a Mother's Shadow | The Mantle.
