Renowned for his sparse yet powerful prose, J. M. Coetzee is unquestionably among the most influential-and provocative-authors of our time. With characteristic insight and a brittle wit that forces our attention on the common terrors we don't want to think about (Washington Post), Coetzee here challenges us to interrogate our preconceptions not only of love, but of truth itself.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,...

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