Peter Bergsma Libri

Per anni, il magistrato si è concentrato su poche, piccole cose quotidiane: l'amministrazione giudiziaria della sua cittadina di frontiera durante il giorno, la lettura dei classici la sera, gli scavi archeologici nel tempo libero. Per anni, ha applicato la legge senza mettere in forse la propria fedeltà all'Impero, senza consentire ad alcun dubbio di turbare le sue serate con gli amici, le sue notti con le prostitute. Per anni. Finché i barbari non cominciano a premere lungo la frontiera - o almeno, cosí dicono nella capitale; finché due di quei barbari non vengono catturati e torturati. Il magistrato, all'improvviso, si trova a confrontarsi con la realtà: con la violenza, con il pregiudizio, perfino con l'amore. E da suddito dell'Impero si trasforma in nemico, da giudice in imputato - senza mai avere la certezza di battersi per una causa giusta, o di resistere a una causa ingiusta: «Qualcosa mi ha guardato dritto in faccia e io ancora non la vedo». Grande successo in tutto il mondo anglosassone, Aspettando i barbari ha vinto nel 1980 il Cna Prize, il piú prestigioso riconoscimento letterario del Sudafrica.

Set against the backdrop of apartheid, the narrative explores the complex emotions of a young boy navigating his relationships with his father, whom he despises, and his mother, whom he both adores and resents. Coetzee's evocative storytelling captures the themes of race, caste, and shame, intertwined with moments of bewildering humor. This poignant coming-of-age tale offers a profound reflection on identity and societal constraints, marking a significant addition to Coetzee's body of work.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Once in a great while, a book comes along that changes our view of the world. This magnificent novel from the Nobel laureate and author of Never Let Me Go is “an intriguing take on how artificial intelligence might play a role in our futures ... a poignant meditation on love and loneliness” (The Associated Press). • A GOOD MORNING AMERICA Book Club Pick! Here is the story of Klara, an Artificial Friend with outstanding observational qualities, who, from her place in the store, watches carefully the behavior of those who come in to browse, and of those who pass on the street outside. She remains hopeful that a customer will soon choose her. Klara and the Sun is a thrilling book that offers a look at our changing world through the eyes of an unforgettable narrator, and one that explores the fundamental question: what does it mean to love?

Clay comes home on break from his East Coast college to a landscape of limitless privilege and absolute moral entropy, where the natives drive Porsches, dine at Spago, and gobble their Quaaludes from Pez dispensers. Where else can Clay go but down? "A teenage slice-of-death novel, no holds barred".--VILLAGE VOICE. Copyright © Libri GmbH. All rights reserved.

Elizabeth Costello is an Australian writer of international renown. Famous principally for an early novel that established her reputation, she has reached the stage where her remaining function is to be venerated and applauded. Her life has become a series of engagements in sterile conference rooms throughout the world - a private consciousness obliged to reveal itself to a curious public: the presentation of a major award at an American college where she is required to deliver a lecture; a sojourn as the writer in residence on a cruise liner; a visit to her sister, a missionary in Africa, who is receiving an honorary degree, an occasion which both recognise as the final opportunity for effecting some form of reconciliation; and a disquieting appearance at a writers' conference in Amsterdam where she finds the subject of her talk unexpectedly amongst the audience. She has made her life's work the study of other people yet now it is she who is the object of scrutiny. But, for her, what matters is the continuing search for a means of articulating her vision and the verdict of future generations.

After a life-altering cycling accident leads to the amputation of his leg, Paul Rayment grapples with complex emotions for his nurse and her attractive teenage son. His world is further disrupted by the unexpected visit of renowned Australian novelist Elizabeth Costello, who seeks to influence both his recovery and romantic entanglements. The interplay of personal struggles and external influences shapes a poignant narrative about love, loss, and the quest for direction in life.

Hij moet weg van dat eindeloze platteland, weg uit dat betoverend mooie landschap. Hier, in Zuid-Afrika, kan hij nooit een dichter zijn, en al helemaal geen groot dichter zoals T.S. Eliot. Want dat wil hij worden, een groot dichter met een wild liefdesleven, hij wil gedichten schrijven waarvan de schoonheid met stomheid slaat, gedichten die iets uitdrukken wat hij in de Zuid-Afrikaanse bewegingsloosheid maar niet kan uitdrukken - maar wat eigenlijk? Hij moet weg, naar Londen, daar wordt verfijnder gesproken, daar zal hij zijn weg vinden naar de vrouwen en de grote poëzie. Natuurlijk is zijn moeder ontsteld, wat moet dat dan wel voorstellen, een dichter, en bovendien schijnt het in Londen koud te zijn. Het Londen van de vroege jaren zestig, waar hij toch naartoe gaat, is nog geen 'swinging London', maar een verwarrende en vijandige mierenhoop. Hij schopt het daar ten slotte tot programmeur. Maar zo leidt hij niet het grootse en meeslepende leven van een dichter. Hij heeft niet eens een vriend! Hij heeft een muze nodig! Hij raapt al zijn moed bijeen en leert allerlei vrouwen kennen die hem na een paar moeizame nachten eigenlijk alleen nog maar van de poëzie afhouden, vooral van liefdesgedichten!

translation