Male author writing female character. Three guesses as to how it goes.
I could give a higher rating because he raises some points about storytelling and whatnot, but I'm choosing to hold him responsible for his bullshittery as a man writing a woman. Get fucked, C.

Swobodna impresja na temat "Przypadków Robinsona Kruzoe" autorstwa Daniela Defoe. Pod płaszczykiem opowieści wyspiarskich i postwyspiarskich kryją się rozważania na temat muz, siły kobiet oraz zależności treści historii od tego, kto ją opowiada. Zgodnie bowiem z informacją od wydawcy, niniejsza powieść "jest grą, którą południowoafrykański noblista podejmuje ze znaną historią, wykraczając poza szablony i dopuszczając do głosu postacie milczące: kobietę oraz niewolnika".

Nie szarżowałabym z tym oddawaniem głosu Piętaszkowi, bo po pierwsze - ucięto mu język, po drugie - jego komunikaty są mocno przepuszczone przez filtr zwany Susan. Sama Susan natomiast jest postacią, której nie kupuję. Jeśli ma symbolizować kobiety jako płeć, muzy artystów, opiekunki słabszych od siebie, to dla mnie nie jest w tym wiarygodna. Wszystkie te kwestie są ledwie maźnięte, co sprawia, że gdzieś w konstrukcji tej postaci gra dziwny fałsz. Sama narracja (tak, narratorką jest nasza bohaterka) jest bardzo wydumana, a konstrukcje zdaniowe i słownictwo - nieprzystępne. Do tego stopnia, że trudno tu mówić o jakiejkolwiek przyjemności z czytania.

Wg mnie bardzo słaba pozycja literacka jak na tego autora, co nie oznacza, że słaba w ogóle. Po prostu mi szkoda, ponieważ ciekawy koncept został przedstawiony w wyjątkowo nudny i trudny w odbiorze sposób.

i think i need to read academic papers on this because i did catch some things while a lot went over my head...
i just picked it up on a whim because we mentioned it in class so i might be returning to it at some point when i acquire more knowledge on it and post-modernism as a whole.
definitely more enjoyable than the pro-english-colonialism hot mess that is the original robinson crusoe which i didn't even bother to rate (why is that a required read in middle school i will never know, but reading it for college was a different and more serious experience.)
i definitely have other thoughts i need to actually form when i read more about this book so this messy attempt at a review might change

This was one brilliant read. I began it with much skepticism, having been disappointed by the substance of Robinson Crusoe, I had to read this for my comparative literature paper, to compare it with the master text of Crusoe, and the way it began, slow and ambiguous, and yet thrusting the reader into the narrative without any such introduction, I hated it.

But as I continued reading and understanding the complexity of Susan, the protagonist's thoughts, as well as of the text and the writing of the text itself, I realised this to be a work of great importance. The questions Susan tackles with, of reality, myth, narration, writing and storytelling, all left me dumbfounded.

The way the characters, taken from Robinson Crusoe, of Cruso, the white master of the island, Friday, the tongueless slave and Foe, the white master of Susan's narrative and consciousness of the past and present, all distorted mirrors of Robinson Crusoe, Friday and the former author Daniel Defoe himself, are presented to reveal the reality behind the facade of the primary colonial text.

The use of plot devices by both Coetzee and Foe, in the form of the unknown daughter and the forced daughter Susan Barton, Friday's tonguelessness, the surreality of many of the episodes and the part IV of the book, all reveal the reflexivity and metafictionality of Foe, which is a brilliant text, wherein I might not have been able to understand a few things at the end, but overall, I think this is a stellar exemplification of a post modern, post colonial, re-writing of a colonial text.

Pradėjau skaityti ir vis svarsčiau kas tas Fo, nes pradžioje niekas tokiu vardu nebuvo minimas. Tik galiausiai pirmo skyriaus pabaigoje, kažkur ties 46 puslapiu supratau. Ir galvoju ar aš viena tokia nesusivokusi ar yra ir kitų nesupratusių iškart kas tas Fo? :)
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Kodėl turėjau suprasti? Nes Coetzee šį kartą pasirinko Danielio DeFO kūrinį Robinzonas Kruzas. DeFO ir yra knygos pavadinimą įgavęs vardas Fo :) Taip akivaizdu! Na bet man prireikė 46 puslapių :)
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Tai gi jau užsiminiau, kad knyga Defo knygos pagrindu. Tik iš kitos perspektyvos: kai Robinzonas Kruzas nebando išvykti iš salos, o kaip tik visa širdimi laiko ją savo namais iki kol į jo salos krantą neišplaukia moteris... ech tos moterys... viską sugadina.
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Coetzee visiškai savame stiliuje. Istorijos vingis vienas, bet jis sugeba jį taip apraizgyti įvairiomis temomis, kad tas pasakojimo veiksmas nusikelti į antrą planą.
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Kokios šį kartą paliestos autoriaus temos? Vergovė, bet ne tiesioginė, o labiau perkeltine prasme. Kam mes patys vergaujame? Įsitikinimams, įpročiams, pareigoms?
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Laukimu pagrindžiame savo baimes, bei nemokame įvertinti to kas prieš nosį. Vis skubame kitur, vis kitur bus geriau, vis kažko tikimės. Kai realiai viskas mums prieš nosį.
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Visų temų tikrai neminėsiu. Išvardija tik kelias labiausiai patraukusias akį.
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Pabaiga tiesa šiek tiek išmušo mane iš vėžių. Tarsi norėta kažką labai gudriai parašyti, bet toks jausmas apima, kad nelabai gavosi (arba aš tiesiog nesupratau :) ).
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Nors aš dievinu Coetzee ir skaitysiu viską ką tik pavyks gauti, bet tiems, kurie su juo dar nebuvo susidūrę, patarčiau pažintį pradėti ne nuo šios knygos. ;)

Susan Barton hazatér hosszadalmas hajótöréséből Angliába, és megkísérli eladni történetét Crusoe-stul, Péntekestül Mr. (De)Foe-nak, a híres írónak. Coetzee becsapósan olvasmányos könyve tulajdonképpen nem tesz mást, mint a Defoe-regény, és az annak alapjául szolgáló igazi esemény közé beilleszt egy harmadik sztorit – az egészet egy nő szemszögéből újramesélve. Ezzel pedig bevisz minket az alternatív igazságok labirintusába – hiszen honnan tudhatjuk, hogy Susan Barton nem hazudik-e? És vajon Mr. Crusoe mit titkolt el? És maga Defoe miért olyan formában regényesítette meg az egészet, amilyenben? (Hogy Coetzee-ről már ne is beszéljünk. Alighanem ő a legnagyobb simlis a bagázsban.) Az igazságot talán csak Péntek tudja – aki ezáltal válik a regény igazi kulcsfigurájává –, csak hát ő meg néma. Szívás. Mindent összevetve ebben a regényben az a trükk, hogy bár egy alapvetően egyszerű cselekménnyel operál, de ez csak a látszat, mert az elbeszélés tulajdonképpeni terén kívül számtalan kérdés bukkan fel – ezeket nemhogy az olvasónak kell megválaszolnia, de esetenként még neki is kell feltennie. Ahogy Coetzee mondja: „…ha a történet laposnak is tűnik, az csupán annak tudható be, hogy makacsul leplezi mondanivalóját.”

Megj.: Ehhez képest nagy kár, hogy Coetzee helyenként (különösen az utolsó harmadban) bántóan túlbeszéli az egészet. De azért érdekes könyv.

I HATED this book. I had to read it for my critical theory class and to this day have no idea what it was about. It's allegedly about Robinson Crusoe and the black guy he's stranded w/ in "Kidnapped." However, after I wrote a 17 page paper on the novel, couldn't tell you more than that if my life depended on it.

Daniel DeFoe's classic novel of shipwreck and survival is given an alternative re-telling by South African Nobel Laureate JM Coetzee in this short novel "Foe".

The story is told from the first person perspective of Susan Barton who is left adrift on a small boat with a dead captain after the crew of the ship she was sailing on to find her missing daughter on, mutinied. She washes ashore a desert island and finds that she is not alone. A man named Crusoe and his tongue-less former slave and manservant Friday are the only other two people living on the island. Their life on the island and subsequent escape to 17th England is documented here, up until she meets Daniel Foe, a budding novelist whom she wants to write her story and make her a celebrity.

Daniel Foe is of course Daniel DeFoe, who bought the faux title "De" to add before his last name to make it seem that he was nobility when he in actuality was not.

The book talks about stories and storytelling, the power of fiction, the power of words and narrative, and how we live and how we see ourselves in our heads in relation to the real world. I found the book a very fast paced read and enthralling in parts. Barton's encounters with Foe were particularly fascinating and Coetzee does a good job of recreating 17th century England well. Despite a rather obligatory literary ending - dreamlike and vague - I found it to be a good read that I enjoyed reading on holiday this summer. Coetzee's best is still for me "Disgrace" but "Foe" is a fine addition to this remarkable writer's canon and those looking for an accessible and interesting novel by this writer would do well to start here.

Creo que Foe es la viva prueba de que no se necesita hacer una obra excesivamente extensa para ahondar en problemas filosóficos serios (si es que existen aquellos que no lo son). En Foe, Coetzee revisita Robison Crusoe y, a pesar de que no he leído la obra de cabecera del escritor británico, puedo afirmar que el ejercicio realizado por Coetzee en esta obra es supremamente interesante. En tal sentido, considero que no es casualidad que el autor vuelva a este relato en su discurso de aceptación del Nobel (He and his man). De alguna manera, Foe entraña el mismo proceso de creación literaria y quiero pensar que, precisamente por tal motivo, Coetzee acude a esta obra al recibir el galardón más prestigioso de las letras. En esta novela subyace una idea que, a mi parecer, es de gran belleza: si bien el autor crea a sus personajes, estos nacen también para transformar la vida de quien los elabora.

Por otra parte, las reflexiones realizadas en torno al lenguaje y al inevitable silencio son increíblemente lúcidas. Tal es la razón por la que, a la final, Viernes termina siendo el protagonista inesperado de esta novela. Por ello, considero que no es descabellado afirmar que Viernes es la personificación de aquello que escapa a las palabras (en muchos casos, la esencia misma de las cosas).

Pe cât de mult mi-a plăcut “Așteptându-i pe barbari”, pe atât de puțin am apreciat (sau poate nu am înțeles suficient) “Foe”.
Mie, cel puțin, subiectul mi s-a părut stupid și neverosimil. Neconvingător.
Susan naufragiază pe o insulă pustie. Pardon, nu era chiar pustie. Ghici cine mai era acolo? Robinson Cruso (fără “e”) și Vineri (fără limbă). După un an plictisitor, toți trei sunt salvați și doar doi ajung in Anglia. Susan se hotărăște sa vândă povestea unui editor, pe care ghici cum îl cheamă? Nu ați ghicit? Exact, Daniel Foe (fără “De”).
Și de aici începe o lupta de supraviețuire urbană, un zbucium filozofic, condiția scriitorului cu opera sa, bla-bla-bla... Deși am încercat (jur!!), pe mine autorul m-a pierdut la faza asta.
Cartea pare rupta in doua. E ca și cum prima parte ar fi fost scrisă intr-un loc frumos și liniștit la țară, iar pentru cea de-a doua parte autorul s-a întors acasă, intr-un oraș aglomerat și zgomotos.

This book makes me think of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. It was said of Ginger that she could dance as well as Fred, but backwards, and while wearing high heels!

Foe by J.M. Coetzee is a re-telling of the tale of Robinson Crusoe, except that the "real" story is all different. Susan Barton is the mistress of a sea captain who is cast away by the ship's mutinous crew. She makes her way to an island, where she is found on the beach by Friday, who takes her to "Cruso" in his encampment.

This Cruso is nothing like Defoe's castaway, with all his prayers and projects. He is somewhat surly and lazy. His only project is the creation of terraces for agriculture -- except there is no agriculture because there are no seeds to be planted. And Friday seems to have been with Cruso from the start. The main difference between him and the cannibal of Defoe is that his tongue had been cut out, and he is unable to speak.

The three are rescued by a ship, the Hobart, and taken to England. In London, Susan Barton finds a writer named Foe and tries to interest him in the real story of the island -- but Foe is not really buying her story: He does not find it sufficiently interesting. Instead, he delves into her back story, about how she lost her daughter in Bahia, Brazil, and what may have happened to her.

We never actually see the final tale of Robinson Crusoe. The two divergent stories are never really reconciled. It probably would have been too neat if they were, and the tale of Susan Barton is interesting in its own right. In the end, we have two tales with some comparable elements -- and Susan's is an interesting tale as she tries to make her way in the world with the mute Friday, after Foe is set upon by debt collectors, and decamps.

বইটি সম্ভবত রূপক অর্থে লেখা । মূল ইংরেজি বইটি কেমন ছিল বলতে পারব না , তবে অনুবাদ পড়ে মোটেই সন্তুষ্ট নই । নোবেল বিজয়ী একজন লেখকের বিখ্যাত উপন্যাস, আমি গল্পটা বুঝতে পারিনি; এটা অবশ্যই আমার ব্যর্থতা এবং অনুবাদকের উপরও এর দায়ভার কিছুটা বর্তায় । আর নাহলে বলতে হবে এরকম লেখা আমার জন্য না । সত্যি কথা বলতে এর চেয়ে একঘেয়ে বই পড়িনি ।