12 Years on the making for the movie. All the lifetime of a young boy, since when he was a child until he grows up and went to the university.

Film: Boyhood (2014) with Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke.

Una savana brucata dagli erbivori
La copertina mostra fiumi azzurri e verdi boschi, ma l'infanzia di Coetzee ricorda di più una savana brucata accuratamente dagli erbivori. Come si dice parafrasando, i periodi felici non hanno storia, quelli infelici hanno bisogno di parole per essere elaborati e se possibile superati: così Coetzee ci racconta la sua infelice infanzia, con una precisione e senso della misura ammirevoli. Era un bambino intelligente che analizzava attentamente le dinamiche familiari, subendole e ferendo a sua volta; consapevole dei difetti degli altri come dei propri; spaventato e orgoglioso. Una delle paure principali era quella di essere trasferito in una scuola afrikaans, lui che, di origine afrikaans, aveva fatto sua la cultura inglese e trovava insopportabilmente grossolani i compagni di origine boera. Uno dei desideri più grandi era vivere nella fattoria dello zio: entrambi i genitori venivano da famiglie proprietarie di fattorie e lui si sentiva esiliato nella piccola città, che non era Città del Capo, dalla quale a sua volta era esiliato, per via del lavoro del padre. Rapporto difficile col padre, perchè nonostante la buona cultura e gli inizi promettenti non aveva saputo gestire il denaro e aveva mandato la famiglia in rovina. Rapporto di odio e amore con la madre, che lo adorava e avrebbe fatto di tutto per lui: ma il troppo amore spesso non viene apprezzato (da ricordare: non se ne fa mai una giusta). Molto interessante la graduale scoperta del bambino delle diversità razziali e sociali: ci sono i sudafricani di origine inglese e quelli di origine olandese, mondi da lui percepiti molto diversi; poi i meticci, che in realtà erano tutti molto neri ai suoi occhi e i nativi, cioè i boscimani, percepiti giustamente come i veri signori della terra: non perchè la possedessero, no: perchè emanati dalla terra, figli di quella terra. E'bello, la cosa più bella del libro, capire come i coloni bianchi e il bambino percepissero questo legame superiore e rispettassero il senso di dignità di queste figure che facevano il loro lavoro, certamente duro e poco ricompensato, dando l'impressione di farlo non per necessità ma perchè lo volevano fare (come un personaggio di Corto Maltese, anche lui nero e lucido).
Coetzee è uno scrittore notevole, di ottima prosa ma soprattutto di grande lucidità.

Make note to learn something about South African history and culture. It does the reader no favours to be as ignorant as I while reading this.

Underline note of some years ago to read Disgrace. Watched twice, but still not read. Boyhood has given me an idea as to how one might understand the odd scenario of that book, woman raped by black men and consequently pregnant, determines to become the 3rd wife of one of the rapists. Perhaps this will afford her some degree of safety and the possibility of staying in her home…though it will no longer be her home. We are given to believe that the woman is doing this as penance for being white. It is her necessary apology.

Here in Boyhood, there is much discussion of the difference between groups, including the Coloured people who are part of his life in a mysterious and uncomfortable way. Clearly Coetzee was a child disturbed by the racism that was part of his life. I wonder if, as an adult writer, he assuages his own guilt by this story. What can white men really give up, compared with white women? The total humiliation of the woman in Disgrace, perhaps that’s the sacrifice he can make. The author makes amends.

The more I read of fictionalised memoir, the more I come to the realisation that it is free to be truthful when factual memoir is not. Coetzee is ruthless in his descriptions of all in this account, including himself. Nobody is nice, his childhood is horrible but when I could imagine myself whining as I told such a story, he is merely dispassionately descriptive.

rest here: https://alittleteaalittlechat.wordpre...

At its core, Boyhood is a novel about identity, and coming into one's own sense of self. A number of different themes float into and out of the narrative: the nature of masculinity, tension between the influence of the mother and father, and conflict between English and Afrikaner identity, to name just a few.

Although the style is simple and sparse, I think Boyhood is a very beautiful book. Its slow development of the protagonist mirrors the slow development of the human character. The simple style works well to express the simple thoughts of a very young person. The observations of the protagonist reflect the same experience I myself have, when I think of the scenes from my childhood. They focus in on eccentric details: things which would go unnoticed by my adult self, but powerfully struck my youthful self.

For example, in one scene - a funeral - an adult mind would be tempted to focus on something other than the body hair of the undertaker.

'The lady was a schoolteacher, I believe,' says the undertaker. He speaks with a Scots accent. An immigrant: what can he know of South Africa, of people like Aunt Annie?
He has never seen a hairier man. Black hair sprouts from his nose and his ears, sticks out in tufts from his starched cuffs.
'Yes,' says his mother: 'she taught for over forty years.'

I don't know if anyone else feels the same way, but these weird details are exactly the sort of thing which sticks out in my memory when I think back on my early youth.

These reflections come after my second time reading this book. I was probably too young when I read it the first time to really appreciate the subtlety of this novel. Since growing a few years older, reading it has certainly become a richer experiene.

Coetzee me sorprende por segunda vez. Infancia es un recorrido por sus primero años de vida, con una voz narradora en tercera persona muy peculiar, pues aunque se sabe quien es el narrador, se siente lejano, como si fuera otra persona contando una historia de esas antiguas, de esas que los abuelos contaban porque sus abuelos se las habían contado.
Eso, y que la vida de un Coetzee niño es curiosamente parecida a la mía, tomando distancias, claro esta, me atrapo mucho y aunque lo deje de leer por unas semanas, no era por la historia, el caso, ha sido una gran historia que ya quiero continuar con Juventud, espero que sea este semestre que lo lea.

لم اتوقع هذا من كويتزي. اعتقد ان السيرة الذاتية لتكون ناجحة تحتاج الى ثيمة مركزية، أو تنطوي على محنة ما يمر بها البطل. هذه السيرة تفتقر الى الاثنين. هي ببساطة يوميات حياة الطفل كويتزي في جنوب افريقيا. علاقته بوالديه ومحيطه ومدرسته. لم اجد فيها ما يشدني. ربما فقط في الصفحات الاخيرة فيما يتعلق بالكشف العاطفي لعلاقته بأمه وأبيه شعرت بالاهتمام. سأتفق مع من قال على كويتزي البقاء في كتابة الرواية. استخدمت الكتاب للمساعدة على النوم.

I adore the simplicity and grace of Coetzee’s writing. He crafts stories in a way that is both powerful yet understated and I am never disappointed. Boyhood is a story of a young boy growing up and trying to find where he belongs, both at home and in society, and he could be anyone.

Me recomendaron a Coetzee hace unos meses. Ya sé que no necesita recomendación, que es un Nobel, pero aún así yo nunca lo había leído, así que quise comenzar por esta trilogía. También me avisaron de que el primero de los tres era el más flojo, pero obviamente quería llevar un orden, y dentro de que efectivamente no me ha parecido una maravilla, sí ha conseguido engancharme con su forma de escribir (y de describir). Sin duda, seguiré con él.

ذكريات كويتزي عن أيام صباه وبواكير مراهقته،جاءت في معظمها جذابة وإن شابها في مواضع قدر من ملل.

والكتاب كما جاء على ظهر الغلاف في إقتباس من أحد الصحف"لوحة شخصية واقعية وغنية عن الطفولة" هنا الطفولة تشتمل على البراءة والنظرة الدهشة المتسائلة،كما تشتمل على القسوة الكامنة والعنف المختزن تحت جلد ولد صغير نشأ محاطا بقدر هائل من المتناقضات،ناهيك عن الكراهية التي كانت كامنة عند كل منعطف ووراء كل جدار.

يتسم أسلوب كويتزى هنا بالحسم وربما الفجاجة في الحكم على الناس والأشياء وهوما يمنح لنبرته في الكتابة قدرا من الصدق،لا نجده في كتاباتنا العربية المماثلة

عموما ومنعا للإطالة ذكريات كويتزي عن صباه البعيد مثلت بالنسبة لي قراءة سلسة وممتعة بقدر.

فالرجل لا يخذلني أبدا ولذلك أعُد نفسي من قرائه الأوفياء.

Boyhood (Scenes from Provincial Life #1), J.M. Coetzee
عنوانها: کودکی - سه گانه صحنه هایی از زندگی شهرستان - کتاب اول؛ پسرانگی - سه گانه صحنه هایی از زندگی شهرستان - کتاب اول؛
نویسنده: جی.ام. (جان مکسول) کوتسی؛ تاریخ نخستین خوانش: بیست و نهم ماه اکتبر سال 2006 میلادی
عنوان: کودکی - سه گانه صحنه هایی از زندگی شهرستان - کتاب اول؛ نویسنده: جی.ام. (جان مکسول) کوتسی؛ مترجم: محسن مینوخرد؛ تهران، نشر قصه، 1383، در 184 ص؛ چاپ دیگر: تهران، میلکان، 1393؛ در 142 ص؛ شابک: 9786007443088؛ موضوع: داستانهای نویسندگان افریقایی انگلیسی - برنده ی پاداش نوبل - قرن 20 م
عنوان: پسرانگی - سه گانه صحنه هایی از زندگی شهرستان - کتاب اول؛ نویسنده: جی.ام. (جان مکسول) کوتسی؛ مترجم: شهلا طهماسبی؛ تهران، کتاب پنجره، 1393، در 194 ص؛ شابک: 9789647822725؛
سه گانه صحنه هایی از زندگی شهرستان کوتسی عبارتند از: کتاب نخست: کودکی (پسرانگی)؛ کتاب دوم: جوانی؛ کتاب سوم: تابستان زندگی؛
نخستین کوچندگان سفید پوست به آفریقای جنوبی هلندی‌ها بودند، که خود را « بوئر » نامیدند (بوئر به زبان هلندی به معنای کشاورز است). سپس انگلیسی‌ها در قرن نوزدهم به آفریقای جنوبی هجوم آوردند، و هلندی‌ها را به سوی شمال راندند. جورج مکسول کوتسی (نویسنده‌ ی رمان) نیز از هلندی تبارهای این سرزمین است. کوتسی در زمان کودکی، به آفریقای جنوبی پنجاه سال پیش بازمی‌گردد، و از روزگار کودکی و زندگی درونی خود می‌نویسد. روایتگر «کودکی» در شهرستانی کوچک بزرگ می‌شود، پدری دارد که هم از او تقلید می‌کند و هم نمی‌تواند به پدرش احترام بگذارد، و مادری که هم می‌ستایدش و هم از مادر رنجیده خاطر است. او راه خویش را، در جهانی که از توضیح قواعد و مقرراتش برای او سرباز می‌زند، رفته رفته می‌گشاید، ولی می‌داند که باید از قواعد و مقررات نیز پیروی کند، کودکی گرفتار در چنبر تناقض‌ها، با ریزبینی و دقتی به یاد ماندنی، کشاکش‌ها، سرخوشی‌ها و هراس‌های آن دوران را، به تصویر می‌کشد. کوتسی کودکی خود را با کنجکاوی بی‌غرضانه‌ ی پوینده‌ ای که در پی کشف جاپاهای گذشته‌ ی خویش است، می‌کاود، و گزارشی درخشان و سرد از جستجوی خویش به خوانشگر ارائه می‌دهد. ا. شربیانی

4.5

I've been curious about this book for a while, considering it seems to come up on pretty much every single list of books you apparently must read. Well, I can safely say it lives up to the hype. This is an incredible book unlike anything I've ever read before. The style of writing, the things it has to say, the portrait it paints and the method by which it does so -- any one of these things would be brilliant and perfectly executed on its own, but to then combine it with a look at childhood that most people deny to themselves, let alone write a whole book highlighting it? It's very refreshing and it was utterly captivating to read.

I think, for some people, there would like be a dearth of things to relate to in here. For many of us, either because we were lucky to have pleasant childhoods and be normal children, or because were convinced ourselves we did and we were, this will probably be a very bleak book. But for those of us who spent childhood waiting to become adults, painfully aware of all the things people tell themselves kids don't understand; for those of us who were born at odds with the world and remained so throughout our lives, I imagine it will be a completely different reading experience. It is honestly so enjoyable to see a book that pains childhood realistically, rather than the sanitised nonsense that would fall flat even in the face of the happiest childhood. Being a kid is stressful and scary and, to be blunt, a bit shit. While nearly all of us can point to things we enjoyed about it, I think we'd be delusional to say that it was the rosy picture often presented to us, born of nostalgia rather than reality. This book is glaringly honest, masterfully written, and I will absolutely be reading everything by this author I can get my hands on going forward.