Slow Man
Tags
Summary
Raymond, sixty years old, divorced for many years, childless, out of touch with his relatives, has long lived in seclusion and obscurity—the world would be no different with or without him.
A car accident costs him his right leg. "I have no family to look after me." Yet he refuses a prosthesis and refuses to contact friends.
He feels that his life as a human being is over and that he has become a dog.
Only, he has fallen in love with someone, and at the same time another woman, a stranger, intrudes into his life.
Life presses new trials upon his damaged, aging body, and in the end he gives his own answer.
On refusing the prosthesis, he says, "I don't want to look natural. I want to feel natural."
Toward love and solitude, his attitude remains the same.
Editor's review
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Serious literary readers interested in existentialist literature and deep exploration of human nature
- Readers seeking fiction that goes beyond simple plot and is rich in philosophical speculation
- Readers familiar with J. M. Coetzee's style and appreciative of his cold narrative technique
- Readers concerned with life issues such as aging, illness, and dignity
Not a good fit for
- Readers seeking light entertainment or fast-paced, strongly plot-driven stories
- Readers expecting a typical inspirational story about overcoming adversity
Reading tips
- It is recommended to read in a relatively quiet environment without interruptions, so as to immerse yourself in the text's delicate psychological atmosphere and speculative space.
- There is no need to rush the plot; savor the complex emotions and ethical dilemmas beneath Coetzee's spare dialogue and description.
- Reading this alongside other works by Coetzee, such as Disgrace or Waiting for the Barbarians, can deepen your understanding of the continuity and evolution of his themes.
About the publisher
Sichuan Literature and Art Publishing House is a professional literary and art publishing institution. It mainly publishes books on contemporary and modern literature, foreign literature, poetry and prose, music and art, and literary theory. Judging from the books in the database, the house places considerable emphasis on classic works and foreign literature. Representative titles include Lu Xun's Call to Arms and Dawn Blossoms Plucked at Dusk, Lao She's Camel Xiangzi, Xiao Hong's The Story of Hulan River, J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit, William Shakespeare's Hamlet, and Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha. Its translator resources include Deng Jiawan, Shi Zhongge, Du Yunci, and Zhu Shenghao. Common categories include social fiction, classic works, foreign literature, world classics, literary appreciation, and classical poetry, reflecting a publishing profile that balances Chinese and foreign literary classics with literary appreciation.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 感谢
- 第1章
- 第2章
- 第3章
- 第4章
- 第5章
- 第6章
- 第7章
- 第8章
- 第9章
- 第10章
- 第11章
- 第12章
- 第13章
- 第14章
- 第15章
- 第16章
- 第17章
- 第18章
- 第19章
- 第20章
- 第21章
- 第22章
- 第23章
- 第24章
- 第25章
- 第26章
- 第27章
- 第28章
- 第29章
- 第30章
FAQ
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About the author
J. M. Coetzee (John Maxwell Coetzee) is a South African-born novelist and literary critic, born in Cape Town in February 1940 and relocated to Australia in 2002. In a restrained and austere style, his writing explores moral dilemmas, historical violence, and individual solitude. His major works include Waiting for the Barbarians, Life & Times of Michael K, and Disgrace; he has won the Booker Prize twice and received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2003. His works have been translated into many languages and hold an important place in contemporary world literature. This site features his works Moral Tales, Slow Man, The Iron Age, and The Pole, which continue his sustained attention to human nature and ethical questions.
Wu Chao, born in 1957 in Jieyang, Guangdong, holds a doctorate in engineering and is a professor at the School of Resources and Safety Engineering, Central South University; he retired in 2022 and is a recipient of the Special Government Allowance of the State Council. He has long taught and researched safety science and engineering, founded new disciplines such as safety science studies, safety statistics and comparative safety studies, and has published more than 40 monographs and textbooks, with Chemical Dust Suppression winning the China Book Award. The works held in the library span a wide range: foreign literature such as A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Oliver Twist, The Slow Man, Clarkson's Farm and The Goldfinch Chaser; popular science like a field guide to common mantises; and technical and management titles on multi-UAV cooperative control and marketing digitalization, as well as books on politics and social sciences, reflecting broad editorial interests.
