Boy

Author: (South Africa) J.M. Coetzee, translated by Wen Min
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: Coetzee's autobiographical novels Boy and Youth are two independently published yet interconnected works. The former narrates the protagonist's childhood life in South Africa from the ages of ten to thirteen, while the latter depicts his experiences after graduating from university and seeking employment in London. Boy ends with the protagonist entering middle school, and Youth begins with the conclusion of his university life, leaving out a significant period of life in between. This creates a noticeable gap, which is quite puzzling. The story of this boy also involves various changes in his family. The parents have different temperaments and roles, but none of them can control their own fate. There is also the poor yet persistent Aunt Annie, who introduces John to the harsh realities of life. All the plots are tinged with a blend of innocence and melancholy, filled with strange and fantastical elements. Yet behind these trivial details lies a grand narrative intention. Through a young boy and an ordinary middle-class family, Coetzee witnesses how cultural imperialism by colonizers sows the seeds of conflict in South African society. He uses this to lay the tragic context of the book, and through the protagonist's inner confusion and the hardships of life, he unexpectedly unfolds a new discourse.