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"A major new novel from the Nobel Prize-winning author of Waiting for the Barbarians, The Life & Times of Michael K and Disgrace Nobel laureate and two-time Booker Prize winner J.M. Coetzee returns with a haunting and surprising novel about childhood and destiny that is sure to rank with his classic novels. Separated from his mother as a passenger on a boat bound for a new land, David is a boy who is quite literally adrift. The piece of paper explaining his situation is lost, but a fellow passenger, Simón, vows to look after the boy. When the boat docks, David and Simón are issued new names, new birthdays, and virtually a whole new life. Strangers in a strange land, knowing nothing of their surroundings, nor the language or customs, they are determined to find David's mother. Though the boy has no memory of her, Simón is certain he will recognize her at first sight. "But after we find her," David asks, "what are we here for?" An eerie allegorical tale told largely through dialogue, The Childhood of Jesus is a literary feat-a novel of ideas that is also a tender, compelling narrative. Coetzee's many fans will celebrate his return while new readers will find The Childhood of Jesus an intriguing introduction to the work of a true master"--
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Previews available in: Spanish English Polish Dutch
Subjects
Guardian and ward, Fiction, Fiction (fictional works by one author), Fiction, family life, FICTION / Literary, Children, Refugees, Families, English literature, Fiction, family life, general, New York Times reviewed, Tutelle et curatelle, Romans, nouvelles, Tutela, Novela, Literary, Fate and fatalismPeople
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Book Details
Edition Notes
Translation of: The childhood of Jesus.
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Work Description
After crossing oceans, a man and a boy arrive in a new land. Here they are each assigned a name and an age, and held in a camp in the desert while they learn Spanish, the language of their new country. As Simon and David they make their way to the relocation centre in the city of Novilla, where officialdom treats them politely but not necessarily helpfully.
Simon finds a job in a grain wharf. The work is unfamiliar and backbreaking, but he soon warms to his stevedore comrades, who during breaks conduct philosophical dialogues on the dignity of labour, and generally take him to their hearts.
Now he must set about his task of locating the boy's mother. Though like everyone else who arrives in this new country he seems to be washed clean of all traces of memory, he is convinced he will know her when he sees her. And indeed, while walking with the boy in the countryside Simon catches sight of a woman he is certain is the mother, and persuades her to assume the role.
David's new mother comes to realise that he is an exceptional child, a bright, dreamy boy with highly unusual ideas about the world. But the school authorities detect a rebellious streak in him and insist he be sent to a special school far away. His mother refuses to yield him up, and it is Simon who must drive the car as the trio flees across the mountains.
The Childhood of Jesus is a profound, beautiful and continually surprising novel from a very great writer.
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Feedback?April 19, 2023 | Edited by Lisa | //covers.openlibrary.org/b/id/11184082-S.jpg |
April 19, 2023 | Edited by Lisa | Update covers |
April 19, 2023 | Edited by Lisa | Merge works |
August 21, 2022 | Edited by Lisa | Merge works |
August 5, 2013 | Created by Ben Krombholz | Added new book. |