Waiting for the Barbarians

By: J. M. Coetzee

Narrated by: Andrew Wincott

For decades the Magistrate has been a loyal servant of the Empire, running the affairs of a tiny frontier settlement and ignoring the impending war with the barbarians. When interrogation experts arrive, however, he witnesses the Empire's cruel and unjust treatment of prisoners of war. Jolted into sympathy for their victims, he commits a quixotic act of rebellion that brands him an enemy of the state.

J. M. Coetzee's prize-winning novel is a startling allegory of the war between oppressor and oppressed. The Magistrate is not simply a man living through a crisis of conscience in an obscure place in remote times; his situation is that of all men living in unbearable complicity with regimes that ignore justice and decency.

©1980 J. M. Coetzee (P)2019 Audible, Ltd

Well written book on colonialism and sexuality

A good book, well written and interesting on colonialism, despair and the Empires representatives management of its own ageing and sexual desires.
Thought provoking on "the Barbarians". In the context of the book, who are really the barbarians? Aren't the Barbarians pretty much the Empire that treats natives as animals and less?
I recommend this book, but it's really not a joyful reading....but it will stick with you for some time.

Mostly about being a horny old man

The majority of the book is about a weird relationship between the main character and a tortured woman.
The narrator's voice is what kept me in. Great performance in my opinion.

Impressive performance by Andrew Wincott

Andrew Wincott’s performance is well modulated for this evocative novel. He gets everything right: voices, accents, the narrative.

An Interesting Read For The Current Times

Though a difficult read due to the disturbing content at times, I found this book curiously and frighteningly relevant to the current political times in which we are living, especially in the USA. It is a book well worth reading in that it prompts us to look inside ourselves to examine how fear of the unknown can drive us to act as human beings and also to remind us of how resilient we can be in difficult times.

Thought provoking!

Simplicity/ thinking of the end of life w/ nothing else
- no hereafter or God- just nothing so our life experience is it……