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WaitingfortheBarbarians(1980)
ThismostallegoricalofCoetzee’snovelscommenceswiththefamil-
iarconfrontationoftwofacesofpower,inthiscasetwotypesoffunc-
tionariesintheserviceofanEmpire,thestateofwhichweshallnot
learnanythingaboutinthecourseofthebook.Theunnamednarra-
torbearsthepositionofMagistrate,thehighestauthorityinafort
onthesouthernoutskirtsoftheEmpirebeyondwhosedominionslie
wastelandterritoriespopulatedbynomadictribescalledthebarbar-
ians.Heisapatricianfromanoldfamily,supposedlylivingaquiet
andsatisfyinglifeathispost.Heconscientiouslyfulfilshisduties,
whicharenotmany:KThereisnotmuchcrimehereandthepenalty
isusuallyafineorcompulsorylabour”1–andspendstherestofhis
timepursuinghobbiesappropriatetohispatricianstatus:hunting,
readingtheclassics,drawingmapsoftheunknownterritories,exca-
vatingtheruinsofpastcivilisations(earlierinhislifephilandering
wasalsoincluded).Thisman,whostandsforthegoodoldways,is
confrontedbythenewlyarrivedColonelJolloftheThirdBureau,
whichKisthemostimportantdivisionoftheCivilGuard”(2),that
is,theofficerofthesecurityforcesofthestate.Thereasonforhis
arrivalisrumoursofpreparationsforwaramongthebarbarians
andheappropriatelycomesfromthecapitalsince,astheMagistrate
remembers:KLastyearstoriesbegantoreachusfromthecapitalof
unrestamongthebarbarians.[ł]Thebarbariantribeswerearming,
therumourwent;theEmpireshouldtakeprecautionarymeasures,
fortherewouldcertainlybewar”(8).Jollissupposedtoinvestigate
1
J.M.Coetzee,WaitingfortheBarbarians(Harmondsworth:Penguin,1982),2;
furtherreferencesinthebodyofthetext.
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