A review by strickvl
The Good Story: Exchanges on Truth, Fiction and Psychotherapy, by Arabella Kurtz, J.M. Coetzee
4.0
More Coetzee! (Good for the soul!)
This book is the written record of a dialogue between Coetzee and a psychotherapist (Arabella Kurtz). The subject matter is interesting if somewhat unfocused. The character and progression of their dialogue, the way they talk to and around each other, was to my mind the real hero of this book. I found their interaction highly stimulating, and it made me wonder why more books like this don't exist. We have the institution of the public discussion, on a stage with an audience, but having the dialogue take place on paper seems to my mind a better way of going about things. You can take time, you can review what was said, you can express yourself in the best way that reflects what you seek to explain, and so on.
Recommended for the above, and for two fascinating discussions of Dostoevsky and Sebald (and what they have to say about the nature of confession, and the extent to which we can know things and/or come to terms with our histor(ies)).
This book is the written record of a dialogue between Coetzee and a psychotherapist (Arabella Kurtz). The subject matter is interesting if somewhat unfocused. The character and progression of their dialogue, the way they talk to and around each other, was to my mind the real hero of this book. I found their interaction highly stimulating, and it made me wonder why more books like this don't exist. We have the institution of the public discussion, on a stage with an audience, but having the dialogue take place on paper seems to my mind a better way of going about things. You can take time, you can review what was said, you can express yourself in the best way that reflects what you seek to explain, and so on.
Recommended for the above, and for two fascinating discussions of Dostoevsky and Sebald (and what they have to say about the nature of confession, and the extent to which we can know things and/or come to terms with our histor(ies)).