We love assembling each Indiespensable package. But this one was special. Not only are we featuring one of our favorite authors, Nobel laureate and two-time Booker Prize winner
J. M. Coetzee, but the famously reclusive South African has graciously agreed to sign copies of his new novel for us. We're grateful to Mr. Coetzee and delighted to be able to present each Indiespensable subscriber with a handsomely slipcased — and signed — copy of
The Childhood of Jesus.
This complex allegory about a man and a boy who arrive by boat in an unnamed, Spanish-speaking land and set out to find the boy's mother combines the character-driven narrative and gorgeous prose of his early novels with the exhilarating philosophical explorations of his later work. Writing in the New York Times Book Review, Joyce Carol Oates marveled, "[The Childhood of Jesus] plunges us at once into a mysterious and dreamlike terrain....A Kafka-inspired parable of the quest for meaning itself." The Childhood of Jesus is a magnificent achievement, one that will remind readers why Coetzee is widely regarded as one of the most important writers at work today.
Because Coetzee's story begins with our heroes at sea, we've included a Powell's Anchor Tote, which you can fill with books and take along on your own voyage. But just in case the smell of sea salt in the air isn't enough to satisfy your wanderlust, we've also included a jar of Oregon Pinot Noir Flake Salt from our friends at the Jacobsen Salt Company. Who knew salt could be both beautiful and delicious?