‘What is this place where I find myself?’: Place and the Self in Slow Man1

Abstract

The 2005 novel Slow Man makes apparent J. M. Coetzee’s interest in the plight of the émigré, not only through the French-born Paul Rayment, but also through the nurse and love-interest, Marijana Jokić. After losing a limb in a bicycle accident, Paul struggles to adjust to his new life. He feels alone and is confronted with a feeling of ‘not belonging.’ As time passes and the Jokić family is introduced into Paul’s life, this sense of displacement becomes overwhelming. The argument of this paper is that Paul’s loneliness is inextricably tied to his relationship to place. Through analysing the link between self and place, exploring the notion of ‘we’ and understanding the concept of home, Paul Rayment’s displacement and its consequences are investigated.

Keywords: J. M. Coetzee, Slow Man, place