Book cover of Waiting for the Barbarians

Book description

A modern classic by Nobel Laureate J. M. Coetzee, now a major motion picture starring Robert Pattinson and Johnny Depp

For decades the Magistrate has run the affairs of a tiny frontier settlement, ignoring the impending war between the barbarians and the Empire whose servant he is. When interrogation experts…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked Waiting for the Barbarians as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

In 2004 I gave a presentation to a University of Adelaide faculty seminar on the need for historians to reclaim the “narrative” as a way of reaching a larger reading audience without resorting to “flourishes of the imagination.” Several sociologists and historians strongly disagreed, but a soft-spoken participant eloquently came to my defense.

At the reception that followed, my defender introduced himself as “John Coetzee.” Awestruck, I realized this was the 2003 Nobel Prize Winner, J.M. Coetzee, and I felt a bit like a starstruck fan of a rockstar as I told him that, for years, I had assigned this…

If you love Waiting for the Barbarians...

Book cover of Unwelcome

Unwelcome by Quincy Carroll,

In the years following his graduation from college, Cole Chen has been back and forth between the U.S. and China, struggling to navigate his transition into adulthood. Estranged from his parents, he returns to Hunan province to work for his friends, while also attempting to write a memoir based on…

Want books like Waiting for the Barbarians?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like Waiting for the Barbarians.

Browse books like Waiting for the Barbarians

Book cover of Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business
Book cover of Walking with the Wind: A Memoir of the Movement
Book cover of Autocracy, Inc.: The Dictators Who Want to Run the World

Share your top 3 reads of 2025!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,366

readers submitted
so far, will you?