Get A Life

The drastic consequences of a life-saving treatment force a man to question everything he knows, in Nadine Gordimer’s absorbing novel.When an ecologist in Africa is diagnosed with cancer and prescribed treatment that makes him radioactive, his suddenly fragile existence makes him question his life for the first time. He is especially struck by the contradictions between his work as a conservationist and that of his wife, an advertising agency executive. When Paul moves in with his parents to protect his wife and young son from radiation, the strange nature of his condition leads his mother to face her own past."The 1991 Nobel winner’s 14th novel is one of her most provocative books: an unsparing analysis of the permutations — and ramifications — of commitment and fidelity, endangerment and survival... Yes, this is a talky novel, but if the conscience of South Africa hasn’t earned the right to have her say, who has? One of our great writers at her challenging, blistering best. Mandatory reading." - Kirkus ReviewsNadine Gordimer was a South African writer, political activist, and recipient of the 1991 Nobel Prize in Literature. She was recognized as a woman "who through her magnificent epic writing has – in the words of Alfred Nobel – been of very great benefit to humanity". Gordimer's writing dealt with moral and racial issues, particularly apartheid in South Africa. Under that regime, works such as Burger's Daughter and July's People were banned. She was active in the anti-apartheid movement, joining the African National Congress during the days when the organization was banned. She was also active in HIV/AIDS causes. Get a Life begins with Paul Bannerman, a South African ecologist, being treated for thyroid cancer with radioactive iodine. To spare his wife and child any peril from the radioactivity, he returns to his parents' home to recuperate. He's returned to his childhood state, being cared for by his mother, a civil rights lawyer, and the black housekeeper who's been with the family his whole life. Paul's wife, an advertising executive, realizes that her clients are facilitating the foreign corporations who want to take advantage of liberal land use laws for their own interests. Paul's illness forces them all the re-evaluate both their lives and the new challenges facing their country. Nadine Gordimer's has received mostly positive reviews with the Philadelphia Inquirer saying, "At first whiff, Get a Life feels an odd title for this novel. But as the action progresses, and Gordimer masterfully grinds her yarn to a quivering conclusion, no answers have been provided, and the moniker she has given this provocative book seems perfect." When Paul Bannerman, an ecologist in Africa, is diagnosed with cancer and prescribed treatment that makes him radioactive, his suddenly fragile existence makes him question his life for the first time. He is especially struck by the contradiction in values between his work as a conservationist and that of his wife, an advertising agency executive. Then when Paul moves in with his parents to protect his wife and young son from radiation, the strange nature of his condition leads his mother to face her own past. Paul Bannerman, an ecologist in Africa, believes he controls the trajectory of his life with the markers of vocation and marriage. But when he is diagnosed with thyroid cancer, he receives treatment that makes him radioactive and a danger to others, leading him to question his outlook on life. Da Paul Bannerman, en sydafrikansk økolog, bliver ramt af kræft, må han en tid leve i karantæne hos sine forældre, og her får han lejlighed til at reflektere over sit hidtidige liv, sit ægteskab og modsætningsfyldte arbejde kontra livets sande værdier