Its protagonist also nurses a wounded girl, massaging her and bathing her in almond oil, and is accused of thinking himself to be the "one just man" by the head of the Third Bureau.
In the first scene of this novel, the protagonist is intrigued by another character's sunglasses, which he has apparently never seen before. The protagonist of this novel realizes that "a smile" and "warm bread" are among the simple pleasures that represent the "key to the labyrinth" of his existence thanks to a recurring dream involving a featureless girl and children playing in snow. The sight of twelve men strung together with wire finally causes this novel's protagonist to object, after which he undergoes strappado and is eventually released by Mandel. Its protagonist also nurses a wounded girl, massaging her and bathing her in almond oil, and is accused of thinking himself to be the "one just man" by the head of the Third Bureau. For 10 points, identify this novel in which a nameless Magistrate is tortured by Colonel Joll, a J.M. Coetzee novel that takes its title from a Cavafy poem about some approaching savages.
In the first scene of this novel, the protagonist is intrigued by another character's sunglasses, which he has apparently never seen before.
Waiting for the Barbarians