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J.M. Coetzee

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J.M. Coetzee


Born
in Cape Town, Union of South Africa
February 09, 1940

Genre
Literature & Fiction

Influences
Samuel Beckett, Franz Kafka, Ford Madox Ford, Robert Walser, Daniel De ...more


J. M. Coetzee is a South African writer, essayist, and translator, widely regarded as one of the most influential authors of contemporary literature. His works, often characterized by their austere prose and profound moral and philosophical depth, explore themes of colonialism, identity, power, and human suffering. Born and raised in South Africa, he later became an Australian citizen and has lived in Adelaide since 2002.
Coetzee’s breakthrough novel, Waiting for the Barbarians (1980), established him as a major literary voice, while Life & Times of Michael K (1983) won him the first of his two Booker Prizes. His best-known work, Disgrace (1999), a stark and unsettling examination of post-apartheid South Africa, secured his second Booker Pri ...more

7 posts
J.M. Coetzee's Blog

J.M. Coetzee isn't a Goodreads Author (yet), but they do have a blog, so here are some recent posts imported from their feed.

An open letter to President Erdoğan from 38 Nobel laureates | JM Coetzee, Kazuo Ishiguro, Svetlana Alexievich and others

Until Turkey frees detained writers and returns to the rule of law, it cannot claim to be a member of the free world

Dear President Erdoğan,

We wish to draw your attention to the damage being done to the Republic of Turkey, to its reputation and the dignity and wellbeing of its citizens, through what leading authorities on freedom of expression deem to be the unlawful detention and wrongful convicti

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Published on February 28, 2018 06:03
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Combine Editions

Average rating: 3.77 · 316,165 ratings · 26,923 reviews · 184 distinct works • Similar authors
Disgrace
3.86 avg rating — 116,589 ratings — published 1999 — 41 editions
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Waiting for the Barbarians
3.93 avg rating — 35,635 ratings — published 1980 — 5 editions
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Life & Times of Michael K
3.87 avg rating — 21,147 ratings — published 1983 — 153 editions
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Foe
3.41 avg rating — 12,469 ratings — published 1986 — 98 editions
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Elizabeth Costello
3.48 avg rating — 10,082 ratings — published 2003 — 95 editions
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Slow Man
3.45 avg rating — 9,598 ratings — published 2005 — 81 editions
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Youth (Scenes from Provinci...
3.78 avg rating — 8,258 ratings — published 2002 — 4 editions
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Summertime (Scenes from Pro...
3.78 avg rating — 6,860 ratings — published 2009 — 72 editions
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The Childhood of Jesus
3.48 avg rating — 7,385 ratings — published 2013 — 99 editions
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Boyhood (Scenes from Provin...
3.77 avg rating — 5,953 ratings — published 1997 — 88 editions
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More books by J.M. Coetzee…

Series by J.M. Coetzee

Boyhood Youth Summertime
(3 books)
by
3.79 avg rating — 21,633 ratings

The Childhood of Jesus The Schooldays of Jesus The Death of Jesus
(3 books)
by
3.55 avg rating — 11,557 ratings

Quotes by J.M. Coetzee  (?)
Quotes are added by the Goodreads community and are not verified by Goodreads. (Learn more)

“Become major, Paul. Live like a hero. That's what the classics teach us. Be a main character. Otherwise what is life for?”
― J.M. Coetzee
1797 likes
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“When all else fails, philosophize.”
― J.M. Coetzee, Disgrace
303 likes
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“The secret of happiness is not doing what we like but in liking what we do.”
― J.M. Coetzee
tags: happiness
238 likes
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Polls

What will be our March 2018 Open Pick?

Remember, if you vote for a book and it wins, you are implicitly promising to read the book and participate in the discussion (or, OK, I am struggling to come up with an original punishment. How about trial by ordeal?)

The poll will be open through January 31st. (Note: You can change your vote at any time prior to the closing of the poll.) Discussion will begin March 1st

 
  5 votes, 33.3%

 
  4 votes, 26.7%

 
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  3 votes, 20.0%

15 total votes
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