2026 Reading Challenge
J.M. Coetzee

J.M. Coetzee’s Followers (5,274)

member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo

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

Read more of this blog post »
View more on J.M. Coetzee's website »
53 likes ·   •  0 comments  •  flag
Share on Twitter
Published on February 28, 2018 06:03
View all 7 posts »

Combine Editions

Average rating: 3.77 · 316,961 ratings · 27,029 reviews · 184 distinct works • Similar authors
Disgrace
3.86 avg rating — 116,903 ratings — published 1999 — 249 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
Waiting for the Barbarians
3.93 avg rating — 35,723 ratings — published 1980 — 3 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
Life & Times of Michael K
3.87 avg rating — 21,190 ratings — published 1983 — 153 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
Foe
3.41 avg rating — 12,493 ratings — published 1986
Rate this book
Clear rating
1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
Elizabeth Costello
3.48 avg rating — 10,101 ratings — published 2003 — 95 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
Slow Man
3.45 avg rating — 9,613 ratings — published 2005 — 81 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
Youth (Scenes from Provinci...
3.78 avg rating — 8,270 ratings — published 2002 — 2 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
Summertime (Scenes from Pro...
3.78 avg rating — 6,866 ratings — published 2009 — 2 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
The Childhood of Jesus
3.48 avg rating — 7,400 ratings — published 2013 — 99 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
Boyhood (Scenes from Provin...
3.77 avg rating — 5,965 ratings — published 1997 — 3 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
More books by J.M. Coetzee…

Series by J.M. Coetzee

Boyhood Youth Summertime
(3 books)
by
3.79 avg rating — 21,663 ratings

The Childhood of Jesus The Schooldays of Jesus The Death of Jesus
(3 books)
by
3.55 avg rating — 11,577 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
1798 likes
Like

“When all else fails, philosophize.”
― J.M. Coetzee, Disgrace
304 likes
Like

“The secret of happiness is not doing what we like but in liking what we do.”
― J.M. Coetzee
tags: happiness
239 likes
Like

Polls

January 2019 Short Story Poll

 
  98 votes, 33.6%

 
  97 votes, 33.2%

Chess Story by Stefan Zweig, 104 pages, 1941
 
  59 votes, 20.2%

Dusklands by J.M. Coetzee, 125 pages, 1974
 
  21 votes, 7.2%

Watchers of the Sky by Alfred Noyes, 120 pages, 1922
 
  17 votes, 5.8%

292 total votes
More...

Topics Mentioning This Author

topics posts views last activity  
Challenge: 50 Books: Frankie's 50 April 2009 - April 2010 8 155 May 16, 2009 06:50PM  
The Next Best Boo...: Man Booker Predictions.. 25 310 Jul 31, 2009 09:42AM  
Literary Fiction ...: The Root Rewrites the Western Canon 13 490 Nov 22, 2009 01:19PM  
Challenge: 50 Books: Brian's Books for 2009 111 1069 Dec 29, 2009 06:22PM  
Challenge: 50 Books: Stephanie's 2009 Books 29 229 Dec 29, 2009 07:31PM  
Challenge: 50 Books: Amanda's Book List for 2009 28 215 Dec 31, 2009 02:28PM  
College Students! : Fall 09/Winter 10' Challenge: Tasks, Questions, & Discussion 310 577 Feb 22, 2010 06:35PM  


Is this you? Let us know. If not, help out and invite J.M. to Goodreads.