J.M. Coetzee’s Followers (5,266)

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

edit data

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

Combine Editions
J.M. Coetzee’s books

Average rating: 3.77 · 316,213 ratings · 26,933 reviews · 184 distinct works • Similar authors

	Disgrace 3.86 avg rating — 116,606 ratings — published 1999 — 41 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Waiting for the Barbarians 3.93 avg rating — 35,639 ratings — published 1980 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Life & Times of Michael K 3.87 avg rating — 21,149 ratings — published 1983 — 153 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Foe 3.41 avg rating — 12,470 ratings — published 1986 — 98 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Elizabeth Costello 3.48 avg rating — 10,082 ratings — published 2003 — 95 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Slow Man 3.45 avg rating — 9,599 ratings — published 2005 — 81 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Youth (Scenes from Provincial Life #2) 3.78 avg rating — 8,259 ratings — published 2002 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Summertime (Scenes from Provincial Life #3) 3.78 avg rating — 6,860 ratings — published 2009 — 72 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Childhood of Jesus 3.48 avg rating — 7,385 ratings — published 2013 — 99 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Boyhood (Scenes from Provincial Life #1) 3.77 avg rating — 5,953 ratings — published 1997 — 88 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by J.M. Coetzee…

Series by J.M. Coetzee

Scenes from Provincial Life (3 books)
by

J.M. Coetzee

3.79 avg rating — 21,636 ratings

Jesus Trilogy (3 books)
by

J.M. Coetzee

3.55 avg rating — 11,557 ratings

Quotes by J.M. Coetzee (?)

“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

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

303 likes

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

tags: happiness

238 likes

See all J.M. Coetzee's quotes »

Polls

February 2021 New School Poll

I, Claudius by Robert Graves, 1934, 468 pages

68 votes, 23.6%

Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee, 1999, 220 pages

52 votes, 18.1%

American Indian Stories by Zitkála-Šá, 1921, 196 pages

48 votes, 16.7%

The Rainbow by D.H. Lawrence, 1915, 544 pages

40 votes, 13.9%

Love Medicine by Louise Erdrich, 1984, 367 pages

31 votes, 10.8%

Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner, 1971, 569 pages

27 votes, 9.4%

The Street by Ann Petry, 1946, 448 pages

22 votes, 7.6%

288 total votes

7 comments

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	1068	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

More…

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

J.M. Coetzee’s Followers (5,266)

J.M. Coetzee

7 postsJ.M. Coetzee's Blog

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

Combine EditionsJ.M. Coetzee’s books

Series by J.M. Coetzee

Polls

Topics Mentioning This Author

7 posts
J.M. Coetzee's Blog

Combine Editions
J.M. Coetzee’s books