JM Coetzee

[zigzig20s]

I don't think he is on the author list on here...and yet, such an inspiring writer imo. I loved "disgrace", but my favourite books have to be "youth" and "slow man".

[bouquin]

I have read Elizabeth Costello and Age of Iron. Neither of the 2 particularly grabbed me.

[zigzig20s]

i liked elizabeth costello. slow man is the sequel.

[Cien]

I read Disgrace in one day. It was amazing. His sentences are amazing in their simplicity. His words never get in the way of the story; there was not a single instant of purple prose, not a single word that didn't contribute. The characters were all... perfect. Lucy, Melanie, Professor Lurie himself are all absolutely real to me now.

I felt like the book was speaking to me in particular, which is how I feel about all the books that move me the most.

[zigzig20s]

yeh disgrace is amazing too. i love the way that the palaver of the professor/student relationship is paralleled with a real disgrace, a rape. i also love the way the unfairness of politically correctness is portrayed.

[Cien]

Yeah. It's like, here's this thing people are way up tight about (which probably thrives particularly because it's not allowed) next to an actual horror. Interesting comparison there. I like Lurie's opinions of beauty, or rather, I find them interesting even though I disagree with them. It's just a fascinating, thought-inspiring book. I don't have words for the way its beauty haunts me.

[zigzig20s]

May I suggest that you read Youth? The plot is different from Disgrace of course, but being about a young writer's conundrum, I feel it's inspiring for anyone interested in the act of writing...Plus his style is still as marvellous as ever.

[Mery Hern]

I read Disgrace in one day. It was amazing. His sentences are amazing in their simplicity. His words never get in the way of the story; there was not a single instant of purple prose, not a single word that didn't contribute. The characters were all... perfect. Lucy, Melanie, Professor Lurie himself are all absolutely real to me now.

I felt like the book was speaking to me in particular, which is how I feel about all the books that move me the most.
Hi, I'm trying to get a quote from Coetzee, I'm far from every library or bookstore in this moment. Is it posible for you to send me that brief text when he describes the dogs killing? I remember something like " the human's shame". I would appreciate it. Thanks. Mery

[nyka]

I have read Disgrace and now this book belogs to my favorite books. It's some between Kafka and Beckett and very original. Coetzee writes simple but not superficially. That is kind of simplicity that I like.
And now I'm reading Slow man.

[Etienne]

I often saw Coetzee, Naipaul, Vonnegut novels at libraries but never picked them up as they were in the "best-sellers" section with a very best-sellerish cover, and I don't trust those, but I didn't knew they were Nobel prizes. Are they really good? Or are they just good for recent literature that's been a best-seller? As there's a huge gap between these two, so basically, are they worth anything in the grand scheme of literature?

[Zybahn]

I enjoyed Foe and The Master of Petersburg very much. However, I felt Disgrace was quite weak. The pathos was forced and artificial and the characters rather papery. I realize many enjoyed it but I find most people either really like it or don't, with no in-betweeners. I recommend Foe as a thinking person's book - don't read it for plot as it's incidental. MoP will please Dostoyevsy fans.

[Aiculík]

I loved Slow Man. It has great opening - the best description of the car accident I've ever seen. After I read it in the bookstore, I simply had to buy it - and finished it the same day.

[nyka]

I have never seen Coetzee in the "best-sellers" section.

[Zybahn]

I have never seen Coetzee in the "best-sellers" section.

There are countless "Best-sellers" sections and columns. Where I live, at least, Coetzee has been in both. Disgrace made it to BS lists after receiving the Booker, and the following edition was placed prominently in BS store displays. However, some columns did not list is because it became a "best-seller" as a paperback only, and these deal only with recent hardcover sales. Admittedly he hasn't made the impact that another recent Booker winner (Ian McEwan) has made (nor should he, I don't think).

Perhaps you weren't looking in the right places?

[nyka]

There are countless "Best-sellers" sections and columns. Where I live, at least, Coetzee has been in both. Disgrace made it to BS lists after receiving the Booker, and the following edition was placed prominently in BS store displays. However, some columns did not list is because it became a "best-seller" as a paperback only, and these deal only with recent hardcover sales. Admittedly he hasn't made the impact that another recent Booker winner (Ian McEwan) has made (nor should he, I don't think).

Perhaps you weren't looking in the right places?

Well at this time when Coetzze novels was transleted into Lithuanian I had work in a bookstore so I were looking in the right place ;) Even at a discount the novels by Coetzee didn't interest customers. But it depends on country ant its readings habits.

[liberal viewer]

Disgrace is a wonderful, dark, terrible novel. I would like to discuss the Lucy character. Isn't she so incredibly defeatist? I mean, Lucy's reaction to the rape and her stubbornes of staying there is the real tragedy in the novel, IMO.

[tomtefader]

I've read Life & Times of Michael K and Waiting for the Barbarians. And I enjoyed both of them, thou I read WftB translated into swedish, which made the reading experience a bit flat. At least in a language way.

However. Do anybody know to recommend The Master of Petersburg? Is it worth reading?

[rmd]

My reaction to the novel partially mirrors yours -- dark and terrible. I wasn't completely sold on the book -- the opera business seemed a bit forced -- but overall a novel that forces readers to confront uncomfortable truths.

[thelastmelon]

Boyhood: Scenes from provincial life and Slow Man are the two books I've read by him, and I enjoyed both of them. I'm thinking about reading Elizabeth Costello just to get the background to Slow Man, plus, I am pretty sure I will enjoy that book as well. Even though of these two books I've read, Boyhood: Scenes from provincial life was the best in my opinion.

[Nossa]

I'm planning on reading 'Waiting for the Barbarians' soon...any thoughts about it anyone?

[Istanbul]

I read disgrace, which made me decide not to read his other books.

[Cytherea]

hey, I've only read one Coetzee novel and that was Foe, a reqriting of Robinson Crusoe aptly named Foe supposedly because of the aither, Daniel Defoe and accusing him of decieving the reader - very interesting!