J. M. Coetzee facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
J. M. Coetzee
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Coetzee in 2023
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| Born | John Maxwell Coetzee 9 February 1940 Cape Town, Union of South Africa |
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| Language | English, Afrikaans, Dutch |
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| Notable works | List |
John Maxwell Coetzee (born 9 February 1940) is a famous writer from South Africa and Australia. He is a novelist, essayist, and translator. He won the 2003 Nobel Prize in Literature, which is one of the highest awards for writers. Many people think he is one of the best English-language authors. He has also won the Booker Prize twice, along with many other awards.
Coetzee moved to Australia in 2002 and became an Australian citizen in 2006. He lives in Adelaide, Australia. He supports the J. M. Coetzee Centre for Creative Practice at the University of Adelaide, which helps creative people. His most recent book is The Pole and Other Stories, published in 2023.
Contents
Growing Up and School
Coetzee was born in Cape Town, South Africa, on 9 February 1940. His parents were Afrikaners. His father, Zacharias Coetzee, was a lawyer and government worker. His mother, Vera Coetzee, was a schoolteacher. His father was often away, and his mother and children relied on family for help. They mostly spoke English at home, but Coetzee also spoke Afrikaans with relatives.
His family came from Dutch immigrants who moved to South Africa in the 1600s. He also has German and Polish family roots from his mother's side. His mother's grandfather was from Poland. This Polish background made him interested in Polish literature and culture throughout his life. This interest even led to his 2022 novel, The Pole.
Coetzee spent most of his childhood in Cape Town and Worcester. He wrote about these times in his book, Boyhood (1997). His family moved to Worcester when he was eight after his father lost his job. Coetzee went to St. Joseph's College, a Catholic school in Cape Town. He studied math and English at the University of Cape Town (UCT). He earned degrees in English in 1960 and math in 1961.
In 1962, Coetzee moved to the United Kingdom. He worked as a computer programmer for companies like IBM in London. He stayed there until 1965. He wrote about his experiences in England in his second memoir, Youth (2002). In 1963, he earned a Master of Arts degree from the University of Cape Town.
University Life and Teaching
Studying in the United States
In 1965, Coetzee went to the University of Texas at Austin in the United States. He took classes in language and old English. While studying, he also taught students at the university. He wrote a paper about different languages for a linguist. His PhD project used computers to study the writing style of author Samuel Beckett. He finished his doctorate degree in 1969.
In 1968, Coetzee started teaching English literature at the University at Buffalo, The State University of New York. He stayed there until 1971. While at Buffalo, he began writing his first novel, Dusklands. He tried to get permanent residency in the U.S. but was unsuccessful. This was partly because he joined protests against the Vietnam War. In 1970, he was arrested with other teachers for protesting, but the charges were dropped later.
Teaching in South Africa
In 1972, Coetzee returned to South Africa. He became a lecturer in the English Department at the University of Cape Town. He was promoted several times and became a Professor of General Literature in 1984. In 1999, he was named a Distinguished Professor. He retired in 2002 and was given the title of emeritus professor. He also worked at the University of Chicago until 2003.
Life in Adelaide, Australia
After moving to Adelaide, Australia, Coetzee became an honorary research fellow at the English Department of the University of Adelaide. His partner, Dorothy Driver, is also an academic there. As of November 2023, he is a University Professorial Research Fellow in the School of Humanities.
Writing Journey
Coetzee's first novel, Dusklands, was published in 1974. Since then, he has published a new novel about every three years. He has also written books about his own life, short stories, and translated books from Dutch and Afrikaans. He has written many essays and literary reviews. His latest book is The Pole and Other Stories (2023). He has not written a novel set in South Africa since 2009.
A writer named James Meek said in 2009 that Coetzee's writing style changed after his novel Disgrace. He started writing less like traditional stories and more like essays or memoirs. Meek noted that Coetzee often uses characters who are like different versions of himself in his books. These characters include a judge in Waiting for the Barbarians and David Lurie in Disgrace. Another character is Elizabeth Costello, an older, wise novelist who appears in several of his books. Coetzee also writes about himself in his autobiographical works.
Coetzee became very interested in Argentine literature in the 2010s. His trilogy of novels—The Childhood of Jesus, The Schooldays of Jesus, and The Death of Jesus—show his thoughts on language. He has said he doesn't like how English is becoming the main language everywhere. He tries to resist this by writing in other ways. All three of these books were translated into Spanish, and the last one was even published in Spanish first. He also worked on a project called "Literatures of the South" during this time.
The Pole was first published in Spanish in Argentina in 2022, and then in English the next year.
Awards and Special Recognition
Coetzee is one of the most praised and awarded authors writing in English. He has received many awards, but he is known for not attending award ceremonies.
Winning the Booker Prize
Coetzee was the first writer to win the Booker Prize twice. He won for Life & Times of Michael K in 1983 and for Disgrace in 1999. As of 2020, only four other authors have achieved this. His book Summertime was considered for a third Booker Prize in 2009 but did not win. His book The Schooldays of Jesus was also considered for the Booker Prize in 2016.
Winning the Nobel Prize
On 2 October 2003, it was announced that Coetzee had won the 2003 Nobel Prize in Literature. He was the fourth African writer and the second South African to receive this honor. The Swedish Academy, which gives out the award, said that Coetzee "portrays the surprising involvement of the outsider" in his many stories. They also praised his "well-crafted composition, pregnant dialogue and analytical brilliance." The award ceremony was held in Stockholm on 10 December 2003.
Other Important Awards
Coetzee has won South Africa's CNA Literary Award three times (in 1977, 1980, and 1983). His book Waiting for the Barbarians won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize. Age of Iron won the Sunday Express Book of the Year award. The Master of Petersburg won The Irish Times International Fiction Prize in 1995. He also won the French Prix Femina étranger and two Commonwealth Writers' Prizes. In 1987, he received the Jerusalem Prize for freedom of the individual in society. He also won the Lannan Literary Award for Fiction in 1998.
In 1984, the University of Cape Town gave Coetzee an Honorary Fellow Award. He became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 1988. In 2001, he won the Outstanding Alumnus award at the University of Texas. In 2004, he was made an Honorary Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities.
On 27 September 2005, the South African government gave Coetzee the Order of Mapungubwe (gold class). This was for his "exceptional contribution in the field of literature." In 2006, he was elected to the American Philosophical Society. He has also received honorary doctorates from many universities around the world. In 2013, a writer named Richard Poplak called Coetzee "arguably the most celebrated and decorated living English-language author."
Coetzee in Adelaide
Coetzee first visited Adelaide, Australia, in 1996 for the Adelaide Writers' Week festival. He has returned to the festival several times since then. In 2004, the Lord Mayor of Adelaide gave Coetzee the keys to the city. In 2010, he became an international ambassador for Adelaide Writers' Week.
Coetzee is a patron of the J. M. Coetzee Centre for Creative Practice (JMCCCP). This center was started at the University of Adelaide in 2015. It helps new and experienced writers, scholars, and musicians. The center uses Coetzee's work to inspire discussions about social and political topics, as well as music.
In November 2014, a three-day conference called "JM Coetzee in the World" was held in Adelaide to honor him. It was the first event of its kind in Australia and showed how much Australian academics respect him. From 9 to 10 November 2023, the University of Adelaide celebrated the Nobel Prize anniversaries of Coetzee (2003) and Patrick White (1973). This event included readings by Coetzee and other writers, music, and movie screenings.
His Ideas and Beliefs
Thoughts on South Africa
Coetzee, along with other writers, was a leader in the movement against apartheid in South Africa. Apartheid was a system of racial segregation. When he accepted the Jerusalem Prize in 1987, Coetzee spoke about how art was limited in South Africa. He said that the country's rules led to "deformed and stunted relations between human beings." He called on the South African government to end apartheid. Many scholars agree that Coetzee, Nadine Gordimer, and André Brink were important white writers who opposed apartheid.
Some people believe Coetzee's 1999 novel Disgrace represents South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). The TRC was set up to deal with past human rights abuses. Coetzee said the TRC was unusual because it was based on Christian teachings, which only a small part of the population truly accepted. He wondered what the TRC would achieve in the future.
After becoming an Australian citizen, Coetzee said he didn't really "leave" South Africa, a country he still feels connected to. Instead, he "came to Australia" because he liked the people's "free and generous spirit" and the beauty of the land. He also liked Adelaide and now calls it home. Coetzee later said that the South African government's relaxed attitude towards crime was a reason he moved to Australia. In 1999, some people from the African National Congress said that Disgrace showed racist ideas. However, when Coetzee won the Nobel Prize, the President of South Africa congratulated him.
Political Views
Coetzee has never openly stated his political views, but he often includes political ideas in his writing. He has said that the language of politics has become even worse than it was years ago. In February 2016, Coetzee was one of many people who signed a letter to the Australian prime minister. The letter criticized the government's policy of holding asylum seekers offshore.
Views on Law
In 2005, Coetzee said that new anti-terrorism laws were similar to the laws used during South Africa's apartheid era. He used to think the people who made those laws were "moral barbarians." Now, he said, he knows they were just "pioneers ahead of their time." The main character in Coetzee's 2007 book Diary of a Bad Year also shares concerns about government policies.
Caring for Animals
In recent years, Coetzee has become a strong supporter of animal rights. He speaks out against cruelty to animals. In 2007, a speech was read on his behalf in Sydney. In it, Coetzee criticized the modern animal husbandry industry, which raises animals for food. He became a patron of Voiceless, an Australian animal protection organization, in 2004. Coetzee's books also explore animal cruelty and welfare, especially The Lives of Animals and Disgrace. He is a vegetarian.
In 2008, Coetzee wrote to The Irish Times to oppose Trinity College Dublin's use of vivisection (experiments on live animals) for scientific research. He said there was "no good reason" for students to cut up living animals. He felt Trinity College was bringing shame upon itself by continuing this practice.
Coetzee wanted to be a candidate in the 2014 European Parliament election for the Dutch Party for the Animals. However, the Dutch election board did not allow him to run because candidates had to prove they lived legally in the European Union.
Literatures of the South
From 2015 to 2018, Coetzee helped lead a seminar on the Literatures of the South in Argentina. This project brought together writers and literary figures from Southern Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and South America. The goal was to compare the literature and journalism from these areas. It also aimed to create new connections and translate works from across the South. At the same time, he was involved in an Australian research project called "Other Worlds: Forms of World Literature."
Copyright and Piracy
In 2015, Coetzee was asked about unofficial Iranian translations of foreign books. Iran does not recognize international copyright agreements. Coetzee said he disapproved of this practice because it was morally wrong.
List of Works
Novels
- Dusklands (1974)
- In the Heart of the Country (1977)
- Waiting for the Barbarians (1980)
- Life & Times of Michael K (1983)
- Foe (1986)
- Age of Iron (1990)
- The Master of Petersburg (1994)
- Disgrace (1999)
- Elizabeth Costello (2003)
- Slow Man (2005)
- Diary of a Bad Year (2007)
- The Childhood of Jesus (2013)
- The Schooldays of Jesus (2016)
- The Death of Jesus (2019)
- The Pole and Other Stories (2023)
Autobiographical Novels
- Boyhood: Scenes from Provincial Life (1997)
- Youth: Scenes from Provincial Life II (2002)
- Summertime (2009)
- Scenes from Provincial Life (2011); this book combines Boyhood, Youth, and Summertime.
Short Stories
- The Lives of Animals (1999)
- Three Stories (2014)
- Siete cuentos morales (2018)
Articles and Lectures
- Review of No Friend But the Mountains: Writing from Manus Prison by Behrouz Boochani (and other comments about how the Australian government treats asylum seekers)
- The Lives of Animals, a lecture given in 1997
- "A Word from J. M. Coetzee", a speech read by Hugo Weaving in 2007 for an animal protection group.
Personal Life
Other Activities
Coetzee helped start the First Chapter Series in 2006. This series publishes special signed books by famous writers. The money raised goes to help children affected by the HIV/AIDS crisis in Africa.
Family Life
Coetzee married Philippa Jubber in 1963, and they divorced in 1980. They had a son, Nicolas (born 1966), and a daughter, Gisela (born 1968). Sadly, Nicolas died in 1989 at age 23 after an accidental fall. Coetzee's younger brother, David Coetzee, who was a journalist, died in 2010. His partner, Dorothy Driver, is a professor at the University of Adelaide.
See also
In Spanish: J. M. Coetzee para niños
- List of African writers
- List of animal rights advocates
- List of vegetarians
