At the age of 83, Nobel laureate J.M. Coetzee or John Maxwell Coetzee is still delivering novels that challenge and ask questions.
J.M. Coetzee is regarded as one of the foremost writers of our time: As one of the very few, South Africans, John Maxwell Coetzee (b. 1940) received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2003.
The Swedish Academy also highlighted his intellectual honesty, his ability to get under the skin of people, and his analytical brilliance.
Coetzee Captures the Divine Spark in Man
During the awarding of the Noble Prize in Literature, the Swedish Academy stated that Coetzee “in innumerable guises portrays the surprising involvement of the outsider”.
Moreover, the press release for the award also cited his “well-crafted composition, pregnant dialogue, and analytical brilliance”, while focusing on the moral nature of his work.
In order to celebrate the writer, the then-permanent secretary of the Swedish Academy, Horace Engdal said “It is in exploring weakness and defeat that Coetzee captures the divine spark in man,”
Delicate Yet Powerful Prose
You might have already asked yourself why Coetzee is so important and why he is known for his literary works.
Well, he is simply known for his elegant yet powerful prose. Throughout his writing, you will always find him unpredictable. So far he has amazed people and delivered novels that challenge and ask questions that many writers cannot even dare to ask.
The same resilience was seen in his debut novel published in 1974—Dusklands. This novel consists of two short novels set in the United States during the Vietnam War and South Africa in the late 18th century when the Khoikhoi people were brutally exterminated.
However, Disgrace (1999) is Coetzee’s most famous for which he received the Booker Prize. Later, it was adapted to screen and made into a film with the same title—Disgrace (2008).
In his career, he has written many popular novels which are great gifts for book lovers. By the way, at 84, he continues to write with his signature resilience, and his latest novel The Pole, published this year has reflected properly.
Let’s take a ride through the 5 best works of J.M. Coetzee that you consider reading if you want to read this great living writer.
7 Top Books J.M. Coetzee’s You Must Read
It is really hard to identify the best among two dozen books. Yet we are going to list and discuss a little bit about the five must-read books by J.M. Coetzee.
1. Disgrace ( 1999)
Disgrace published in 1999 is a modern classic and by far the best novel of Coetzee. The novel depicts the post-apartheid South African society from a very different angle put forward with delicate words.
David Lurie, a 50-year-old professor with two failed marriages, is forced to resign and retreat to the countryside. There, he confronts the complex social dynamics of post-apartheid South Africa, with lingering racial tensions between blacks and whites that remain simmering rather than fully resolved.
His daughter Lucy lives in isolation on a deteriorating farm, far removed from urban life. Lurie, now adrift, moves in with her after his academic career unravels.
The story starkly portrays the persistence of violence in post-apartheid society. This violence strikes Lucy’s farm, where she is assaulted by three men and becomes pregnant as a result.
The child she carries adds a new dimension to Lurie’s fractured existence, challenging his worldview and deepening his sense of personal and societal disintegration.
2. Summertime (2009)
The renowned author John Coetzee has passed away, and a young writer embarks on a biography of his life.
The biographer conducts interviews with people who were close to Coetzee during the 1970s, a time when Coetzee lived in South Africa but had yet to achieve literary success.
Through these conversations, a portrait emerges of a man who struggled to connect with others on a personal level, leading to numerous failed relationships.
Coetzee, known for his unflinching self-examination, was both introspective and self-critical, particularly in his writing. Having already won the Booker Prize twice, he was nominated for a third time for his work Summertime.
3. Life & Times of Michael K (1983)
Life & Times of Michael K is a simple stomach-turner that is capable of evoking nausea—A seriously compelling one.
Set against the backdrop of civil war, the novel follows Michael K as he departs Cape Town with his ailing mother. By the time they arrive at her birthplace—a farm near Prince Albert—she has passed away and turned to ashes. Michael scatters her remains into the soil, cultivating melons and pumpkins on which he survives. His statement, “All that remains is to be a tender of the soil,” reflects the novel’s cyclical theme of life and decay.
Michael and the narrative are constantly challenged by violence and cruelty, and it is this return to the garden that becomes central to the story. In essence, Life & Times can be summarized as a meditation on the act of eating and not eating, being and non-being. The nausea it provokes arises both from Coetzee’s vivid depictions of disturbing events and from the deeper existential malaise—reminiscent of Sartrean existentialism—that strikes both Michael and the readers.
4. The Childhood of Jesus (2013)
The Journey to Novilla: A Search for Identity and Belonging
A man and a boy have crossed the sea to a new land, where they are given new identities, an age, and accommodation while they learn to speak Spanish. Upon arrival in the city of Novilla, they make their way to the relocation centre, where they are treated politely by bureaucrats, though not necessarily efficiently.
Simón, the man, finds work at the port’s grain reception, where the unfamiliar labour quickly becomes exhausting. However, as he gets to know the other dock workers, their breaks turn into philosophical discussions on the dignity of work, creating a sense of camaraderie among them.
Simón’s main focus, however, remains on finding the boy’s mother. Like everyone else in this strange new country, they have no memory of their past lives, as if it had been quietly erased. Despite this, Simón feels a pressing need to reunite the boy with his mother, even though neither of them can remember their history. Their journey becomes one of discovery, not just of a new land but of their own identities in this mysterious place.
5. The Schooldays of Jesus (2016)
In The Schooldays of Jesus, Coetzee continues the story of young Davíd, who, along with Simón and Inés, has relocated to the small town of Estrella. Davíd is a curious and rebellious boy, constantly questioning the world around him and resisting conformity. Now, he begins attending a private Academy for Dance, where he seems to be adjusting well.
However, beyond the plot, this novel explores profound philosophical themes: What is love? What does freedom mean? What are the nature of desire and the essence of being human?
In his characteristic sparse yet powerful prose, Coetzee draws on his vast knowledge of literature and cultural history, engaging with universal questions about the human experience. The novel reflects on the complexities of growing up, the tension between emotion and reason, and what it means to develop as a person.
6. The Death of Jesus (2019)
Davíd is a spirited 10-year-old boy, tall for his age, with a passion for football and a love for playing with his friends. His father, Simón, and their dog Bolívar often watch him from the sidelines while his mother, Inés, works at a clothing store.
Davíd is a boy who constantly questions the world around him, often challenging his parents and other authority figures in his life. At the dance school, he dances in his own way, refusing to follow the rules. He declines to do math problems and reads nothing but Don Quixote.
One day, Julio Fabricante, the manager of a nearby orphanage, invites Davíd and his friends to form a proper football team. Davíd, determined to take control of his life, decides to leave his parents and move in with Julio. However, shortly after, he falls ill with a mysterious illness.
In The Death of Jesus, J.M. Coetzee continues to probe the search for meaning in a world stripped of memory yet filled with profound questions.
7. The Pole (2024)
In The Pole, Coetzee challenges conventional ideas of love, asking whether love can truly be pursued and whether genuine understanding between two people is ever possible. After a concert in Barcelona, the Polish pianist Witold becomes infatuated with Beatriz, the event’s organizer.
At first, she is indifferent to his advances. Yet, with relentless persistence, Witold sends her music, letters, poetry, and invitations to travel. Gradually, and somewhat reluctantly, Beatriz begins to engage with his world, but always on her own terms.
The Pole is a brief yet profound novel, one that long-time readers of Coetzee will appreciate. At the same time, it serves as an accessible entry point for those unfamiliar with his work, offering a thoughtful exploration of love, desire, and human connection.
