In spite of his world-wide eminence as a novelist and a literary
scholar, the Nobel laureate JM Coetzee has not yet been the subject
of a comprehensive biography. For JM. Coetzee: A Life in Writing,
JC Kannemeyer, known for his two-volume history of Afrikaans
literature, and biographies of Afrikaans authors, had the
cooperation of Coetzee himself, who granted him interviews and put
him in touch with family, friends and colleagues. Coetzee also
provided him with comprehensive documentation in his private
possession. Kannemeyer also studied the enormous body of literature
on Coetzee, unearthing information not previously accessed.
Kannemeyer completed this biography before his unexpected death on
25 December 2011. It has been translated by Michiel Heyns from
Afrikaans to English. The book journeys through Coetzee’s life,
starting with an exploration of his genealogy, followed by a
chronicle of his childhood in Cape Town and Worcester. After an
account of his schooling, the biography traces Coetzee’s career
through his student days at the University of Cape Town and time as
a computer programmer in Britain. After this, he studied for his
doctorate at the University of Texas in Austin, followed by three
years as a lecturer at the State University of New York at Buffalo.
His participation in a peaceful protest against the presence of
police on the Buffalo campus led to the refusal of his application
for a visa for an extended stay in the country, obliging him to
return to the country of his birth. Upon his return in 1971,
Coetzee was appointed as a lecturer in English at the University of
Cape Town, where for the next thirty years he enjoyed an
illustrious academic career, encompassing spells as a visiting
professor at American universities, and many lectures and readings
at a wide variety of conferences and institutions. In 1974 his
debut novel, Dusklands, appeared, followed by a number of novels
that established him as a leading English-language novelist. The
biography for the first time introduces into the public domain
information about an author known for only very exceptionally
granting interviews to journalists, and not readily discussing his
private life. The biographer had the opportunity to correct many
misconceptions still prevailing, and to provide information
shedding light on the genesis and implications of the novels. All
in all, this biography is an indispensible source for everybody
concerned with the work of JM Coetzee.
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