JM Coetzee

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JM Coetzee (2006)

John Maxwell Coetzee [ kʊtˈsiː , kʊtˈsiə ] (born  February 9, 1940 in Cape Town as John Michael Coetzee) is a South African writer ; he has been an Australian citizen since 2006 . He was the first author to be awarded the Booker Prize twice and was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2003 .

Life and career

Coetzee has Dutch roots on his father's side, but grew up in an English-speaking family. However, he was also familiar with the South African Afrikaans language from childhood . His mother Vera Coetzee, nee Wehmeyer, had German and Polish ancestors and was a primary school teacher, his father Zacharias a lawyer who had fought on the side of the Allies in North Africa during the Second World War . In 1943, JM Coetzee's brother David was born. Until 1948 the father was employed as a lawyer with the city administration in Cape Town, but then lost this post due to his apartheid-critical attitude, after which the family lived for three years on a farm in Worcester .

JM Coetzee studied English at the University of Cape Town ( BA Honors 1960) and at the same time completed a second major in mathematics (BA Honors 1961). He then worked as a programmer in England, first for IBM and then for International Computers Limited in Bracknell , Berkshire, a period that he describes in the second volume of his novel-like memoirs ( Youth. Scenes from Provincial Life II , 2002). With a thesis on Ford Madox Ford he obtained an MA degree in English from the University of Cape Town in 1963 . In the same year he married Philippa Jubber (1939-1991), with whom he had two children - Nicolas (1966-1989) and Gisela (* 1968). The marriage ended in divorce in 1980.

In 1965 Coetzee took under the Fulbright program doctoral studies in English and linguistics at the University of Texas at Austin , where he received his PhD in 1969 based on a computer analysis of the style of Samuel Beckett's early prose . This was followed by a teaching position at the State University of New York at Buffalo . In 1972, his application for permanent residency in the United States was denied after he participated in protests against the Vietnam War in March 1970 and was arrested with 44 other faculty members for "misconduct" after occupying a classroom at his Buffalo university was. The family then returned to South Africa, where Coetzee was given a teaching position in English, linguistics and general literature at the University of Cape Town. In 1984 he was appointed professor there. He has also taught repeatedly in the USA: at the State University of New York , Harvard University , Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore , Stanford University and at the University of Chicago . In addition to teaching and writing, he also worked as a translator of novels and poetry from Dutch and Afrikaans. With his partner Dorothy Driver, whom he met in 1980, he has lived in Adelaide , Australia , since 2002 ; both hold professorships at the University of Adelaide . On March 6, 2006, Coetzee became an Australian citizen.

In 1974 JM Coetzee published his first literary work, Dusklands , consisting of The Vietnam Project and The Narrative of Jacobus Coetzee. The compilation of the two parts, narrated independently, points to parallels between the Americans in Vietnam today and the Dutch settlement of South Africa in the 18th century. Coetzee's works often make very clear reference to the social and political grievances and problems of his country and focus on humanity on a high aesthetic level. Individual fates are represented allegorically for all people. Coetzee is a vegetarian and patron of the Australian animal rights organization Voiceless. The animal rights issue is dealt with explicitly in the novels Elizabeth Costello and Schande .

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Coetzee is best known for his novels (which are never lengthy), but he works in other genres as well. He published numerous essays that often deal with questions of literary theory. Sometimes he mixes the genres essay and novel. Thus Elizabeth Costello is a series of lectures by a fictional Australian writer, which are only held together by a loose plot; in his book Diary of a Bad Year, however, essays and a fictional novel are reproduced simultaneously on the same page. Issues that Coetzee deals with in his essays often reappear in his novels.

Some of Coetzee's works have autobiographical traits, but are always so strongly fictionalized that a clear distinction between “true” events and fiction is not possible. Coetzee himself always appears as an artificial figure in these texts . Outside of his literature, he is sparing with statements about himself and his own works, only in the volume Doubling the Point , edited by David Attwell , he expressed himself in more detail. Coetzee is of the opinion, however, that all literature per se has autobiographical and political aspects.

Awards

In 1977, 1980 and 1984 Coetzee received the Central News Agency Literary Award , the highest South African literary prize, for the novels In the Heart of the Country , Waiting for the Barbarians and Life and Time of Michael K. In 1983 he was awarded for the life and time of Michael K. was awarded the Booker Prize , in 1987 the Jerusalem Prize for the freedom of the individual in society and again in 1999 for Shame with the Booker Prize. He has also received the Lannan Literary Award for Fiction , The Irish Times International Fiction Prize and the Commonwealth Literary Award and was named Chevalier dans l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres . In 1991 he was accepted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences . In 2003 Coetzee received the Nobel Prize for Literature as an author, "who in innumerable guises portrays the surprising involvement of the outsider" ("who depicts the astonishing work of outsiders in numerous designs"). In 2005 he received the South African Order of Mapungubwe in gold for “exceptional contribution in the field of literature and for putting South Africa on the world stage” (for example: “for his extraordinary contribution in the field of literature and for bringing South Africa to the world stage bring "). In 2006 he was elected a member of the American Philosophical Society and an honorary foreign member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters .

Coetzee holds honorary doctorates from the University of Strathclyde (1985), the University of Natal (1996), Rhodes University (1999), the University of Oxford (2002), La Trobe University (2004), the University of Adelaide (2005), the University of Technology, Sydney (2008), the American University of Paris (2010), the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan (2012) the University of the Witwatersrand (2012) the School of Oriental and African Studies in London (2015) and of the Universidad Iberoamericana (2016).

reception

Coetzee had his international breakthrough with his first publication of Dusklands in 1974. Since then, all of his books have been the subject of countless reviews, interpretations and literary studies and have achieved high sales. At the international level, Coetzee was never a particularly controversial writer, but in his native South Africa he met with some rejection. His literature was viewed as elitist there during apartheid and was confronted with accusations of lack of political contour. Abroad, however, he was perceived more as an oppositional author. In some cases, a political motivation was suspected behind the award of the Nobel Prize to Coetzee in 2003.

bibliography

Novels and short stories

  • 1974: Dusklands (contains the two novels The Vietnam Project and The Narrative of Jacobus Coetzee )
  • 1977: In the Heart of the Country (novel)
    • In the heart of the country , German by Wulf Teichmann, Hanser, Munich / Vienna 1987, ISBN 3-446-14706-3 .
  • 1980: Waiting for the Barbarians
  • 1983: Life & Times of Michael K (novel)
  • 1986: Foe (novel)
    • Mr. Cruso, Mrs. Barton and Mr. Foe , German by Wulf Teichmann, Hanser, Munich / Vienna 1990, ISBN 3-446-14936-8 .
  • 1990: Age of Iron (novel)
    • Eiserne Zeit , German by Wulf Teichmann, S. Fischer, Frankfurt am Main 1995, ISBN 3-10-010807-8 .
  • 1994: The Master of Petersburg (novel)
    • The Master of Petersburg , German by Wolfgang Krege, S. Fischer, Frankfurt am Main 1996, ISBN 3-10-010809-4 .
  • 1997: Boyhood. Scenes from Provincial Life
  • 1999: Disgrace (novel)
  • 1999: The Lives of Animals
    • The life of animals , German by Reinhild Böhnke, S. Fischer, Frankfurt am Main 2000, ISBN 3-10-010817-5 .
  • 2002: Youth (novel)
    • The young years , German by Reinhild Böhnke, S. Fischer, Frankfurt am Main 2002, ISBN 3-10-010819-1 .
  • 2003: Elizabeth Costello. Eight Lessons
    • Elizabeth Costello. Eight teaching pieces , German by Reinhild Böhnke, S. Fischer, Frankfurt am Main 2004, ISBN 3-10-010820-5 .
  • 2004: As a Woman Grows Older ( short story). In: New York Review of Books from January 15, 2004 Digitized
  • 2005: Slow Man (novel)
    • Slow motion , German by Reinhild Böhnke, S. Fischer, Frankfurt am Main 2005, ISBN 3-10-010833-7 .
  • 2007: Diary of a Bad Year
    • Diary of a bad year , German by Reinhild Böhnke, S. Fischer, Frankfurt am Main 2008, ISBN 978-3-10-010834-0
  • 2009: Summertime (novel)
  • 2013: The Old Woman and the Cats (short story). In: JM Coetzee, Berlinde De Bruyckere: Cripplewood / Kreupelhout. Yale University Press, ISBN 978-0-300-19657-3 .
  • 2013: The Childhood of Jesus (novel). Harvill Secker, London, ISBN 978-1-84655-726-2 .
    • The Childhood of Jesus , German by Reinhild Böhnke, S. Fischer, Frankfurt am Main 2013, ISBN 978-3-10-010825-8 .
  • 2014: Three Stories . The Text Publishing Company, Melbourne, ISBN 978-1-92218-256-2 .
    • A house in Spain. Three stories , German by Reinhild Böhnke, S. Fischer, Frankfurt am Main 2017, ISBN 978-3-10-397278-8 .
  • 2016: The Schooldays of Jesus (novel). Harvill Secker, London, ISBN 978-1-91121-535-6 .
    • The school days of Jesus , German by Reinhild Böhnke, S. Fischer, Frankfurt am Main 2018, ISBN 978-3-10-397309-9 .
  • 2019: The Death of Jesus (novel). The Text Publishing Company, Melbourne 2019, ISBN 978-1922268280 .
    • The death of Jesus , German by Reinhild Böhnke. S. Fischer, Frankfurt am Main 2020, ISBN 978-3-10-397026-5 .

Nonfiction books, essays and letters

  • 1988: White Writing. On the Culture of Letters in South Africa
  • 1992: Doubling the Point. Essays and Interviews
  • 1996: Giving Offense. Essays on Censorship
  • 1997: What is Realism?
  • 2001: The Humanities in Africa (lecture given at the Carl-Friedrich-von-Siemens-Stiftung on March 15, 2001)
    • The humanities in Africa , Carl-Friedrich-von-Siemens-Stiftung, Munich 2001.
  • 2001: Stranger Shores. Essays 1986-1999
  • 2007: Inner Workings. Essays 2000-2005
  • What's a classic? Essays , German by Reinhild Böhnke, S. Fischer, Frankfurt am Main 2006, ISBN 3-10-010818-3 (contains various literary essays written between 1981 and 2001).
  • 2013: Here and Now. Letters 2008 - 2011 , with Paul Auster , Viking Penguin Group, New York; Faber & Faber and Harvill Decker, London, ISBN 978-0-571-29927-0 .

literature

Web links

Commons : JM Coetzee  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Catherine Sangster: How to Say: JM Coetzee and other Booker authors. BBC News , September 14, 2009, accessed July 16, 2014 . "The first syllable is pronounced kuut (uu as in book); debate rages about the pronunciation of the "ee" at the end. Many South Africans, whether Afrikaans speakers or not, pronounce this as a diphthong EE-uh , as in the word "idea". Indeed, kuut-SEE-uh was the Unit's original recommendation in the early 1980s, based on the advice of the South African Broadcasting Corporation and his London publisher, Secker and Warburg. However, that vowel can also be pronounced as a monophthong ( kuut-SEE ), especially by those from the south of the country, and this is the pronunciation that the author uses and prefers the BBC to use too. "

  2. ↑ Coetzee changed his middle name from Michael to Maxwell before he finally decided to only appear under his initials; Rory Carroll: Nobel prize for JM Coetzee - secretive author who made the outsider his art form , Guardian on October 3rd, 2003, seen on December 1st, 2017
  3. ^ JM Coetzee becomes an Australian citizen. ( Memento of February 5, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Mail & Guardian (English)
  4. ↑ Ulrich Horstmann: JM Coetzee. Peter Lang, Frankfurt am Main 2005, p. 20
  5. ↑ Manfred Loimeier: JM Coetzee. edition text + kritik, Munich 2008, p. 46
  6. ^ The Nobel Prize in Literature 2003
  7. ↑ Manfred Loimeier: JM Coetzee. edition text + kritik, Munich 2008, p. 48
  8. ^ A rare interview with literary giant JM Coetzee. Buffalo News dated October 13, 2002.
  9. ↑ John Coetzee ( Memento from June 30, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) at whoswho.co.za (English; archive version)
  10. ↑ John Coetzee and Dorothy Driver at adelaide.edu.au (English), accessed on July 23, 2017
  11. ↑ https://www.theguardian.com/books/2009/sep/05/jm-coetzee-books1
  12. ↑ http://www.oya-online.de/article/read/955-ich_fuehle_also_bin_ich.html
  13. ↑ Manfred Loimeier: JM Coetzee. edition text + kritik, Munich 2008, p. 8ff.
  14. ↑ "... who in numerous disguises represents the surprising participation of outsiders" according to the official translation; The Permanent Secretary of the Swedish Academy , The 2003 Nobel Prize in Literature. John Maxwell Coetzee , nobelprize.org , press release, October 2, 2003.
  15. ↑ National orders at brandsouthafrica.com (English), accessed on July 23, 2017
  16. ↑ Member History: JM Coetzee. American Philosophical Society, accessed June 23, 2018 .
  17. ^ Honorary Members: JM Coetzee. American Academy of Arts and Letters, accessed March 8, 2019 .
  18. ^ Coetzee, J (ohn) M (axwell). In: Douglas Killam and Alicia L. Kerfoot: Student Encyclopedia of African Literature. Greenwood, Westport, CT 2007, pp. 92-93, ISBN 0-313-33580-X .
  19. ↑ John M. Coetzee . University of Texas at Austin. Archived from the original on April 24, 2016.
  20. ↑ SA writer honored by Rhodes . In: Daily Dispatch , April 12, 1999. Archived from the original on August 24, 1999. Retrieved August 2, 2009. 
  21. ^ Oxford honors arts figures , BBC News. June 21, 2002. Accessed July 23, 2017. 
  22. ^ Honorary degrees . La Trobe University. Archived from the original on September 15, 2009. Retrieved on August 2, 2009.
  23. ^ JM Coetzee receives honorary doctorate , University of Adelaide. December 20, 2005. Retrieved August 2, 2009. 
  24. ^ New honor for Nobel laureate , University of Technology, Sydney. October 1, 2008. Accessed July 23, 2017. 
  25. ^ Commencement 2010 . In: AUP Magazine , American University of Paris, October 15, 2010. Retrieved November 17, 2012. 
  26. ↑ The ceremony of awarding the title of doctor honoris causa to professor JM Coetzee , Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań. July 13, 2012. Accessed January 12, 2014. 
  27. ↑ Katharada and Coetzee honored. wits.ac.za from December 1, 2012 (English), accessed on July 23, 2017
  28. ^ Professor JM (John) Coetzee. soas.ac.uk, accessed on July 23, 2017
  29. ↑ La Ibero otorga el honoris causa a Coetzee . In: El Economista , April 6, 2016. Accessed July 23, 2017. 
  30. ↑ Ulrich Horstmann: JM Coetzee. Peter Lang, Frankfurt am Main 2005, p. 8
  31. ↑ Manfred Loimeier: JM Coetzee. edition text + kritik, Munich 2008, p. 7f.
personal data
SURNAME Coetzee, JM
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Coetzee, John Maxwell; Coetzee, John Michael
BRIEF DESCRIPTION South African writer
DATE OF BIRTH February 9, 1940
PLACE OF BIRTH Cape Town