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J.M. Coetzee

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Author

The Resume

    (February 9, 1940- )
    Born in Cape Town, South Africa
    Birth name was John Maxwell Coetzee
    Wrote the novels 'Dusklands' (1974), 'In the Heart of the Country' (1977), 'Waiting for the Barbarians' (1980), 'Life & Times of Michael K' (1983), 'Age of Iron' (1990), 'Disgrace' (1999), 'Diary of a Bad Year' (2007), 'The Childhood of Jesus' (2013) and 'The Schooldays of Jesus' (2016)
    Became an Australian citizen (2006)
    Two-time winner of the Booker Prize for best original English-language novel (1983,1999)
    Awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature (2003)

Why he might be annoying:

    He originally wanted to be a poet; after concluding 'I just haven't got it,' he turned to writing novels.
    He is a vegetarian.
    He attempted to run for a seat in the European Parliament as the representative of a Dutch animal rights party, but his candidacy was rejected on the grounds that he was not a resident of a member country of the European Union (2014).
    He avoids publicity to the extent that he refused to accept either of his Booker Prizes in person.
    A colleague who worked with him for over a decade claimed to have seen him laugh just once.

Why he might not be annoying:

    He is fluent in French, German, and Dutch, in addition to his native English and Afrikaans.
    He was denied permanent residence in the US for taking part in protests against the Vietnam War.
    He was the first writer to win the Booker Prize twice.
    His son Nicholas died at age 23 after accidentally falling from the balcony of his 11th-floor apartment (1989).

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 2 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 2 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 5 Votes: 80.0% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 2 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 20 Votes: 50.0% Annoying