John Coetzee South African writer, poet and essayist Date of Birth: 09.02.1940 Country: South Africa

Biography of John Coetzee

John Maxwell Coetzee, a South African writer, poet, and essayist, was born on February 9, 1940, in Cape Town, Cape Province, Union of South Africa. He grew up in a household of English-speaking Afrikaners, with his father working as a lawyer and his mother as a teacher. From a young age, Coetzee immersed himself in world classic literature.

After attending a Catholic school, Coetzee went on to study English and Mathematics at the University of Cape Town. Despite this unusual combination, he graduated with distinction. He then moved to England, where he worked as a programmer for several major computer companies while also pursuing his master's thesis on the works of Ford Hermann Hueffer.

In the late 1960s, Coetzee relocated to the United States to study linguistics at the University of Texas. In 1969, he obtained his doctorate degree after defending a thesis on the stylistic analysis of Samuel Beckett's texts. Around the same time, Coetzee began teaching English language and literature in the United States.

However, his application for citizenship was rejected due to his criticism of the American government's actions during the Vietnam War. In his first novel, "Dusklands," Coetzee prominently expressed his anti-war views, which garnered significant attention and success when it was published in 1974. This novel would later become a key argument for awarding Coetzee the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Upon returning to South Africa, Coetzee taught literature and English at the University of Cape Town while continuing to work on new novels and works. In 1983, his novel "Life & Times of Michael K" won the Booker Prize, but Coetzee declined to attend the award ceremony, attracting substantial media attention. He repeated this gesture when he won the Booker Prize for the second time in 1999 with his novel "Disgrace."

In 2011, Coetzee read an excerpt from his new novel, "The Childhood of Jesus," at an American university. The book aimed to depict the early life of Jesus, who yearned for a peaceful existence despite his destiny. This act sparked criticism from religious communities.

In 2001, Coetzee and his family relocated to Australia. In recent years, he has become actively involved in animal rights advocacy while maintaining his anti-war stance. Coetzee continues to work on new books daily and leads an active lifestyle. Despite his fame, Coetzee remains an enigmatic figure, rarely giving interviews and keeping his personal life private.