Who+is+Coetzee+&+What's+in+a+Title?

 **Who is J.M. Coetzee?**
 * Full Name: ** John Michael Coetzee.


 * Date of Birth:** February 9, 1940.


 * Place of Birth:** Cape Town, South Africa.


 * Mother:** Primary school teacher.


 * Father:** Attorney, but during the years 1941-1945, he was part of the South African forces in North Africa and Italy.


 * Language spoken at home:** English.


 * Schooling:** He studied in Cape Town, in the nearby town of Worcester, in his early years. For his secondary education he studied in a school in Cape Town run by a Catholic order, the Marist Brothers. He attended the University of Cape Town in 1957, and in 1960 and 1961, he graduated with honors degrees in English and mathematics. In 1965, Coetzee attended the graduate school of the University of Texas at Austin, and in 1968, he graduated with a PhD in English, linguistics, and Germanic languages.


 * Employment:** He worked ad a computer programmer from 1962-1965. From 1968-1971, he was assistant professor of English at the State University of New York in Buffalo. From 1972-2000 he held a series of positions at the University of Cape Town, the last being a “Distinguished Professor of Literature”. Between 1984 and 2003 he also taught frequently in the United States at several universities, some of which are: State University of New York, Johns Hopkins University, Harvard University, Stanford University, and the University of Chicago. He also was an avid translator of Dutch and Afrikaans literature. Today, after his move to Australia, he lives with his partner Dorothy Driver in Adelaide, South Australia, where he holds an honorary position at the University of Adelaide.


 * Wife:** Philippa Jubber


 * Children:** Nicolas and Gisela

 1977 Central News Agency (CNA) Literary Award (South Africa) //In the Heart of the Country// 1980 Central News Agency (CNA) Literary Award (South Africa) //Waiting for the Barbarians// 1980 James Tait Black Memorial Prize (for fiction) //Waiting for the Barbarians// 1981 Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize //Waiting for the Barbarians// 1983 Booker Prize for Fiction //Life & Times of Michael K// 1984 Central News Agency (CNA) Literary Award (South Africa) //Life & Times of Michael K// 1984 Prix Fémina Etranger (France) //Life & Times of Michael K// 1987 Jerusalem Prize //Foe// 1990 Sunday Express Book of the Year //Age of Iron// 1995 Irish Times International Fiction Prize //The Master of Petersburg// 1998 Lannan Literary Award (Fiction) 1999 Booker Prize for Fiction //Disgrace// 2000 Commonwealth Writers Prize (Overall Winner, Best Book) //Disgrace// **2003 Nobel Prize for Literature** 2006 Commonwealth Writers Prize (Africa Region, Best Book) (shortlist) //Slow Man// 2007 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award (shortlist) //Slow Man// By: Katerina Zakka, Jad Jabak, and Aliya Zaki
 * Literary Works:** He began writing fiction in 1969. Some of his most famous works include: //Dusklands// (1974), //In the Heart of the Country// (1977), //Waiting for the Barbarians// (1980). He became even more popular after the release of //Life & Times of Michael K// (1983), which won Britain's Booker Prize. It was followed by //Foe// (1986), //Age of Iron// (1990), //The Master of Petersburg// (1994), and //Disgrace// (1999), which again won the Booker Prize. His most recent novels are //Slow Man// (2005) and //Diary of a Bad Year// (2007).
 * Basis of Literary Works:** Much of his writing reflects either directly or indirectly recent events unfolding within South African society. He was one of the many rebellious literary voices speaking against the apartheid regime in the 1970s and 1980s.
 * Prizes and Awards: **

 References Used : http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/2003/coetzee-bio.html http://www.contemporarywriters.com/authors/?p=auth108

** “The whole thing is disgraceful from beginning to end. Disgraceful and vulgar too.” p. 45
 * In the novel //Disgrace//, by J.M. Coetzee, the title appears in the novel on the following five pages:

"William Wordsworth (1770-1850), nature-poet. David Lurie (1945-?), commentator upon, and disgraced disciple of, William Wordsworth. p. 46  “Not just in trouble. In what I suppose one would call disgrace.” p. 85  <span style="COLOR: #e10505; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive">“Oh dear, what can the matter be? Lucy’s secret; his disgrace.” p.109   <span style="COLOR: #cf1717; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive"> <span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA"><span style="COLOR: #e10505; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive">“She would rather hide her face, and he knows why. Because of the disgrace.” p. 115 <span style="COLOR: #cf1717; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA"> <span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA"><span style="COLOR: #f20d0d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive">In each of the following pages, "disgrace" seems to have its specific meanings in the different situations encountered by specific characters. However, it could be argued that there could be given a general meaning to the term disgrace. Firstly, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, disgrace is a mere source of shame. In this novel, it could definitely be inferred that David Lurie has suffered highly from previous shameless acts he has committed. An example could be when he continuously had sexual intercourse with his student Melanie. Although she did not physically resist, it could be inferred that it was undesired sex on her behalf. When David Lurie was taken to court, he remained as stiff as iron. However, towards the end of the novel, the readers recognize a shift in personality, in which David Lurie suffers from his "disgrace" and gives up on life. There are other examples of "disgrace" throughout the novel; Lucy's rape could be an example. In conclusion, the title definitely allows the readers to predict certain characteristics the novel is based on from reading the very first page; yet it remains unpredictable in nature. <span style="COLOR: #b61111; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive">By: Katerina Zakka, Jad Jabak, and Aliya Zaki   <span style="COLOR: #b61111; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive">