Vignette 58: John M Coetzee

John Maxwell Coetzee, Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature FRSL, Order of Mapungubwe OMG, is a South African author known for his exceptional work in literature. He has won two Booker Prizes and the Nobel Prize in Literature. 

Coetzee is also an essayist and an avid linguist. For his services to literature, he has been honoured with knighthoods by the governments of France and the Netherlands. He is the recipient of honorary doctorates from universities in the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, South Africa, France, Poland, Argentina, Colombia and Mexico.

Coetzee studied mathematics and English at the University of Cape Town. His works explore the effects of colonisation and its encumbrance on gender and racial prejudice.

In 2002, Coetzee emigrated to South Australia and took up an Honorary Research Fellowship in the University’s School of Humanities. The JM Coetzee Centre for Creative Practice was established at the University in 2012. The centre is a cultural hub for artistic collaboration and exploration, bringing together scholars and artists from literary, musical, and multimedia fields.

Coetzee has had a global impact on literature, language, and culture. His works, translated into many languages, inspire and educate readers worldwide. As a JM Coetzee Centre for Creative Practice patron, he inspires and supports future scholars and artists.

The University of Adelaide: 150 Years of Making History.  Nurturing excellence. p.82