Summertime – J M Coetzee

READ FOR BOOKERTHON

A fictionalised memoir detailing the life of John Coetzee written from the point of view of the biographer. Told from the perspective of five people who have known him including a married woman with whom he had an affair, his cousin Margot and a Brazilian dancer whose daughter took English lessons with him.

Perhaps; but I am a difficult person to live with. My difficulty consists in not wanting to live with other people.

❚ “J M Coetzee has created a work of wit. The biographical nature of this book was continually hard to fathom as I realised the author was writing a book from the perspective of a biographer about himself. Once I had grasped the way it was written I thought it was so very clever and often funny. A wholly satisfying read.” – Jo

❚ “J M Coetzee is one of a handful of authors whose work I rush out to buy as soon as it’s on the bookshelves. And as usual I was not disappointed by his latest book. His ability to find a new way to present literature or a new angle to look at something from is astounding. I loved that he was writing about a biographer, writing about himself.” – Rachel

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Published 2009
Harvill Secker
224 pages