J. M. Coetzee

John Maxwell Coetzee was born in 1940 in Cape Town. He studied in South Africa and the USA, where he worked as a university professor until 1983. In 1984, he was appointed as a professor of English literature at the University of Cape Town. In 2002, he moved to Australia, where he currently resides. His writing career began in 1974. He has authored the books: "Dusklands" (Greek translation "Σκοτεινές χώρες", 1974), "In the Heart of the Country" (1977), "Waiting for the Barbarians" (1980, State Prize for Fiction, the most prestigious literary award in South Africa, James Tait Black and Geoffrey Faber awards), "Life & Times of Michael K" (1983, Booker Prize, Femina Prize, and State Prize for Fiction), "Foe" (Greek translation "Μια γυναίκα στο νησί του Ροβινσώνα", 1986), "Age of Iron" (1990, Sunday Express Book of the Year award), "The Master of Petersburg" (1994, Irish Times International Fiction Prize), "Disgrace" (1999, Booker Prize and Commonwealth Writers' Prize), "Elizabeth Costello" (2003), "Slow Man" (Greek translation "Ένας αργός άνθρωπος", 2005), the autobiographical narratives "Boyhood: Scenes from Provincial Life" (1997, shortlisted for the National Book Critics Circle Award) and "Youth: Scenes from Provincial Life II", as well as literary essays. J. M. Coetzee was the first author to be awarded the Booker Prize twice. In 2003, he was honored with the Nobel Prize in Literature. He has also received the Commonwealth Writers' Prize, the Prix Etranger Femina, and has been awarded the highest honor in his country three times.