Photo of J. M. Coetzee
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J. M. Coetzee

b. 1940

1 series 16 books in order 13 standalone books

John Maxwell Coetzee, born on 9 February 1940, is a South African and Australian novelist, essayist, linguist, and translator. He is a recipient of the 2003 Nobel Prize in Literature and is recognized as one of the most critically acclaimed and decorated authors in the English language. Coetzee has won the Booker Prize twice, the CNA Literary Award three times, the Jerusalem Prize, the Prix Femina étranger, and the Irish Times International Fiction Prize. He has also received numerous other awards and honorary doctorates. A writer and scholar, Coetzee is known for his contributions to literature and his academic work.

Born
1940
Known for
Scenes from Provincial Life

Series by J. M. Coetzee

Scenes from Provincial Life

3 books in order · 1997–2009

  1. Cover of Boyhood

    Boyhood

    1997 · J. M. Coetzee

    J. M. Coetzee's novel is a fictionalized memoir told in third-person. It explores Coetzee's childhood, focusing on the unhappy marriage of his…

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  2. Cover of Youth

    Youth

    2002 · J. M. Coetzee

    A young South African intellectual moves to London in the 1960s to become a great and compelling poet. The novel follows his experiences in a foreign…

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  3. Cover of Summertime

    Summertime

    2009 · J. M. Coetzee

    A novel by J. M. Coetzee follows a young English biographer researching the late writer John Coetzee. The biographer focuses on Coetzee's years from…

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Standalone books

  1. Cover of Disgrace

    Disgrace

    2024

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  2. Cover of The Childhood of Jesus

    The Childhood of Jesus

    2021

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  3. Cover of Waiting for the Barbarians

    Waiting for the Barbarians

    2019

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  4. Cover of Life & times of Michael K

    Life & times of Michael K

    2019

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  5. Cover of The Master of Petersburg

    The Master of Petersburg

    2019

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  6. Cover of Foe

    Foe

    2019

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  7. Cover of Dusklands

    Dusklands

    2019

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  8. Cover of Age of Iron

    Age of Iron

    2019

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  9. Cover of In the Heart of the Country

    In the Heart of the Country

    2019

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  10. Cover of The schooldays of Jesus

    The schooldays of Jesus

    2016

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  11. Cover of Slow Man

    Slow Man

    2015

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  12. Cover of Elizabeth Costello

    Elizabeth Costello

    2015

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  13. Cover of Diary of a Bad Year

    Diary of a Bad Year

    2015

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Frequently asked questions

How many books has J. M. Coetzee written?

We list 16 books by J. M. Coetzee across 1 series, published between 1997–2024 — each shown in full reading order.

What order should I read J. M. Coetzee's books?

Read each series in publication order. A good place to start is “Boyhood.” Open any series above for its complete numbered reading order.

Where can I buy J. M. Coetzee's books?

Every title links to Amazon from its series page — see our affiliate disclosure in the footer for how that supports the site.

Reading order compiled from author/publisher guidance and verified bibliographic data. Spotted a wrong order, a missing book, or any other mistake? and we'll correct it.