Age of Iron

About “Age of Iron”

Mrs. Cullen is an elderly white woman dying of cancer in Cape Town, South Africa. She is a classics professor who opposed apartheid but lived insulated from its worst effects. In an extended letter to her daughter, who has moved to America, she recounts the events of her final days. She witnesses a black township burn and finds the body of her servant's son, shot dead. A teenage black activist hiding in her home is killed by security forces. Her only confidant during this time is a homeless alcoholic who appears on her doorstep. The novel, published in 1990 by J. M. Coetzee, explores themes of guilt, complicity, and the legacy of apartheid.