Diary of a Bad Year

About “Diary of a Bad Year”

A 2007 novel by J. M. Coetzee explores the anxieties of modern democracies through the perspective of an eminent Australian writer. At seventy-two, he contributes to a book titled Strong Opinions, writing essays on topics such as the origins of the state, Machiavelli, anarchism, and the war on terror. He questions the relationship between citizens and the state, particularly in light of the state’s use of torture and disregard for civil liberties. While working on his manuscript, he meets a young woman in the laundry room of his apartment building. She is typing his work, though she has no interest in politics. Her boyfriend, Alan, an investment consultant, disapproves of her involvement with the writer, leading him to devise a plan.