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Life and Times of Michael K
 
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Life and Times of Michael K (Paperback)

by J.M. Coetzee (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)

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Product Details

Product Description

Product Description

In South Africa, whose civil administration is colapsing under the pressure of years of civil strife, an obscure young gardener named Michael K decides to take his mother on a long march away from the guns towards a new life in the abandoned countryside. Everywhere he goes however, the war follows him. Tracked down and locked up as a collaborator with the rural guerrillas, he embarks on a fast that angers, baffles, and finally awes his captors. The story of Michael K is the story of a man caught up in a war beyond his understanding, but determined to live his life, however minimally, on his own terms. J.M. Coetzee has produced a masterpiece which has the astonishing power to make the wilderness boom.


About the Author

J.M. Coetzee’s work includes Waiting for the Barbarians, The Life & Times of Michael K, Boyhood: Scenes from Provincial Life, Youth, and Disgrace which won the Booker Prize, making him the first author to have won it twice.


From the Hardcover edition.

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Customer Reviews

29 Reviews
5 star:
 (13)
4 star:
 (11)
3 star:
 (4)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:
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Average Customer Review
4.2 out of 5 stars (29 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most helpful customer reviews

 
5.0 out of 5 stars A solid five stars, Jun 25 2006
By C.W. (White Horse) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Life and Times of Michael K (Paperback)
LIFE AND TIMES reminded me in many ways of two other books I've recently come across: Hosseni's KITE RUNNER and another book called THE BARK OF THE DOGWOOD, both of which are great and riveting. But this neat little book about a slow-witted man in civil-war torn South Africa will really make you think. Michael K is part Huck Finn, part Rodya from "Crime and Punishment", part Gollum, and part Robinson Crusoe (and possibly, Josepf K from Kafka's "The Trial"). He takes on a characteristic of each of those characters during his adventure to get his mother back to the land of her youth. He has an uncomfortable relationship with food, and his struggle to feed himself is very odd indeed. After reading this book, I felt that I should build a cabin for myself far away from everyone else and create my own environment.
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5.0 out of 5 stars An insightful story, Mar 8 2006
By Mikhail "mike" (Raleigh, NC USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   
Written at a time that Apartheid was still very strong, Coetzee gave a philosophical to life in that environment, which in this case is a surreal post-civil war South Africa with all the horrors that come with the aftermath of a civil war, especially an African civil war. However, Michael K. makes the effort to shield himself from the harshness of his environment by taking on a life of existential survival. In fact the lesson from this book applies to all environments or situations where society makes it difficult for a private person to live a personal life that is independent of the forces of the environment.

Other recommended reads: Disciples of Fortune, Disgrace, The usurper and Other Stories.

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5.0 out of 5 stars An insightful story, April 7 2005
By Mikhail "mike" (Raleigh, NC USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   
Written at a time that Apartheid was still very strong, Coetzee gave a philosophical to life in that environment, which in this case is a surreal post-civil war South Africa with all the horrors that come with the aftermath of a civil war, especially an African civil war. However, Michael K. makes the effort to shield himself from the harshness of his environment by taking on a life of existential survival. In fact the lesson from this book applies to all environments or situations where society makes it difficult for a private person to live a personal life that is independent of the forces of the environment.

Other recommended reads: Disciples of Fortune, Disgrace, The usurper and Other Stories.

Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


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 		 Most recent customer reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars review
Coetzee is razor-concise as ever, and elegantly combines many ideas into one person. I got a lot from the book's observations of a man in natural seclusion, growing into a purely... Read more
Published on Sep 14 2003 by A. Patteson

4.0 out of 5 stars The delicate nature of being human
In a world flooded by turmoil and bereft of innocence, Michael K, simple, skeletal gardener and loyal son, stands alone. Read more
Published on April 5 2003

5.0 out of 5 stars Spare, clear as a diamond and a reminder we have choices
Each sentence uttered by Michael K, the anti-hero of this book, is the voice of sanity, understanding, compassion and truth in a book full of voices of hate and confusion. Read more
Published on Jan 10 2003 by jenniferbraun

5.0 out of 5 stars Desertion
Like a character from Kafka, we never learn Michael K's last name. However, unlike Kafka's characters he chooses a different response to the oppresive society in which he finds... Read more
Published on Oct 1 2002 by Thomas M. Seay

4.0 out of 5 stars Complex, Gripping, Excellent
J. M. Coetzee was awared the Booker Prize for this book back in 1983, so I had great expectations for this book. Read more
Published on Aug 27 2002 by Hilde B

5.0 out of 5 stars Existence in 150 pages.
This book is perhaps the easier to read of Coetzee's but it is nonetheless not easy. This book captures so much of what it is to exist. Read more
Published on Jul 19 2002 by Joseph L. Soler II

4.0 out of 5 stars Compelling Afternoon's Read
Read this the day after I read "Disgrace." Compelling, beautifully written, and the only book I've ever read to top "Angela's Ashes" in poverty and... Read more
Published on Jun 28 2002 by KaylingR

1.0 out of 5 stars Awful
This book is only about 180 pages long, so you'd imagine I'd have no trouble finishing it. Unfortunately, no. Read more
Published on May 1 2002 by Gary Malone

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book!
I read Coetzee's "Disgrace" before I read this and I was instantly hooked on to his style of compassionate and insightful writing. Read more
Published on Mar 28 2002 by Aanand

5.0 out of 5 stars Let-it-be . Heartbreaking
As most of the reviews focused on the spiritual v.s. physical (And I deeply agreed with that), I still found this book quite heartbreaking. This was a Let-it-be life story. Read more
Published on Dec 8 2001 by Sen Peng Eu

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