Life and Times of Michael K

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Life and Times of Michael K

By: J.M. Coetzee

Narrated by: Jack Klaff

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About this listen

In a South Africa torn by civil war, Michael K sets out to take his mother back to her rural home. On the way there she dies, leaving him alone in an anarchic world of brutal roving armies. Imprisoned, Michael is unable to bear confinement and escapes, determined to live with dignity. Life and Times of Michael K goes to the centre of human experience - the need for an interior, spiritual life, for some connections to the world in which we live, and for purity of vision.

Contemporary Fiction

Fiction

Genre Fiction

Literary Fiction

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Critic reviews

A strong and memorable novel

It strikes deep inside the heart...The story is clean, clear, straight, the work of a mature imagination at full power...here is a book that will be celebrated for a long time

This is a trule astonishing novel... I finished Life & Times of Michael K in a state of elation, for all the misery and suffering it contains. I cannot recommend it highly enough

Beautifully written in a strong, plain, unpretentious style...distinguished by grim humour and powerful understatement

The quality of Coetzee's writing lies in his inner vision: dark, passionately compassionate, concerned with the nature of man

Most relevant

This is the first of JM Coetzee’s books I’ve ‘read’ - and I have loved every moment. He clearly deserves his place as one of the most highly rated living authors. It is a superbly original story, strange and sad, but with moments of ridiculous humor thrown in. It is beautifully written throughout. The narration by Jack Klaff is excellent. He captures the tone of the various characters 100%.