Books like Diary of a Bad Year by J. M. Coetzee
An Australian writer, aged seventy‑two, is invited to contribute essays to a book called Strong Opinions. He writes on subjects ranging from the origins of the state to anarchism, Al‑Qaida, intelligent design, and music, questioning how modern democracies reconcile civil liberties with security concerns. In the course of this reflection, he meets Anya, a young woman unemployed between jobs, in the laundry‑room of his apartment block. He offers her a typing job for his manuscript, sparking a subtle attraction and a cascade of personal dynamics involving Anya’s boyfriend Alan, an investment consultant who views the world through a neo‑liberal lens.
First publish date: 2007
Genre: Literary Fiction/Contemporary Literary Fiction
Authors: J. M. Coetzee
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