Diary of a Bad Year – J.M. Coetzee

Diary of a Bad Year by J.M. Coetzee, winner of the 2003 Nobel Prize in Literature, is an inventive and intellectually challenging novel from one of South Africa’s most internationally celebrated writers. This is the first UK edition, first printing, published by Harvill Secker in London in 2007, with the complete number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1.

Diary of a Bad Year demonstrates Coetzee’s characteristically experimental approach to fiction, combining narrative, personal reflection and political and philosophical commentary in an unusual multi-layered format. At its centre is an ageing writer, Señor C, living in Australia and commissioned to contribute a series of provocative essays on contemporary political and social issues. His encounter with his attractive young neighbour Anya, whom he employs as a typist, gradually introduces another narrative strand, while Anya’s ambitious boyfriend Alan adds further tension.

Coetzee divides the pages into separate sections, allowing different voices and trains of thought to unfold simultaneously. The result is Diary of a Bad Year, a distinctive meditation on authority, morality, politics, democracy, ageing, desire and the relationship between writer and reader.

Condition – Very Good

The binding remains sound and the boards present well. The dust jacket shows light general shelf wear, handling and minor marking. Noticeable foxing/discolouration is present along the upper edge of the text block, with some age-related toning. Overall a clean, attractive and solid first-edition copy with the original dust jacket.