Friday, February 24, 2006

Next Book: Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee

After much deliberation, our next book will be J.M. Coetzee's 1999 Man Booker Prize winner Disgrace.

Coetzee was born in South Africa, studied in the U.S. and then returned home to write and teach. His books reflect South African society, the impact of colonization and the on-going transformation of his home nation. His eloquent writing style has been compared to Nabakov and Kafka. In 2003, Coetzee won the Nobel Prize for Literature.

"—Disgrace is not a hard or obscure book—it is, among other things, compulsively readable—but what it may well be is an authentically spiritual document, a lament for the soul of a disgraced century."
—The New Yorker

"—A subtly brilliant commentary on the nature and balance of power in his homeland...Disgrace is a mini-opera without music by a writer at the top of his form."
—Time

posted by MJ @ 10:55 p.m. 0 comments

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

Middlesex and the City

As we all wrap up Middlesex, I thought there was time for one final post before we meet (Feb 24th). Here is list of random links that are related to the book.

* Greek Mythology: Antigone & Tiresias & Hermaphroditus

* Interview with Eugenides on the topic of Middlesex (warning, contains spoilers)

* Negative Review: The Economist
* Mixed Review: The New York Magazine
* Positive Review: CNN.com

* Reading Guide #1

As I approach the end of this book, I am appreciating how many offshoots of information (science, history, literature etc.) that Middlesex contains. That being said, I have felt very disconnected from the characters in the story. Regardless, I’ll leave the final verdict for when I’m done and had time to discuss and reflect.

posted by MJ @ 9:02 p.m. 0 comments