Disgrace

A Novel

By: J. M. Coetzee

Narrated by: Michael Cumpsty

The provocative Booker Prize winning novel from Nobel laureate, J.M. Coetzee

"Compulsively readable... A novel that not only works its spell but makes it impossible for us to lay it aside once we've finished reading it." —The New Yorker

At fifty-two, Professor David Lurie is divorced, filled with desire, but lacking in passion. When an affair with a student leaves him jobless, shunned by friends, and ridiculed by his ex-wife, he retreats to his daughter Lucy's smallholding. David's visit becomes an extended stay as he attempts to find meaning in his one remaining relationship. Instead, an incident of unimaginable terror and violence forces father and daughter to confront their strained relationship and the equallity complicated racial complexities of the new South Africa.

2024 marks the 25th Anniversary of the publication of Disgrace

Critic reviews

“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

“Mr. Coetzee, in prose lean yet simmering with feeling, has indeed achieved a lasting work: a novel as haunting and powerful as Albert Camus’s The Stranger.”— The Wall Street Journal

“A tough, sad, stunning novel.”—Baltimore Sun

Essential reading

Or listening…a work that transcends time and place, though it also helps the reader understand South Africa and that time. A work very much deserving of its acclaim.

Intense

I now want to read everything this author has written. Superb, but challenging

Great book - aptly named

"Disgrace" - That pretty much says it all, and such is the fate of the main character, professor David Lurie.
I read this book years ago, before it was available on Audible. Brought to life by the reader Michael Cumpsty this audio version is just as satisfying, if not more than the written version.
It is virtually impossible to empathize with David Lurie, who's narcissistic and selfish behavior make him his own worst enemy. Yet J.M. Coetzee offers no excuses for Lurie. He is simply a very flawed man, aging against his will, resigned to act according to life's forces that direct him to his own demise.
On it's face, the story is simple. However there are many complexities that weave throughout: Lurie's relationship with his daughter Lucy, his avocational project on Byron, his checkered past with females, his interaction with Lucy's neighbors, his reluctant volunteering at an animal clinic.
The story and writing are as stark as the arid South African landscape where it is situated. This concise book is brutally straightforward and masterfully crafted.
Highly recommended.

A haunting story, well performed

Michael Cumpsty’s performance lends the edge to this haunting novel. He adds layers to the story contributing to a greater appreciation of the story (this is one of those novels to which reading and listening is valuable). With a well constructed plot, well developed characters, tight writing, the story propels forward compellingly. One draws its meaning as in a poem, profoundly. In the end, one feels viscerally the daunting significance in the silence, the emptiness

A Great Work of Literature

Clear and easy to follow, but ultimately profoundly ambiguous and thought provoking. The novel is beautiful despite being hopeless and dispairing in the end. It is anti-romantic and reminded me of Unbearable Lightness of Being turned on its head. Incredibly vivid despite sparse, understated language. The ending scene was literally stunning and I wasn't able to process it fully emotionally until the following day. One of the top ten novels I've read (listened) to.