AUSTIN, TX (October 29, 2003) — The University of Texas at Austin General Libraries is proud to honor J.M Coetzee (pronounced kut-see-uh) for recently being awarded the 2003 Nobel Prize for Literature from the Swedish Academy. The current exhibit, "The Worlds of J. M. Coetzee," brings together examples of Coetzee's work, artifacts relating to his history with the University of Texas and images representing the contrast between the landscapes of Texas and his native South Africa. A novelist and essayist, Coetzee's work is laced with themes that touch both these landscapes and cultures.

The biographical information Coetzee included in his University of Texas at Austin dissertation sets the stage:

"John Maxwell Coetzee was born in Cape Town, South Africa, on February 9, 1940, the son of Zacharias Coetzee and Vera Wehmeyer Coetzee. After matriculating at St. Joseph's College, Rondebosch, C.P. in 1956, he entered the University of Cape Town. He received the degree of Bachelor of Arts with Honors in English in 1960 and with Honors in Mathematics in 1961. From 1962 to 1965 he was employed as a mathematician in London, Cambridge and Aldermaston, England. In 1963 he returned briefly to Cape Town to defend a thesis for which he was awarded the degree of Master of Arts..."

In 1965, Coetzee had received a Fulbright Fellowship and moved to Austin to pursue a Ph.D. in English literature, culminating in his dissertation, "The English Fiction of Samuel Beckett: An Essay in Stylistic Analysis," and the degree in 1969.

In a 1984 New York Times Book Review article, Coetzee relays memories of his time at the University of Texas at Austin, discovering the worlds of linguistics and literary manuscripts and playing for the intramural cricket team.

The exhibit includes an illustration from the 1968 Cactus showing Coetzee among the members of the University of Texas at Austin Intramural Cricket Team; the reproduction of a letter appearing in the Daily Texan, October 24, 1967, entitled "Misconception" and signed "John M. Coetzee, Box 7274;" his January 1969 University of Texas at Austin doctoral dissertation; and many of his book publications ranging from Dusklands (1974) to Elizabeth Costello (2003). Also on display are posters from the Michener Center for Writers announcing readings by Coetzee on the University of Texas at Austin campus in 1995 and in 2000.

"The Worlds of J. M. Coetzee" will be on view in the lobby of the Perry-Castañeda Library through January 19, 2004.

If you have questions about this exhibit or would like more information on Coetzee's works in the General Libraries, please contact Lindsey Schell, Bibliographer for English Literature (512 495-4119 or schell @ mail.utexas.edu).

Special thanks to the following for loan of materials to the exhibit:

The Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center
The James A. Michener Center for Writers

Special thanks to the following people for helping make this exhibit possible:

Lisa Aguilar, Administrative Assistant, Collection and Information Resources Division
Marla Akin, Program Coordinator, James A. Michener Center for Writers
Debbie Armstrong, Registrar, Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center
Tim Kerr, Information Specialist, Digital Libraries Services Division
Jennifer Lee, Head Librarian, Preservation Services
Joe Lucas, Facilities Manager
Victoria Naipavel-Heiduschke , Head, Book Repair Unit
Jo Anne Newyear-Ramirez, Assistant Head, Collections and Information Resources Division
Richard Oram, Librarian, Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center
Jim Retherford, Senior Graphics Designer