BIBLIO is the largest independent book marketplace in the world, with over 100 million books.

Skip to content

Age of Iron
Stock photo: cover may vary

Age of Iron Paperback - 1998

by J. M. Coetzee

Add to wish list

Summary

In Cape Town, South Africa, an old woman is dying of cancer. A classics professor, Mrs. Curren has been opposed to the lies and brutality of apartheid all her life, but has lived insulated from its true horrors. Now she is suddenly forced to come to terms with the iron-hearted rage that the system has wrought. In an extended letter addressed to her daughter, who has long since fled to America, Mrs. Curren recounts the strange events of her dying days. She witnesses the burning of a nearby black township and discovers the bullet-riddled body of her servant's son. A teenage black activist hiding in her house is killed by security forces. And through it all, her only companion, the only person to whom she can confess her mounting anger and despair, is a homeless man, an alcoholic, who one day appears on her doorstep.

Brilliantly crafted and resonant with metaphor, Age of Iron is "a superbly realized novel whose truths cut to the bone." (The New York Times Book Review)

Reader reviews for Age of Iron

Write a review for this book

There are no reviews for this book yet. Be the first to write a review!

Your review will be anonymous unless you login or create an account first.

Overall rating
Remember: You’re rating the book as a work, not the seller or the condition of the specific copy you purchased!

Important Terms and Guidelines

  • Please focus on the book’s content and context. Also, add any personal comments as to how you enjoyed the book. Substantiate your likes and dislikes. You may make comparisons to other books.
  • Reviews must be at least 140 characters in length.
  • Please do not reveal critical plot elements.
  • This is not a help line. Contact customer support if you need help.
Your review must not include:
  • Obscenities, discriminatory language, or other insulting language not suitable for public domain
  • Advertisements, “spam” content, or references to other products, offers or websites.
  • Email addresses, URLs, phone numbers, physical addresses or other contact information.
  • Overly critical comments about other reviews or reviewers
  • Time-sensitive material (i.e. promotional tours, seminars, lectures, etc.)
  • Availability, price, or alternative ordering/shipping information

From the publisher

In Cape Town, South Africa, an old woman is dying of cancer. A classics professor, Mrs. Curren has been opposed to the lies and brutality of apartheid all her life, but has lived insulated from its true horrors. Now she is suddenly forced to come to terms with the iron-hearted rage that the system has wrought. In an extended letter addressed to her daughter, who has long since fled to America, Mrs. Curren recounts the strange events of her dying days. She witnesses the burning of a nearby black township and discovers the bullet-riddled body of her servant's son. A teenage black activist hiding in her house is killed by security forces. And through it all, her only companion, the only person to whom she can confess her mounting anger and despair, is a homeless man, an alcoholic, who one day appears on her doorstep.

Brilliantly crafted and resonant with metaphor, Age of Iron is "a superbly realized novel whose truths cut to the bone." (The New York Times Book Review)

Details

  • Title Age of Iron
  • Author J. M. Coetzee
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition [ Edition: Repri
  • Pages 208
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Penguin Group, New York
  • Publication date September 1, 1998
  • ISBN 9780140275650 / 0140275657
  • Weight 0.37 lbs (0.17 kg)
  • Dimensions 7.66 x 5.24 x 0.56 in (19.46 x 13.31 x 1.42 cm)
  • Age range 18 to UP years
  • Grade levels 13 - UP
  • Category Fiction - General
  • Library of Congress subjects Cancer - Patients, Women - South Africa - Cape Town
  • Library of Congress Catalogue Number 90008310
  • Dewey Decimal Code FIC

Media reviews

"It is, quite simply, a magnificent and unforgettable work." —The Daily Telegraph



"Coetzee is one of the greatest writers of our time.... Age of Iron is taut, ironic, grieving and, finally, astonishing." —Los Angeles Times



"A remarkable work by a brilliant writer." —The Wall Street Journal



 

About the author

Born in Cape Town, South Africa, on February 9, 1940, John Michael Coetzee studied first at Cape Town and later at the University of Texas at Austin, where he earned a Ph.D. degree in literature. In 1972 he returned to South Africa and joined the faculty of the University of Cape Town. His works of fiction include Dusklands, Waiting for the Barbarians, which won South Africa's highest literary honor, the Central News Agency Literary Award, and the Life and Times of Michael K., for which Coetzee was awarded his first Booker Prize in 1983. He has also published a memoir, Boyhood: Scenes From a Provincial Life, and several essays collections. He has won many other literary prizes including the Lannan Award for Fiction, the Jerusalem Prize and The Irish Times International Fiction Prize. In 1999 he again won Britain's prestigious Booker Prize for Disgrace, becoming the first author to win the award twice in its 31-year history. In 2003, Coetzee was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.
Back to top↑

More Copies for Sale

Show all copies
Age of Iron
Stock photo: cover may vary

Age of Iron

by Coetzee, J. M.

  • Used
  • Acceptable
Condition
Acceptable
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780140275650 / 0140275657
Quantity available
1
Seller
BooksRun
Item price
A$6.98
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Penguin Books. Acceptable. The item might be beaten up but readable. May contain markings or highlighting, as well as stains, bent corners, or any other major defect, but the text is not obscured in any way.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$6.98
Free Delivery to USA
Age of Iron
Stock photo: cover may vary

Age of Iron

by J.M. Coetzee

  • Used
  • Paperback
Condition
Very Good, slight wear and yellowing of pages,
Edition
Sixth
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780140275650 / 0140275657
Quantity available
1
Seller
Rocking Chair Books
Biblio Top Seller
Item price
A$7.14
A$8.57 Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Penguin, 1998. Sixth. Trade Paperback. Very Good, slight wear and yellowing of pages,.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$7.14
A$8.57 Delivery to USA
Age of Iron
Stock photo: cover may vary

Age of Iron

by Coetzee, J. M

  • Used
Condition
Used
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780140275650 / 0140275657
Quantity available
1
Seller
Better World Books Ltd
Biblio Top Seller
Item price
A$10.09
A$10.02 Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Penguin Publishing Group. Used - Good. Pages intact with minimal writing/highlighting. The binding may be loose and creased. Dust jackets/supplements are not included. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$10.09
A$10.02 Delivery to USA
Age of Iron
Stock photo: cover may vary

Age of Iron

by Coetzee, J. M

  • Used
Condition
Used
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780140275650 / 0140275657
Quantity available
2
Seller
Better World Books Ltd
Biblio Top Seller
Item price
A$10.09
A$10.02 Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Penguin Publishing Group. Used - Very Good. Former library copy. Pages intact with possible writing/highlighting. Binding strong with minor wear. Dust jackets/supplements may not be included. Includes library markings. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$10.09
A$10.02 Delivery to USA
Age of Iron

Age of Iron

by J. M. Coetzee

  • Used
  • Good
  • Paperback
Condition
Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780140275650 / 0140275657
Quantity available
4
Seller
ThriftBooks
Biblio Top Seller
Item price
A$10.09
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Penguin Publishing Group, 1998. Paperback. Good. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$10.09
Free Delivery to USA
Age of Iron
Stock photo: cover may vary

Age of Iron

by Coetzee, J. M

  • Used
Condition
Used
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780140275650 / 0140275657
Quantity available
1
Seller
Better World Books
Biblio Top Seller
Item price
A$11.28
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Penguin Publishing Group. Used - Good. Pages intact with minimal writing/highlighting. The binding may be loose and creased. Dust jackets/supplements are not included. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$11.28
Free Delivery to USA
Age of Iron
Stock photo: cover may vary

Age of Iron

by Coetzee, J. M

  • Used
Condition
Used
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780140275650 / 0140275657
Quantity available
1
Seller
Better World Books
Biblio Top Seller
Item price
A$11.28
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Penguin Publishing Group. Used - Good. Former library copy. Pages intact with minimal writing/highlighting. The binding may be loose and creased. Dust jackets/supplements are not included. Includes library markings. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$11.28
Free Delivery to USA
Age of Iron
Stock photo: cover may vary

Age of Iron

by Coetzee, J. M

  • Used
Condition
Used
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780140275650 / 0140275657
Quantity available
1
Seller
Better World Books
Biblio Top Seller
Item price
A$11.28
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Penguin Publishing Group. Used - Very Good. Pages intact with possible writing/highlighting. Binding strong with minor wear. Dust jackets/supplements may not be included. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$11.28
Free Delivery to USA
Age of Iron (Revised)
Stock photo: cover may vary

Age of Iron (Revised)

by J M Coetzee

  • Used
  • Paperback
Condition
Used
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780140275650 / 0140275657
Quantity available
1
Seller
Plot Twist Used Books
Item price
A$11.52
A$7.16 Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Penguin Group, September 1998. Trade Paperback . Used.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$11.52
A$7.16 Delivery to USA
Age of Iron
Stock photo: cover may vary

Age of Iron

by Coetzee, J. M

  • Used
  • Paperback
Condition
Used
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780140275650 / 0140275657
Quantity available
1
Seller
Ergodebooks
Item price
A$14.36
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
1998-09-01. paperback. Used: Good. 5.18x0.59x7.88. Buy with confidence. Excellent Customer Service & Return policy.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$14.36
Free Delivery to USA
Show all copies
Back to top↑

Please wait a moment while we load the requested page.