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Age of Iron
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Age of Iron Paperback - 1998

by J. M. Coetzee

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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

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.

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Age of Iron
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Age of Iron

by Coetzee, J. M.

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Age of Iron

by J.M. Coetzee

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Age of Iron
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Age of Iron

by Coetzee, J. M

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Age of Iron
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Age of Iron

by Coetzee, J. M

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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.
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Age of Iron

Age of Iron

by J. M. Coetzee

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Age of Iron
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Age of Iron

by Coetzee, J. M

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
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Age of Iron
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Age of Iron

by Coetzee, J. M

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
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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.
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Age of Iron
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Age of Iron

by Coetzee, J. M

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
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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.
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Age of Iron (Revised)
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Age of Iron (Revised)

by J M Coetzee

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Age of Iron
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Age of Iron

by Coetzee, J. M

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  • Paperback
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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780140275650 / 0140275657
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1998-09-01. paperback. Used: Good. 5.18x0.59x7.88. Buy with confidence. Excellent Customer Service & Return policy.
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