Content Warning: The novel and this guide discuss sexism, sexual assault, stalking, sexual grooming, violence, and racism.

John Maxwell Coetzee, commonly known as J. M. Coetzee, was born on February 9, 1940, in Cape Town, South Africa. His parents were Zacharias Coetzee, an attorney, and Vera Wehmeyer Coetzee. Coetzee attended St. Joseph’s College, a Catholic school, where he was a distinguished student. Later, he studied at the University of Cape Town, earning a Bachelor of Arts in English and Mathematics in 1960, followed by an Honors degree in English in 1961. Coetzee’s academic prowess earned him a scholarship to the University of Texas at Austin, where he completed a Master of Arts in English and Linguistics in 1963. His doctoral studies took him to the University of Texas and later to the University of London, where he received his PhD in 1969, focusing on the work of Samuel Beckett.

After completing his doctorate, Coetzee taught literature at the State University of New York at Buffalo and later at the University of Cape Town. His academic career was distinguished by his keen insights into literature and his ability to engage students in deep and meaningful ways. He married Philippa Jubber in 1963, and the couple had two children before their marriage ended in divorce in 1980.