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Diary of a Bad Year
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Wikipedia article
'Diary of a Bad Year' is a book by South African-born Nobel laureate J. M. Coetzee. It was released by Text Publishing in Australia on 3 September 2007, in the United Kingdom by Harvill Secker (an imprint of Random House) on 6 September, and in the United States on 27 December.
Plot summary
The protagonist, called Seor C. by the other characters, is an aging South African writer living in Sydney. The novel consists of his essays and musings alongside diary entries by both Seor C. and Anya, a neighbor whom he has hired as a typist. The essays, which take up the larger part of each page, are on wide-ranging topics, including the politics of George W. Bush, Tony Blair, Guantnamo Bay, and terrorism. The diary entries appear beneath the essays and describe the relationship that develops between the two characters, a relationship that ultimately leads to subtle evolutions in both their worldviews.
Awards and nominations
*New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards, Christina Stead Prize for Fiction, 2008: shortlisted
*The Age Book of the Year Award, Fiction Prize, 2008: shortlisted
*Victorian Premier's Literary Award, The Vance Palmer Prize for Fiction, 2008: shortlisted
*Queensland Premier's Literary Awards, Best Fiction Book, 2008: shortlisted
*Australia-Asia Literary Award, 2008: longlisted[http://www.dca.wa.gov.au/programs/arts_cultural_dev/western_australian_premiers_australia-asia_literary_award Australia-Asia Literary Award 2008]
Extracts
*[http://www.nybooks.com/articles/20390 Extract from 'The New York Review of Books']
*[http://books.guardian.co.uk/extracts/story/0,,2155838,00.html Extract from 'The Guardian']
Reviews
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References
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