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AbstractHistoryArchive Description
In this collection of 21 essays introduced by Derek Attridge, most of which have been published in the New York Review of Books, Coetzee reveals his skill as a literary critic in his own right.
Notes
-
Acknowledgments:
The essay on Arthur Miller first appeared in Writers at the Movies, ed. Jim Shepard (New York: Harper Collins, 2000).
The essay on Robert Musil first appeared as an introduction to The Confusions of Young Törless, trans. Shaun Whiteside (London: Penguin, 2001).
The essay on Graham Greene first appeared as an introduction to Brighton Rock (New York: Penguin, 2004).
The essay on Samuel Beckett is excerpted from the introduction to volume 4 of Samuel Beckett: The Grove Centenary Edition (New York: Grove, 2006).
The essay on Hugo Claus first appeared as an introduction to the paperbound edition of Hugo Claus, Greetings: Selected Poems, trans. John Irons (New York: Harcourt, 2006).
All other essays first appeared, in earlier form, in the New York Review of Books.
-
Introduction by Derek Attridge.
Contents
* Contents derived from the
North Sydney,
North Sydney - Lane Cove area,
Sydney Northern Suburbs,
Sydney,
New South Wales,:Vintage Australia
, 2008 version. Please note that other versions/publications may contain different contents. See the Publication Details.
- Italo Svevo, single work essay (p. 1-14)
- Robert Walser, single work essay (p. 15-29)
- Robert Musil, The Confusions of Young Törless, single work essay (p. 30-39)
- Walter Benjamin, The Arcades Project, single work essay (p. 40-64)
- Bruno Schulz, single work essay (p. 65-78)
- Joseph Roth, the Stories, single work essay (p. 79-93)
- Sándor Márai, single work essay (p. 94-113)
- Paul Celan and His Translators, single work essay (p. 114-131)
- Günter Grass and the Wilhelm Gustloff, single work essay (p. 132-144)
- W. G. Sebald, After Nature, single work essay (p. 145-154)
- Hugo Claus, Poet, single work essay (p. 155-159)
- Graham Greene, Brighton Rock, single work essay (p. 160-168)
- Samuel Beckett, the Short Fiction, single work essay (p. 169-173)
- Walt Whitman, single work essay (p. 174-188)
- William Faulkner and His Biographers, single work essay (p. 189-206)
- Saul Bellow, the Early Novels, single work essay (p. 207-221)
- Arthur Miller, The Misfits, single work essay (p. 222-227)
- Philip Roth, The Plot Against America, single work essay (p. 228-243)
- Nadine Gordimer, single work essay (p. 244-256)
- Gabriel García Márquez, Memories of My Melancholy Whores, single work essay (p. 257-271)
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
-
[Review] Inner Workings : Literary Essays 2000-2005
2009
single work
review
— Appears in: Transnational Literature , November vol. 2 no. 1 2009;
— Review of Inner Workings : Literary Essays 2000-2005 2007 selected work essay -
Review : Inner Workings : Literary Essays 2000-2005
2008
single work
review
— Appears in: Philip Roth Studies , Fall vol. 4 no. 2 2008; (p. 196-198)
— Review of Inner Workings : Literary Essays 2000-2005 2007 selected work essay -
The Hermeneutic Reflex : Reading J.M. Coetzee's Inner Workings and Critical Constructions of Coetzee as "Public Intellectual"
2008
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Scrutiny 2 , May vol. 13 no. 1 2008; (p. 60-67) "This review essay examines the prevalent critical tendency to assign teleological labels to JM Coetzee's work, arguing that any attempt to categorise the notoriously publicity-shy Coetzee as a "public intellectual" should take into account the fact that Coetzee has always had to defend his own heterodox literary faith against more powerful orthodoxies. The article traces Coetzee's abiding preoccupation with literary form by examining the inbuilt hermeneutic reflex in his fiction and the often ambiguous public response in South Africa to his work. This formal preoccupation is evident not only in Coetzee's novels, which seem to describe a movement from metafiction to a greater degree of realism, but also in his critical opinions on other authors, which in turn throw light on Coetzee's own writerly aesthetic." (60) -
Aloofness the Price for Master Critic's Knowledge and Incisiveness
2007
single work
review
— Appears in: Eureka Street , 31 May vol. 17 no. 10 2007;
— Review of Inner Workings : Literary Essays 2000-2005 2007 selected work essay -
In a Cold Country
2007
single work
review
— Appears in: London Review of Books , 4 October vol. 29 no. 2007; (p. 5-7)
— Review of Diary of a Bad Year 2007 single work novel ; Inner Workings : Literary Essays 2000-2005 2007 selected work essay
-
Harsh New World
2007
single work
review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 24-25 February 2007; (p. 11)
— Review of Inner Workings : Literary Essays 2000-2005 2007 selected work essay -
Nobel Laureate Gets off the Fence
2007
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 3-4 March 2007; (p. 32-33)
— Review of Inner Workings : Literary Essays 2000-2005 2007 selected work essay -
Catching up with Slow Man
2007
single work
review
— Appears in: The Canberra Times , 10 March 2007; (p. 13) The Independent , 4 March 2007; (p. 29)
— Review of Inner Workings : Literary Essays 2000-2005 2007 selected work essay -
A Distinctive Display of the Quieter Virtues
2007
single work
review
— Appears in: The Age , 24 March 2007; (p. 25)
— Review of Inner Workings : Literary Essays 2000-2005 2007 selected work essay -
True Confession
2007
single work
review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , May no. 291 2007; (p. 31-32)
— Review of Inner Workings : Literary Essays 2000-2005 2007 selected work essay -
The Hermeneutic Reflex : Reading J.M. Coetzee's Inner Workings and Critical Constructions of Coetzee as "Public Intellectual"
2008
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Scrutiny 2 , May vol. 13 no. 1 2008; (p. 60-67) "This review essay examines the prevalent critical tendency to assign teleological labels to JM Coetzee's work, arguing that any attempt to categorise the notoriously publicity-shy Coetzee as a "public intellectual" should take into account the fact that Coetzee has always had to defend his own heterodox literary faith against more powerful orthodoxies. The article traces Coetzee's abiding preoccupation with literary form by examining the inbuilt hermeneutic reflex in his fiction and the often ambiguous public response in South Africa to his work. This formal preoccupation is evident not only in Coetzee's novels, which seem to describe a movement from metafiction to a greater degree of realism, but also in his critical opinions on other authors, which in turn throw light on Coetzee's own writerly aesthetic." (60)
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