Giving Offense by J M Coetzee

Giving Offense by J M Coetzee

This text presents an analysis of censorship from the perspective of a writer who has lived and worked under its shadow. The essays collected here attempt to understand the passion that plays itself out in acts of silencing and censoring. Subscribing neither to the myth of the writer as a moral giant nor to that of the writer as persecuted innocent, Coetzee argues that a destructive dynamic of belligerence and escalation tends to overtake the rivals in any field ruled by censorship. Ranging from Osip Mandelstam being commanded to compose an ode in praise of Stalin to Breyten Breytenbach writing poems under and for the eyes of his prison guards, the book focuses on the ways authors have historically responded to censorship. It also analyzes the arguments of Catharine MacKinnon for the suppression of pornography and traces the operations of the old South African censorship system. Finally, Coetzee delves into the early history of apartheid and criticizes the blankness of contemporary political science in its efforts to address the deeper motives behind apartheid. Winner of the Booker Prize for "The Life and Times of Michael K." , Coetzee has also written seven novels, including "The Master of Petersburg", and two books of criticism.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780226111742
ISBN 10	0226111741
Title	Giving Offense
Author	J M Coetzee
Condition	Unavailable
Publisher	The University of Chicago Press
Year published	1996-04-15
Number of pages	297
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
Note	Unavailable