Here and Now: Letters

(Paperback)

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Description

A collection of letters between two of the greatest writers of our time, J.M. Coetzee and Paul Auster. Although Paul Auster and J.M. Coetzee had been reading each other's books for years, the two writers did not meet until February 2008. Not long after, Auster received a letter from Coetzee, suggesting they begin exchanging letters on a regular basis and, 'God willing, strike sparks off each other.' Here and Now is the result of that proposal- an epistolary dialogue between two great writers who became great friends. Over three years their letters touched on nearly every subject, from sports to fatherhood, film festivals to incest, philosophy to politics, from the financial crisis to art, family, marriage, friendship, and love. Their correspondence offers an intimate and often amusing portrait of these two men as they explore the complexities of the here and now and is a reflection of two sharp intellects whose pleasure in each other's friendship is apparent on every page.

Reviews

Extraordinary book * Times Literary Supplement *
Uniquely insightful, unfailingly interesting -- Arifa Akbar * Independent *
How gripping it is to watch these two thoughtful, articulate men grappling with a world that hasn't quite turned out how they expected -- Olivia Laing * New Statesman *
These pages are at their most compelling when the respective writers begin to dwell on the currency of their fiction -- Tim Adams * Observer *
You feel that Auster and Coetzee are addressing each other directly and honestly. Some of it is rather moving, and underpinning it all is genuine affection -- Jon Day * Daily Telegraph *

Author Bio

J.M. Coetzee's work includes Waiting for the Barbarians, Life & Times of Michael K, Boyhood, Youth, Disgrace, Summertime, The Childhood of Jesus and, most recently, The Schooldays of Jesus. He was the first author to win the Booker Prize twice and was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2003.