The Childhood of Jesus

JM Coetzee author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Vintage Publishing

Published:7th Jan '21

Should be back in stock very soon

The Childhood of Jesus cover

From the double Booker Prize-winning author of Disgrace, 'a moving story of lost childhood' (Sunday Telegraph).

After crossing oceans, a man and a boy - both strangers to each other - arrive in a new land. David, the boy, has lost his mother and Simón vows to look after him. In this strange country they are each assigned a new name, a new birthday, a new life.

Knowing nothing of their surroundings, nor the language or customs, they are determined to find David's mother. Though the boy has no memory of her, Simón is certain he will recognise her at first sight. 'But after we find her,' David asks, 'what are we here for?'

The Childhood of Jesus is a profound, beautiful and continually surprising novel from a very great writer.

'Powerful and poetic... This book will continue to act, silently and unexpectedly, on the reader's imagination' Financial Times

Richly enigmatic, with regular flashes of Coetzee's piercing intelligence -- Theo Tait * Guardian *
As ever, JM Coetzee manages to dodge every category with mesmeric cunning... This limpid, gnomic and surprisingly witty tale will take root in your imagination’ -- Boyd Tonkin * Independent *
There are lots of traditions and tales mixed in – along with mathematics and a wonderfully poetic use of language * Financial Times *
Engaging and thoughtful -- Theo Hobson * Tablet *
Written with all of Coetzee’s penetrating rigour, it will be an early contender for an unprecedented third Booker prize -- Tim Adams * Observer *
Double Booker Prize-winner Coetzee's fable has a dream-like, Kafkaesque quality. Are we in some kind of heaven, purgatory or simply another staging post of existence? Clear answers are elusive, but this is a riveting, thought-provoking read and surely Coetzee's best novel since Disgrace more than a decade ago -- John Harding * Daily Mail *
A fine, haunting novel that gets under your skin and into your marrow -- Jake Kerridge * Daily Express *
The Childhood of Jesus represents a return to the allegorical mode that made him famous... TheChildhood of Jesus does ample justice to his giant reputation: it’s richly enigmatic, with regular flashes of Coetzee’s piercing intelligence -- Theo Tait * Guardian *
He’s not quite the Messiah but J.M. Coeztee is a devilishly clever novelist… J.M. Coetzee fashions prose of a lapidary clarity and grace… Coetzee has returned to the (paradoxically) clear and yet opaque fable mode of master-works such as Waiting for the Barbarians. Given the title, one might expect a bleak retelling of gospel stories…but Coetzee never makes things so simple for disciples -- Boyd Tonkin * Independent *
This book will continue to act, silently and unexpectedly, on the reader’s imagination. It unpicks the Christian myth and braids it together with folk tales, the early novel, Pythagorean mysticism, Platonic philosophy, Buddhist epigrams, mathematics – powerful and poetic languages that underwrite our world -- Hedley Twidle * Financial Times *

  • Long-listed for The Folio Prize 2014 (UK)
  • Long-listed for I.M.P.A.C. Dublin Award 2015 (UK)

ISBN: 9781529112696

Dimensions: 196mm x 128mm x 22mm

Weight: 260g

336 pages