Disgrace (1999)
by J M Coetzee
Nobel prize winner Coetzee has written a novel set in modern, post-Apartheid South Africa. David Lurie is a 52-year-old professor, been through 2 failed marriages, and finds his students show little interest in his classes on the romantic poets, now that his university has become more of a tech college. Unfortunately he is a philanderer whose lust has finally gotten him in serious trouble, as he seduces a student and finds charges brought against him. When he loses his job, David seeks refuge with his daughter Lucy, his only child, a single woman whose weight and lifestyle (managing a small farm, caring for dogs) he disapproves of. They tolerate each other and David even starts working for a local vet. But when Lucy is robbed and attacked by black vandals, David can't understand why she doesn't press charges and just move away. But there is yet another change for David to accept, or not. And, back in his former life, a flicker of generosity as well. This is a sad story, with little bits of light, but lacking the hope and promise of a South Africa finally rid of Apartheid.
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