The Death of Jesus is a 2019 novel by J. M. Coetzee.

The Death of Jesus
First English edition (publ. Text Publishing)
AuthorJ. M. Coetzee
Original titleLa muerte de Jesús
LanguageEnglish
PublisherText Publishing (Australia)
Publication date
1 October 2019
Pages197
ISBN9781922268280 Hardcover
Preceded byThe Schooldays of Jesus 

Background and publication

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Prior to its publication, The Death of Jesus was cited in media across the world as one of the most anticipated novels of 2020 in the English-speaking world.[1][2][3]

The Death of Jesus is the third in Coetzee's "Jesus" trilogy, following The Childhood of Jesus (2013) and The Schooldays of Jesus (2016). It was first published in Spanish under the title La muerte de Jesús[4] in Argentina[5] and distributed throughout Latin America. It is the second of Coetzee's books to appear first in Spanish, the first being Siete cuentos morales or Seven Moral Tales[6]

Reception and reviews

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Upon release, it was generally well-received. According to review aggregator Book Marks, the novel received "positive" reviews based on 24 critics reviews with 6 being "rave" and 7 being "positive" and 8 being "mixed" and 3 being "pan".[7] In Books in the Media, a site that aggregates critic reviews of books, the book received a       (3.26 out of 5) from the site which was based on 12 critic reviews.[8] On Bookmarks Magazine Sep/Oct 2020 issue, a magazine that aggregates critic reviews of books, the book received a       (3.0 out of 5) based on critic reviews with a critical summary saying, "A few reviewers were able to appreciate the book within the context of Coetzee's oeuvre."[9]

It has been reviewed extensively, including by:

References

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  1. ^ Adam White, Hilary (4 January 2020). "From literary big hitters to gripping thrillers - it's the ultimate 2020 books preview". independent.ie. Archived from the original on 4 January 2020. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
  2. ^ Goyal, Sana (28 December 2019). "50 Books To Look Forward To In 2020". HuffPost. Archived from the original on 2 February 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
  3. ^ Holgate, Andrew (15 December 2019). "The Sunday Times books to watch out for in 2020". The Sunday Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Archived from the original on 6 January 2020. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
  4. ^ Fernández, Laura (25 May 2019). "Coetzee continúa su idilio con el español". El País (in Spanish). ISSN 1134-6582. Archived from the original on 1 October 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
  5. ^ Fox-Martens, Ella (8 November 2023). "Lost in Translation". The Drift. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  6. ^ "Coetzee afirma que sus libros "no están enraizados al idioma inglés"". El Espectador (in Spanish). 25 October 2019. Archived from the original on 13 August 2021. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
  7. ^ "Book Marks reviews of The Death of Jesus by J. M Coetzee". Book Marks. Archived from the original on 26 January 2021. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  8. ^ "The Death of Jesus Reviews". Books in the Media. Archived from the original on 9 December 2021. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  9. ^ "The Death of Jesus". Bookmarks Magazine. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  10. ^ Ley, James (21 September 2021). "The Death of Jesus by J. M. Coetzee". Australian Book Review. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  11. ^ Sexton, David (2 January 2020). "The Death of Jesus by J. M. Coetzee - review: a baffling but brilliant conclusion". Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 2 January 2020. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
  12. ^ Battersby, Doug (2 January 2020). "'The Death of Jesus', the latest novel from JM Coetzee". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 23 January 2020. Retrieved 4 January 2020.(subscription required)
  13. ^ Preston, Alex (31 December 2019). "A barren end to a bizarre trilogy". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 3 January 2020. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
  14. ^ Poole, Steven (4 January 2020). "The Death of Jesus by JM Coetzee review – a boy who challenges the world". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 4 January 2020. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
  15. ^ Self, John (19 December 2019). "The end of the affair: The Death of Jesus by JM Coetzee review". The Times. Retrieved 16 November 2023.