J. M. Coetzee books in order
South African and Australian writer and scholar
- Born
- 1940
- Country
- Australia
- Books
- 28
- Series
- 1
J. M. Coetzee has published 20 novels, 2 novellas, 4 non-fiction books, 1 poetry collection and 1 other book, beginning with Dusklands (1974). The series is Scenes from Provincial Life (3 books, starting with Boyhood: Scenes from Provincial Life). The best-known is Disgrace (1999). The latest is The Death of Jesus (2019).
Updated September 2026
Scenes from Provincial Life books in order (3)
Reading order: 1 Boyhood: Scenes from Provincial Life (1997) · 2 Youth: Scenes from Provincial Life II (2002) · 3 Summertime (Scenes from Provincial Life) #3 (2009)
- 1.
Boyhood: Scenes from Provincial Life (Sep 1997)
- 2.
Youth: Scenes from Provincial Life II (Jan 2002)
- 3.
Summertime (Scenes from Provincial Life) #3 (Jan 2009)
Where to start with J. M. Coetzee
Start here
Disgrace
J. M. Coetzee's most-read book.
Shortest way in
Waiting for the Barbarians
One of the most-read, at about 178 pages.
Newest
The Death of Jesus
Published May 2019.
Standalone novels in order
In the Heart of the Country (1977)
Waiting for the Barbarians (Oct 1980)
Life & Times of Michael K (Jan 1983)
A Land Apart (1986)
Foe (1986)
Age of Iron (Sep 1990)
The Master of Petersburg (Nov 1994)
Giving Offense (1996)
Disgrace (Jan 1999)
Elizabeth Costello (Sep 2003)
Slow Man (Sep 2005)
Diary of a Bad Year (Sep 2007)
Here and Now (2013)
The Childhood of Jesus (Mar 2013)
The Schooldays of Jesus (2016)
The Norton Anthology of English Literature (2019)
The Death of Jesus (May 2019)
Novellas in order
Dusklands (Apr 1974)
The Lives of Animals (1999), with Peter Singer
Non-fiction in order
Doubling the Point (1992)
Stranger Shores (Aug 2001)
Inner Workings (2007)
Late Essays (2017)
Poetry in order
Landscape with Rowers: Poetry from the Netherlands (2003)
Other books in order
Pole (2023)
Film and TV adaptations
- Dust (1985)Film · from In the Heart of the Country
- Waiting for the Barbarians (2019)Film · from Waiting for the Barbarians
- Disgrace (2008)Film · from Disgrace
- Aquí (2026)Film · from The Childhood of Jesus
About J. M. Coetzee
John Maxwell Coetzee is a South African and Australian novelist, essayist, and translator. The recipient of the 2003 Nobel Prize in Literature, Coetzee is one of the most critically acclaimed and decorated authors in the English language. He has won the Booker Prize (twice), the Central News Agency Literary Award (thrice), the Jerusalem Prize, the Prix Femina étranger, and The Irish Times International Fiction Prize, and holds a number of other awards and honorary doctorates.
Biography from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
J. M. Coetzee FAQ
- How many books has J. M. Coetzee written?
- J. M. Coetzee has published 20 novels, 2 novellas, 4 non-fiction books, 1 poetry collection and 1 other book that we list, as of September 2026.
- What order should I read J. M. Coetzee's books in?
- Read each series in its own order: start Scenes from Provincial Life with Boyhood: Scenes from Provincial Life. The other books stand alone and can be read in any order.
- What is J. M. Coetzee's latest book?
- The Death of Jesus (2019).
- What is J. M. Coetzee's most famous book?
- Disgrace (1999) is J. M. Coetzee's most widely read book.
- Are J. M. Coetzee's books connected?
- 3 books belong to 1 series (Scenes from Provincial Life); the other 25 books stand alone.
- Which J. M. Coetzee books have been adapted?
- 4 books have been adapted for film or TV, including In the Heart of the Country (as Dust, film, 1985), Waiting for the Barbarians (film, 2019), Disgrace (film, 2008) and The Childhood of Jesus (as Aquí, film, 2026).
Sources: book lists and dates from Wikidata and Open Library, ratings from Open Library readers. Last updated September 2026.