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Cover of Foe by J. M. Coetzee

Foe

  • 160 pages · about 3 hours
  • First published 1986
  • 36 editions

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1 About this book

Foe is a 1986 novel by South African-born Nobel laureate J. M. Coetzee. Woven around the existing plot of Robinson Crusoe, Foe is written from the perspective of Susan Barton, a castaway who landed on the same island inhabited by "Cruso" and Friday as their adventures were already underway.

Like Robinson Crusoe, it is a frame story, unfolded as Barton's narrative while in England attempting to convince the writer Daniel Foe to help transform her tale into popular fiction. Focused primarily on themes of language and power, the novel was the subject of criticism in South Africa, where it was regarded as politically irrelevant on its release. Coetzee revisited the composition of Robinson Crusoe in 2003 in his Nobel Prize acceptance speech.

Summary adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Good for readers who want: literary fiction, historical fiction, a survival story, and a short read.

  • Literary fiction
  • Historical fiction
  • Survival
  • Parodies, imitations
  • World literature
  • Fiction subjects

2 About J. M. Coetzee

Born 1940

John Maxwell Coetzee (born 9 February 1940) 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.

Bio adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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