Comic genius. Geoff Dyer, with J.M. Coetzee

This is an edited extract from Geoff Dyer's Meet the Author session at Adelaide Writers' Week, chaired by J.M. Coetzee. Go to www.slowtv.com.au for the full video of this session.

• Category

  News & Politics

[willhum]

From todays Telegraph "The room laughs as Coetzee sits stone-faced, living up to a reputation that owes much to two lines from a 1990 profile by Rian Malan: “A colleague who has worked with him for more than a decade claims to have seen him laugh just once. An acquaintance has attended several dinner parties where Coetzee has uttered not a single word.”

[MrQuest3]

I don't know. I have heard that Mr coetzee is very serious but yet he struggles with the seriousness that are the world's darkest issues. He restles with the issues of the soul of man and this in itself i feel lends itself to someone very enlightened. However, i think, from this clip, he is very humbled by the honoured sentiment and shrinks away from all praise. Such a humble man. My writing guru. Econonomical. Minimilistic brilliance. Dusklands. Disgrace. Awesome. Third booker Mr. Coetzee!

[Amma Aestaeron]

I don't actually understand the joke myself, but while Coetzee is not howling in mirth, it looks as though he is grinning politely.

[shamshlam]

He didn't laugh because it wasn't that funny. Coietzee is not swayed by the consensus, when Coetzee doesn't find a joke funny, he finds no reason to lol.

[gdusenbury326]

It's the reaction shot that makes it. You can't draw it up any better than that. 

[simpelesoul]

I love Coetzee, but this is hilarious :)

[Pankaj Saksena]

Period! I agree!

[TheTyaptyap]

when you win a nobel prize for writing you are no longer oblitgated to smile at anyone. Its in the contract.

[Pankaj Saksena]

Has anyone ever seen this man even smiling? Coetzee, I meant. Is he as miserable as his characters? He must be living in a constant hell!

[simpelesoul]

hilarious