Late Essays is the last of three collections of literary criticism by J. M. Coetzee to be republished by Text. It includes essays on Flaubert and Goethe, Patrick White and Gerald Murnane. These are concise, accessible introductions to some of the world's greatest writers, by a contemporary master.

J. M. Coetzee was the first author to win the Booker Prize twice and was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2003. His work includes Waiting for the Barbarians, Life & Times of Michael K, The Master of Petersburg, Disgrace and Diary of a Bad Year. His most recent writing is a trilogy of novels: The Childhood of Jesus, The Schooldays of Jesus and The Death of Jesus. He lives in Adelaide.

'Freed from literary convention, Mr Coetzee writes not to provide answers, but to ask great questions.' Economist

'A major force in contemporary writing. A master, in fact.' Sunday Star Times (NZ)