As an English literature student,  I first became fascinated by the works J.M Coetzee’s last year, during my final year of undergrad. This compelled me to dive deeper into his thought provoking seductive writing; particularly the way he used language and narrative voice for characters that appear to have no voice in the two novels, Foe (1986) and Life and Times of Michael K (1983).This year, as I pursue my thesis for the first time, I will be studying the scope of South African Modernism to explore some of the works of Coetzee who is well known as the South African Nobel prize-winner novelist and essayist. For my research essay, I will be focusing on his literary works written in the 1970s and 1980s and critically analysing his novels. Additionally, I will also be exploring the kind of literature he would have read, during that time that would influence his writing namely, some of the works of Franz Kafka. With some further exploration, I hope to expand my knowledge of South African Modernism and through my research, hope to gain a deeper understanding in an important time in South African history during the 1970s and 1980s, in the midst of apartheid.