The Late Style of Borges, Beckett, and Coetzee as Postmodernist Cynics

Drawing on works by Peter Sloterdijk and Michel Foucault who recovered ancient cynicism, Arthur Rose in Literary Cynics: Borges, Beckett, Coetzee elucidates how Borges, Beckett, and Coetzee consciously employ a collocation of cynicisms as theme, style and political perspective in their late works. Using multiple examples from the late works of the three writers, Rose argues that the works create cynical cosmopolitanism and self-reflexivity. The role of the author becomes an aesthetic device for participating in cosmopolitan political subjectivity. As Rose contends, what ties these writers together is a personal investment in challenging the rhetoric of authority.