His own opinion, which he does not air, is that the origins of speech lie in song, and the origins of song in the need to fill out with sound the overlarge and rather empty human soul. A 2006 poll of "literary luminaries" by The Observer newspaper named the work as the "greatest novel of the last 25 years" of British, Irish or Commonwealth origin in years between 1980 and 2005. A film adaptation of Disgrace starring John Malkovich had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2008, where it won the International Critics' Award. On 5 November 2019 BBC News listed Disgrace on its list of the 100 most influential novels. References External links 'The Trouble with J.M. Coetzee', review of Disgrace in the Oxonian Review "Postmetaphysical Literature: Reflections on J. M. Coetzee's Disgrace"; in Perspectives on Political Science 33, 1 (Winter 2004), 4–9. "A Moderated Bliss": J. M. Coetzee's 'Disgrace' as Existential Maturation"; in J. M. Coetzee: Critical Perspectives. Edited by Kailash C. Baral. New Delhi: Pencraft, 2008. 161–169. Disgrace (film) on IMDB Roy, Pinaki. "Lurie's Lurid Quest: A Brief Re-reading of J.M. Coetzee's Disgrace". Gender and Commonwealth Studies (). Eds. Kunda, A., and A. Bhattacharyya. Kolkata: Books Way, 2015. pp. 21–30. 1999 novels Booker Prize-winning works Novels by J. M. Coetzee Novels set in South Africa South African novels adapted into films Campus novels Secker & Warburg books Works about sexual harassment