24 NOVEMBER 1990, Page 38

Gabriele Annan

J. M. Coetzee's Age of Iron (Secker, £12.95) was very impressive. It convinced me that this is what dying will be like. So it's made a difference to my life. The only other book in the category was Alfred Brendel's collection of esssays, Music Sounded Out (Robson Books, £15.95). Only this one makes life more enjoyable by making concerts more enjoyable. He writes so well that it seems almost unfair in someone who plays as he does.