Most of you probably haven’t heard the name of J.M. Coetzee. Regardless, it’s still a big deal, since Coetzee — an acclaimed South African-born author — will be appearing downtown on Thursday evening to be honored with a medal by the Institute of Arts and Humanities, as well as to give a reading from some of his works. The ceremony begins at 7 p.m. in the State Theatre.

Coetzee will receive the IAH Medal for Distinguished Achievement on Thursday, but won a considerably more prestigious award, The Nobel Prize in Literature, in 2003. He has also won the Booker Prize twice. His impressive body of work extends back almost four decades. Born in South Africa, Coetzee now lives in Adelaide, Australia. Among his most famous works are Disgrace, Foe, Waiting for the Barbarians, and The Life and Times of Michael K.

Tickets are free and available at the State Theatre box office, or online. And now, tell me the last time you were in the same room as a Nobel laureate (sorry, European Union exchange students don’t count). The speaker is famous, the tickets are free, and if nothing else, if you like reading and writing, it will be a great event to check out.

That is, if the place can clean up quick enough after the Herman Cain party the night before.