Over the last decade, Samuel Beckett's popularity has rocketed around the world and he is increasingly recognised as one of the most important and influential writers of the twentieth century but there has been very little scholarly work on Beckett's reception outside Europe. This comprehensive volume brings together essays from leading critics on Beckett's international critical reception. Due to Beckett's linguistic and artistic abilities, he was intimately involved in the translation and production of his writings in German, French, English and Spanish; and consequently countries using these languages have sophisticated critical traditions. However, many other countries have adopted Beckett as their own, from places where he lived for lengthy periods of his life (England, France, Ireland and Germany), to those finding directly applicable political messages in his work (such as ex-Soviet states including the Czech Republic and Romania), and those countries whose national literary traditions bear heavily upon his work (e.g. Norway and Italy). This fascinating volume reveals Beckett's evolving critical reception from contemporary reviews to the present.
Over the last decade, Samuel Beckett's popularity has rocketed around the world and he is increasingly recognised as one of the most important and influential writers of the twentieth century but there has been very little scholarly work on Beckett's reception outside Europe. This comprehensive volume brings together essays from leading critics on Beckett's international critical reception. Due to Beckett's linguistic and artistic abilities, he was intimately involved in the translation and production of his writings in German, French, English and Spanish; and consequently countries using these languages have sophisticated critical traditions. However, many other countries have adopted Beckett as their own, from places where he lived for lengthy periods of his life (England, France, Ireland and Germany), to those finding directly applicable political messages in his work (such as ex-Soviet states including the Czech Republic and Romania), and those countries whose national literary traditions bear heavily upon his work (e.g. Norway and Italy). This fascinating volume reveals Beckett's evolving critical reception from contemporary reviews to the present.
Acknowledgments
Notes on Contributors
Introduction: ‘Getting known': Samuel Beckett's International
Reception
1. The Business of Being Beckett: Beckett's Reception in the USA,
S.E. Gontarski (Florida State University, USA)
2. Beckett Among the Philosophes: The Critical Reception of Samuel
Beckett in France, Shane Weller (University of Kent, UK)
3. Beckett's Reception in Great Britain, Mary Bryden (University of
Northampton, UK)
4. Samuel Beckett's Reception in Ireland, Seán Kennedy (St. Mary's
University, Canada)
5. The Reception of Beckett's Theatre and Television Pieces in West
and East Germany, Gaby Hartel, Klaus Völker and Thomas Irmer (Frie
University Berlin, Germany)
6. Shades of Negativity and Self-Reflexivity: The Reception of
Beckett in German Literary Studies, Eckart Voigts-Virchow
(University of Siegen, Germany)
7. Samuel Beckett's Reception in Australia and New Zealand, Russell
Smith and Chris Ackerley (Australian National University, Australia
and University of Otago, New Zealand)
8. The Reception of Samuel Beckett in China, Lie Jianxi and Mike
Ingham (Macao Polytechnic Institute and Lignan University, Hong
Kong)
9. The Japanese Reception of Samuel Beckett, Yoshiki Tajiri and
Mariko Hori Tanaka (University of Tokyo, Japan and Aoyama Gakuin
University, Tokyo, Japan)
10. Samuel Beckett and Poland, Marek Kedzierski (Freiburg,
Germany)
11. Samuel Beckett in the Low Countries, Dirk Van Hulle (University
of Antwerp, Belgium)
12. Thinking of ‘a rhyme for "Euganean": Beckett in Italy, Daniela
Caselli (University of Manchester, UK)
13. Beckett's Nordic Reception, Ulrika Maude (University of Durham,
UK)
14. Samuel Beckett behind the Iron Curtain: The Reception in
Eastern Europe, Octavian Saiu (University of Otago, New
Zealand)
15. A Long Time Coming: The Critical Response to Samuel Beckett in
Spain and Portugal, José Francisco Fernández (University of
Almería, Spain)
Index
A collection of research by leading scholars on the international reception of Beckett.
Mark Nixon is Lecturer in English at the University of Reading, UK,
where he is also the Director of the Beckett International
Foundation.
Matthew Feldman is Lecturer in Twentieth-Century History at the
University of Northampton, UK.
"That Beckett has been a major player on the international stage
has long been recognized by audiences and critics alike. What this
volume makes clear is just how wide-ranging and enduring his
presence as a global writer continues to be. This collection of
essays will be of major importance to anyone concerned with how the
multi-faceted Beckett has been translated, read, received and
performed in so many places all over the world." - Professor Enoch
Brater is the author of Beyond Minimalism, The Drama in the Text
and The Essential Samuel Beckett.
"This landmark study attests to Samuel Beckett's truly global
impact. It is a major contribution to the intricate reception of
one of the leading writers of the twentieth century. Executed with
scholarly authority and theoretical awareness, this is the
definitive account of Beckett's reception around the world." - Dr
Ronan McDonald, University of Reading, UK
[A] highly readable edited collection... Despite the disparate
histories of reception that make up the volume there are many
points of cohesion, such as the impact that En Attendant Godot made
throughout Europe in several fascinating accounts.
*The Year's Work in English Studies, Volume 90*
|
Ask a Question About this Product More... |
|
