On Beckett

Anthem Studies in Theatre and Performance

by S.E. Gontarski (Editor)

"On Essays and Criticism" is the first collection of writings about the Nobel Prize-winning author that covers the entire spectrum of his work, and also affords a rare glimpse of the private Beckett.More has been written about Samuel Beckett than about any other writer of this century - countless books and articles dealing with him are in print, and the progression continues geometrically. "On Beckett" brings together some of the most perceptive writings from the vast amount of scrutiny that has been lavished on the man; in addition to widely read essays there are contributions from more obscure sources, viewpoints not frequently seen. Together they allow the reader to enter the world of a writer whose work has left an impact on the consciousness of our time perhaps unmatched by that of any other recent creative imagination.The contributors include the names of most of the minds of the twentieth century who have grappled in print with the meaning of the Beckett phenomenon. Among them are many of the artists who had a major role in bringing Beckett's work to the stage and who worked side-by-side with Beckett, such as Alan Schneider, Roger Blin, Herbert Blau and Jackie MacGowran. Also included are some of the foremost writers of our time, whose encounter with the work of Beckett has produced lasting commentary, such as Georges Bataille, Maurice Blanchot and Martin Esslin. Among the noted Beckett scholars found here are Ruby Cohn, Walter D. Asmus, and James Knowlson. An interview with Susan Sontag and William S. Burroughs completes the book.

418 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1986

About the author

S.E. Gontarski is the Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Professor of English at Florida State University, USA. He has been awarded four National Endowment for the Humanities research grants, has twice been awarded Fulbright Professorships, has been Guest Editor of the following: American Book Review, The Review of Contemporary Fiction, and Modern Fiction Studies and most recently Drammaturgia. He is the author or editor of 29 books, including Samuel Beckett: The Complete Short Prose, 1928-1989 (1996), The Theatrical Notebooks of Samuel Beckett, Volume IV: The Shorter Plays (1999), A Companion To Samuel Beckett (2010), Beckett after Beckett (ed. with Anthony Uhlmann, 2006), The Faber Companion to Samuel Beckett: A Reader's Guide to His Life, Works, and Thought (with C. J. Ackerly, 2006), The Grove Press Reader, 1951-2001 (2001), Modernism, Censorship and the Politics of Publishing (2000). He is also General Editor of two book series: "Crosscurrents: Comparative Studies in European Literature and Philosophy" and "Anthem Studies in Theatre and Performance."

Reviews

[Josita · Rating 4 out of 5]

denme unas vacaciones

[Leif · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sure it's dated. But the roll call reads like heaven to my ears, and despite the basic incomprehension of some of these writers, in the face of Beckett's late prose especially, there is much to be gained from these essays. Some writings, such as the essay by Maurice Blanchot, "Where Now? Who Now?" remain central, and others such as Marjorie Perloff's "Between Verse and Prose: Beckett and the New Poetry" remain as pioneering pieces without proper supplements.

[Alex Obrigewitsch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Need to read more Beckett.
Surprisingly, even from the quotations from the works that the writers' use one can tell whether their interpretation is more solidly founded or completely misguided.