Product Description

Samuel Beckett's long-standing friend, James Knowlson, recreates Beckett's youth in Ireland, his studies at Trinity College, Dublin in the early 1920s and from there to the Continent, where he plunged into the multicultural literary society of late-1920s Paris. The biography throws new light on Beckett's stormy relationship with his mother, the psychotherapy he received after the death of his father and his crucial relationship with James Joyce. There is also material on Beckett's six-month visit to Germany as the Nazi's tightened their grip. The book includes unpublished material on Beckett's personal life after he chose to live in France, including his own account of his work for a Resistance cell during the war, his escape from the Gestapo and his retreat into hiding. Obsessively private, Beckett was wholly committed to the work which eventually brought his public fame, beginning with the controversial success of "Waiting for Godot" in 1953, and culminating in the award of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1969. James Knowlson is the general editor of "The Theatrical Notebooks of Samuel Beckett".

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #99377 in Books
• Published on: 1997-09-04
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 896 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Samuel Beckett, a talent so exceptional that he created masterpieces in both French and English, shied away from the limelight for much of his life. However, in this amazing biography James Knowlson shows Beckett wasn't completely reluctant to talk about himself; the book relies heavily on interviews with Beckett to reconstruct the writer's dizzying career. Knowlson fills the pages with exhaustive detail--some major, some minor. In addition, he analyzes the influences on and evolution of Beckett's work. Through it all a larger picture emerges, one of the artist at work and in life. Damned to Fame is a necessary addition to any study of Beckett.

Customer Reviews

Magnificent - kept my attention thoughout !!
James Knowlson's masterwork is an amazingly detailed and dedicated account of Samuel Becketts life, from a close long time friend.

Whether you are a student of Beckett, or a newcomer to his work, this book is a great read. It is a hefty volume - over 800 pages including extensive notes, bibliography and index - but don't let that put you off.

He manages to discuss and inform on Beckett's work without getting too heavily into literary criticism, which stops the book becoming stuffy. As Beckett lived most of his life in Dublin, London and Paris, we also get an overview of almost a century of European history, through the eyes of a great intellect and original thinker.including his period working for the resistance during the second world war, which for me was one of the highlights of the book.

Depite his shy and reclusive nature, Beckett met and worked with some of the worlds greatest writers, artists and actors - all of whom come alive in this insightful book.

impressive
as meticulous in its research and description as Beckett's own work - great