This classic study of the novelist and playwright Samuel Beckett has never been surpassed. Written by an outstanding scholar and critic who was one of the first to recognise Beckett's genius, it was originally published in 1977, and was praised for its refreshingly personal approach and its many new insights. Here was a writer who not only understood Beckett from the shared knowledge of a similar background, but who was not afraid to temper admiration with criticism. Thirteen years younger than Beckett and like him of Anglo ...
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This classic study of the novelist and playwright Samuel Beckett has never been surpassed. Written by an outstanding scholar and critic who was one of the first to recognise Beckett's genius, it was originally published in 1977, and was praised for its refreshingly personal approach and its many new insights. Here was a writer who not only understood Beckett from the shared knowledge of a similar background, but who was not afraid to temper admiration with criticism. Thirteen years younger than Beckett and like him of Anglo-Irish ancestry, Vivian Mercier attended the same school and university, and first became aware of him in 1934. From then on he followed his progress with keen interest, and his analysis of the many contrasts and contradictions in Beckett's work is constantly enlivened by his appreciation of Beckett the man. This personal approach is blended skilfully with a persuasive dialectical discussion of the complex paradoxes in Beckett's writings - gentleman.tramp, intellect/emotion, Ireland/the World, eye/ear, artist/philosopher, man/woman. No other critic has so lucidly described the many facets of Beckett's learning - his use of mathematics, his debt to Racine in the classical shaping of his plays, his views on painting and music. He also presents a lively, almost irreverent study of the women in Beckett's work. Samuel Beckett has too often been put on a pedestal as a writer beyond criticism and, for many, beyond true understanding. This book, with its wealth of knowledge lightly dispensed, not only gives us a fresh appreciation of the man and his work, but also entices us to read and re-read with enlightened eyes.
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Add this copy of Beckett/Beckett to cart. $15.95, very good condition, Sold by Dorley House Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Hagerstown, MD, UNITED STATES, published 1977 by Oxford Univeristy Press.
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B/W Photos. Very Good in Very Good jacket. 8 Vo; 3 Pounds. First Edition, First Printing; dj w/chipping, unclipped price, in mylar; slight soil at page edges 736 clean, unmarked pages/index.
Add this copy of Beckett/Beckett: the Classic Study of a Modern Genius to cart. $17.44, good condition, Sold by Cat On The Shef rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Fort Worth, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1993 by Souvenir Press.
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**STOCK PHOTOS AND CATALOG INFO MAY VARY FROM ACTUAL BOOK, PLEASE REFER TO SELLER PHOTOS AND ITEM DESCRIPTION FOR MOST ACCURATE INFORMATION. THE SELLER PHOTO SHOWS THE EXACT COPY YOU WILL RECEIVE** Vintage Oxford Press 1st Edition. 1977. Overall good condition, hardcover, includes original dust jacket.
Add this copy of Beckett/Beckett to cart. $109.35, new condition, Sold by GridFreed rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from North Las Vegas, NV, UNITED STATES, published 1993 by Oxford Univeristy Press.
