James Knowlson - Damned to Fame : The Life of Samuel Beckett

Praise for Damned to Fame

Throughout Knowlsons 900 pages one senses Beckett at his shoulder, keeping him on the qui vive for nothing but the truth Knowlson had and shares with us the unique benefits of in-depth interviews with his subject over the last five months of his life, plus detailed introductions and access to virtually all existing source materials.

Michael Horovitz, Mail on Sunday.

James Knowlsons biography of Beckett is as complete and clinically intimate as we are ever likely to need.

Brian Morton, Scotland on Sunday.

The Knowlson version is a formidable work of scholarship and documentation which seems unlikely ever to be superseded, the equivalent of Ellmann on Joyce.

David Sexton, Spectator.

Knowlson has provided an account of Becketts life that will not be superseded in our time. His account of the betrayal of the resistance network in which Beckett was active by a venal and lecherous Catholic priest in 1942 is almost as gripping as John Le Carr or Robert Harris, with the extra frisson that this was for real. Beckett came within an ace of capture and deportation.

John Fletcher, New Statesman.

Knowlson is able to strip away some of the Krapp-like austerity of Becketts image and reputation He is particularly good on the visual side of Becketts stagework.

Steve Grant, Time Out.

Knowlson has assembled the huge mass of information into a coherent and engrossing narrative, rich in detail.

Gerry Dukes, Irish Times.

Knowlson has written a fine and wonderfully readable biography, essential for true Beckett fans.

Ronan Farren, Irish Sunday Independent.

Damned to Fame is a magnificent biography.

J.D. OHara, New York Times.

Damned to Fame immediately becomes the single basic source for anyone interested in Samuel Becketts life and career.

Michael Dirda, Washington Post.

James Knowlsons study of Samuel Beckett is a heroic enterprise of literary biography, an exhilarating assault on a craggy, enigmatic genius.

Steven Winn, San Francisco Chronicle.

An exhaustive and loving work; it tells you as much as anyone can about Samuel Beckett.

Edward Albee, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Three Tall Women.

Brilliant and engrossing, this examination of Becketts life fulfils biographys highest aim; it enriches our understanding of his life and work.

Brian Moore, author of The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne and The Statement.

James Knowlson has written an absolutely brilliant, intelligent, sensitive, meticulous and yes affectionate book that corrects many mistakes, misunderstandings, misreadings about the life and work of Samuel Beckett.

Raymond Federman, Melodia E. Jones Distinguished Professor of Literature, State University of New York at Buffalo.

Damned to Fame is a sensitive appreciation of a rare individual and a unique oeuvre. With scrupulous scholarship, James Knowlson depicts the foreground and background of Samuel Becketts writing. Knowlson surrounds Becketts dogged lessness with exceptionally rich moreness.

Ruby Cohn, Professor Emerita of Comparative Drama, University of California, Davis.

CRITICISM

Universal Language Schemes in England and France 16001800 Samuel Beckett: an Exhibition

Light and Darkness in the Theatre of Samuel Beckett Frescoes of the Skull: The Later Prose and Drama of Samuel Beckett (with John Pilling)

Samuel Beckett: Krapps Last Tape. Theatre Workbook I (ed.)

EDITIONS

Happy Days/Oh les beaux jours
by Samuel Beckett

Drunken Boat
A translation by Samuel Beckett
of Arthur Rimbauds Le Bateau ivre
(wth Felix Leakey)

Happy Days: Samuel Becketts Production Notebook

The Theatrical Notebooks of Samuel Beckett

vol I Waiting for Godot
(with Dougald MacMillan)

vol II Endgame
ed. S. E. Gontarski

vol III Krapps Last Tape

vol IV The Shorter Plays
ed. S. E. Gontarski

Becketts writings in English are quoted by permission of the Beckett Estate, Faber and Faber Ltd. and The Calder Educational Trust, London in England and Grove Press in the United States of America, who hold the copyright to his published work. His writings in French are quoted by permission of the Beckett Estate and Les Editions de Minuit. The poem of James Joyce printed in note 66 of chapter seven is published by courtesy of the estate of James Joyce.

I am happy to acknowledge the help that I have received in researching and writing this book. My chief debt of gratitude is to the late Samuel Beckett. He helped in many different ways, above all with five months of crucial interviews. His nephew, Edward Beckett, provided important unpublished material and supported me throughout what became a rather long haul. His niece, Caroline Beckett Murphy, also helped with photographs and other information. The chapters on Becketts early years could scarcely have been written without the help of the authors cousins, Morris Sinclair, whom I cannot thank enough for his constant advice and help, and the late Sheila Page Roe. John Beckett, Samuels musician cousin, also gave me important insights, as did Johns sister, Ann. I was also helped by Deirdre Hamilton (Sinclair), John Beckett (Harold Becketts son), Desmond Beckett and Charles Horner Beckett.

Among Becketts own close friends, I want to single out for special thanks: his publisher and literary executor, Jrme Lindon, Josette Hayden, Avigdor and Anne Arikha, his English language publishers, John Calder and Barney Rosset, Georges Belmont, Ruby Cohn, Denise Deleutre, Edith Fournier, Marthe Gautier, Jocelyn Herbert, Mary Manning Howe (Mrs Adams), Jean Martin, Pamela Mitchell, Elisabeth van Velde, Billie Whitelaw. Gottfried and Renate Bttner in Kassel, Alxis Pron in Paris, Walter Asmus in Hanover and Berlin were of special assistance to me.

I have been helped with research for short periods of time by several assistants who are also friends, most importantly by Emily Lemoing Emerson in Paris and I thank Emily and Arnaud for the warmth of their hospitality Susan Roberts and Krystyna Illakowicz in New York, Jane Walling Wefelmeyer in Germany and Susan Schreibman in Dublin. Monika Seidl researched brilliantly for me in Hellerau-Laxenburg, coming up with some remarkable results. Rebecca Creasy, Julie Goodwin, Marie-Louise Muir, Jan Willem Reitsma, Suzanne Willadt, Prue Winnett, Dagmar Wobser, helped me more briefly. My friend and colleague, Wolfgang van Emden, translated some German texts for me.

Many of the following have given me important help and advice and I thank them all most warmly. I list them according to countries.

France: Fernando Arrabal, Genevive Asse, Simone Benmussa, Danielle van Bercheycke, Andr Bernold, Etienne Bierry, Jean Bourdier, Barbara Bray, Robert Carlier, Sergio de Castro, Pierre Chabert, Alberto Chiarini, Philippe Clidire, Olivier Corpet, Jean Coulomb, Anne Cremin, John Crombie, Marc Dachy, Jacques Deniau, Andr Derval, Maurice Dirou, Claude Duthuit, Nicole Greub, Denise Hayter, Philippe Hautefeuille, Matias Henrioud, Elonore Hirt, Emmanuel Jacquart, Erik Kahane, Hermine Karagheuz, Roger Kempf, Rmi Labrusse, Claude Lasibille, Yvonne Lefvre, Emma Lvin-Le Chanois, Alxis Lon, Annette Lindon, Michael Lonsdale, Simone McKee, Marysette Mayoux, Deryk Mendel, Michle Meunier, Maurice Nadeau, Jacques Nol, Lynda Peskine, Jean Piel, Valrie Poinsotte, Jacques and Catherine Putman, Nathalie Sarraute, Pierre Schneider, Delphine Seyrig, Anne Simonin, Jack Thieuloy, David Warrilow. I benefited from the information of the following former