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Simply Beckett (Great Lives)
- Narrated by: Lucy Waterhouse
- Length: 3 hrs and 55 mins
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Simply Beckett (Great Lives)
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Publisher's Summary
Born in Dublin on Good Friday, Samuel Beckett (1906-1989) attended Trinity College and taught briefly in Belfast before moving to Paris, where he lived for most of his adult life. Deeply influenced by James Joyce, who became a close friend and mentor, he published poetry, novels, essays, and reviews before stunning Paris, and eventually the rest of the world, with his play Waiting for Godot in 1953. Famously described by one critic as “a play in which nothing happens, that yet keeps audiences glued to their seats,” Godot redefined dramatic structure and showcased Beckett’s commitment to an art based on the ideas of “non-knowing” and powerlessness.
In Simply Beckett, professor Katherine Weiss provides a highly accessible and insightful introduction to the award-winning author and his paradoxical works, with a particular focus on Beckett’s theater activities, both as a writer and director. Through discussion of the written texts, significant productions of the plays, and audience and critical reactions to Beckett’s work, Weiss helps the listener understand the groundbreaking nature of his achievements and points the way toward a greater appreciation of his oeuvre.
Combining admirable erudition with reader-friendly style, Simply Beckett is a fascinating journey into the world of an author whose work went to the heart of the human condition.
What listeners say about Simply Beckett (Great Lives)
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- The Late Reviewer
- 28-10-2023
Another good entry in the 'Simply' series.
I've enjoyed several of the titles in the 'Simply X' series and this one is again well written and enjoyable (from someone with no specialised background in Beckett.) There's plenty to entice the reader to dig more deeply into the works of Beckett and some well presented themes and ideas against which the writings of Beckett can be examined.
The audio recording itself gets the lesser score. Early in the recording there seems a rather noticeable 'glitch' where the tape is in fast-forward mode. And, as we get to the end of the recording and about to end with a solid finale, Chapter 7 then includes around 14 minutes of the very same content from Chapter 1. Obviously too difficult for the producers to send it back for an edit so we have to listen to obvious errors in the production process.
Also, I'm continually baffled by the pronunciation of some words in the recording of these works. There is no 'i-NOV-ative' in English. Surely I can't be the only one who would reach for a dictionary to check if this is some recognised variation but my checks turned up empty. I've noticed the same thing on other recordings and it's all rather jarring and suggests an overall lack of care.
But good content.
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