Images of Beckett [Hardcover]

James Knowlson (Author), John Haynes (Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 13, 2003

Photographs of Samuel Beckett by John Haynes, one of the leading theater photographers in the field, appear here with three new essays by Beckett's biographer and friend, James Knowlson. Haynes' photographs include previously unpublished studies of Beckett in addition to productions and rehearsals. Knowlson's first essay combines a verbal portrait of Beckett with a personal memoir of the writer. The second essay considers the influence of paintings on his theatrical imagery while the third offers a detailed account of Beckett's work as a director of his own plays. James Knowlson was the original founder of the Beckett archive (now the International Beckett Foundation) at the University of Reading, which also houses the Beckett Collection, now the world's largest collection of Beckett resources. Knowlson's previous publications include Frescoes of the Skull: The Later Prose and Drama of Samuel Beckett (Grove, 1980) and the highly praised biography Damned to Fame: The Life of Samuel Beckett (Simon & Schuster, 1999). John Haynes was privileged to work alongside Beckett as photographer in residence at the Royal Court Theatre in the 1970s, when Beckett was directing his plays. Haynes continues to work with the leading directors and actors of British contemporary theatre.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is a worthy volume, fascinating, not heavy-handed, and the pictures from Beckett's various plays, not to say his astonishing face, are a trip."
L.W. Milam, The Review of Arts, Literature, Philosophy and the Humanities

"For those interested in Beckett's complex dialogue with art, Images of Beckett is richly rewarding."
American Theatre

"It offers a fresh look at a writer about whom much has already been written."
Irish America

"...a major contribution to the way we see modernism... the photos show us not only what Beckett's plays looked like in their original production, but also what Beckett had wanted them to look like. They are the closest we can get to seeing the plays realized in the way he had envisaged them today."
James Joyce Literary Supplement

Book Description

Images of Beckett sets photographs of Samuel Beckett, taken by John Haynes, one of the leading theatre photographers in the field, alongside three new essays by Beckett's biographer and friend, James Knowlson. Haynes's photographs include hitherto unknown images of Beckett himself, productions, and rehearsals. Knowlson's first essay combines a verbal portrait of Beckett with a personal memoir of the writer; the second considers the influence of paintings on his theatrical imagery; and the third offers a detailed, often first-hand, account of Beckett's work as a director of his own plays.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 174 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (October 13, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521822580
• ISBN-13: 978-0521822589
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 9.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,824,564 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)