Samuel Beckett's Theatre: Life-Journeys [Hardcover]

Katharine Worth (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0198117450 | ISBN-13: 978-0198117452 | Publication Date: December 23, 1999

In this personal account of Samuel Beckett's theatre, Katharine Worth draws on a wealth of remarkable material, such as her own work producing and directing Beckett's plays, the experience of watching other productions, and conversations and correspondence with Beckett. This book focuses on the power that Beckett's theatre has to fascinate the viewer with the ordinary experiences of life as well as its great mysteries.

Editorial Reviews

Review

`The book's tone and content are pitched perfectly, offering plenty for seasoned Beckett scholars, yet also being accessible for newcomers to Beckett. Indeed, Worth's elegant prose style and dry wit make this book such a pleasure to read that one frequently forgets that it is intended primarily as a critical work ... Worth clearly understands Beckett's drama and her tastefully selected anecdotes from her many years of friendship with Beckett also reveal that she understood much about Beckett the man ... This book certainly provides excellent company for anyone interested in Beckett's drama.' Julian A.Garforth, MLR, 96.2, 2001

`the book is a refreshing corrective to us all as [Katharine Worth] continues to remind us that the function of art is to move humans to emotional truths ... Worth consistently brings fresh insights ... Such a book, almost a theatrical memoir itself, is the distillation of a lifetime ....' Text and Presentation: Journal of the Comparative Drama Conference

`Worth ... brings to this study not only her considerable edudition as scholar and critic but what is now virtually a career of studying Beckett's plays and their performances. The book is rich and rewarding in its frequent reference to many productions and to the insights of the author's extended conversations with Beckett about intepretation and performance ... A lively and readable book.' J. Lee, Choice, Jul/Aug. 00.

`Even if we persist in seeing in Beckett's plays an imagination of human desolation at its most unrelieved, Worth's book may force us to think again about what it is we enjoy, what we gain from that experience.' Nicholas Grene, Irish University Review

`Impressive ... if there can be such a thing as a page-turner in dramatic criticism devoted to the work of a single author, Samuel Beckett's Theatre: Life Journeys surely comes close to the mark ... it would be hard to meet her match for finding the small and significant detail that opens up a play to wide dramatic resonance ... This is Beckett criticism at its best, and it is Beckett criticism that will last.' Enoch Brater, The Beckett Circle/Le Cercle de Beckett

About the Author

Katharine Worth is at University of London.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 216 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (December 23, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0198117450
• ISBN-13: 978-0198117452
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,892,734 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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