Stirrings Still [Paperback]

Samuel BECKETT (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0929654994 | ISBN-13: 978-0929654997 | Publication Date: September 1991

A dense interior monologue, Stirrings Still was written by Beckett in 1987 and 1988, when he had become increasingly reflective about his life. It portrays, in Beckett's spare style, a "consciousness" exploring a "self," faced with uncertainties about its own existence. Stirrings Still is a spellbinding work, full of a sense of farewell. Originally published in collaboration with John Calder in a limited edition of 226 copies numbered one to two hundred and lettered A to Z, the colume was dedicated to Beckett's longtime friend and publisher Barney Rosset.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: North Star Line (September 1991)
• ISBN-10: 0929654994
• ISBN-13: 978-0929654997
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,831,800 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Samuel Beckett was born in Dublin in 1906. He was educated at Portora Royal School and Trinity College, Dublin, where he graduated in 1927. His made his poetry debut in 1930 with Whoroscope and followed it with essays and two novels before World War Two. He wrote one of his most famous plays, Waiting for Godot, in 1949 but it wasn't published in English until 1954. Waiting for Godot brought Beckett international fame and firmly established him as a leading figure in the Theatre of the Absurd. He received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1969. Beckett continued to write prolifically for radio, TV and the theatre until his death in 1989.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beckett Short No. 11 - Stirrings Still and What Is the Word, September 30, 2000

By 

M. J. Smith (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Stirrings Still (Paperback)

Stirrings Still is also available as Beckett Short No. 11 where it is paired with What Is the Word. Stirrings Still, a study of death and movement - constrained, absence and free, I have already reviewed. What Is the Word is a short and effective piece on aphasia as, perhaps, brought on by a stroke. Both pieces are brilliant, vintage Beckett.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ???????????????!, October 15, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Stirrings Still (Paperback)

What th???? thoughts, fearful examination of the insanity and ecstacy of self-refective perception. disjointed. razors, withered weathered fields of obsessive compulsion

5.0 out of 5 stars Beckett at his most finely honed, April 10, 2010

By 

Eddy (amazon.com) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stirrings Still (Beckett Short) (Vol 11) (Paperback)

It is almost a shame that 'Stirrings Still' ended up not being Beckett's final publication as it would have been the perfect dénouement to his great literary career.

Beckett was always the master of all that is bleak and effectively, beyond hope in the human condition. In 'Stirrings Still' we see his skills on this subject refined to near perfection. Beckett spent his entire career trying to pear language down to express everything he wanted to in the barest possible manner. This work is clearly the pinnacle of that entire life's effort.

The physical surroundings are also, of course, perfect for what Beckett was trying to achieve. The small confines of a one windowed room, echoing the solitude of the protagonist. Also evident is the echo of Beckett's earlier work 'Endgame', however this time with a single person and a single window.

As Beckett's legendary style goes, 'Stirrings Still' is about as refined and honed as it gets and is an absolute must read.