Showing results by author "Samuel Beckett" in All Categories

Malone Dies is the first person monologue of Malone, an old man lying in bed and waiting to die. The tone is fiercely ironic, highly quotable, and because of its extravagance, also very comic. It catches the reality of old age in a way that is grimly convincing, cruel as humor so often is, and memorable because of Beckett's way with words. A master dramatist, Beckett's novels can be even more effective when heard, and especially when read by such a Beckett specialist as Sean Barrett.

These four works show Samuel Beckett at his most penetrating. Both Krapp's Last Tape (1958) and Not I (1972) are among the most striking pieces written for the theatre in the 20th century. An old man sits at a table, playing back old tapes made when he was younger, mixed glimpses of past feelings. In Not I, we have just a mouth expressing memories and torment in a torrent of words.

Die beiden Freunde Mercier und Camier wollen sich gemeinsam auf eine Reise begeben. Nur mit dem nötigsten Gepäck beladen, wandern sie eines Morgens aus der Stadt. Doch statt sich stetig von ihrem Ausgangspunkt zu entfernen, kehren die beiden wieder und wieder in die Stadt zurück. So sinnlos die Reise der beiden Vagabunden auch erscheinen mag - unaufhörlich plaudernd und in teils absurde Diskussionen vertieft, vergeht die Zeit für Mercier und Camier wie im Flug.