Beckett after Beckett (Crosscurrents: Comparative Studies in European Literature and Philosophy)

These essays by major international critics and philosophers examine Beckett’s reputation “after Beckett,” the years of scholarship and performance since his death in 1989. Focusing on the afterimage that lingers as a memory—a persistent, evocative, hovering but not fully present impression that haunted Beckett and his work—the contributors simultaneously critique how Beckett’s work haunts history. The volume includes a previously unpublished letter by Beckett, both in the original French and English translation, that anticipates the aesthetic discussions published as Three Dialogues with Georges Duthuit. Along with his celebrated study, Proust, it details Beckett’s early artistic credo. The book also features an essay by noted philosopher Luce Irigaray that will have wide appeal beyond Beckettians and postmodernists. These essays will be important to a broad range of scholars interested in philosophical and psychological aspects as well as practical applications of Beckett’s work, particularly in the theater.