Samuel Beckett and Translation

Provides valuable insight into one of the most exciting developments in Beckett Studies in recent yearsIncludes especially commissioned contributions by three translators who worked with Samuel BeckettRevisits traditional analyses of Beckett's work which did not account for Beckett's bilingualism.

In all contributions, both versions of a Beckett text are considered originals, each one having its own dynamic impulsContains ample knowledge of previous scholarship in the field: it continues the path (bold, systematic, comprehensive) initiated by ground-breaking monograph A Tongue Not Mine (2011), by Sin ad MooneyReveals unknown aspects of Beckett's practice of translation, e.g., not in all cases did he impoverish his texts when he rendered them in a second languageDisplays full coverage of literary genres: attention is paid to prose fiction, theatre (including radio plays) and poetry translated by BeckettSamuel Beckett and Translation explores the idea that at the core of Beckett's work there is no fixed centre but a constant movement between variants of French and English.

This collection of newly commissioned edited essays opens up original lines of enquiry into this restless impulse and how it finds a resonance in Beckett's writing.

Topics, including Beckett's self-translations, translations of other authors and poetics of translation, are discussed in an Introduction and thirteen chapters followed by a section of commentary from seasoned translators who have worked on Beckett's texts.

In examining the full range of Beckett's literary genres, this book presents how the high voltage released by Beckett's bilingualism informs the intricacies of his literary production.