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亘乇賵爻鬲
賰鬲丕亘 "亘乇賵爻鬲" 賴賵 賮毓賱 賮賴賲 丨賷孬 賷賻亘乇夭購貙 賮賷 丕賱賵賯鬲 匕丕鬲賴貙 丕賱毓賲賱購 丕賱兀丿亘賷 丕賱賲賮賴賵賲 賵丕賱匕賷 賮賴賲賴貙 賮賷 賴匕丕 丕賱賮賴賲 賷卮丕乇賰購 丕賱廿丿乇丕賰貙 賰賱賾賴購貙 丕賱丨爻丕爻賷賾丞購貙 丕賱丨丿賿爻購 賵丕賱賮賰丕賴丞. 鬲鬲丿禺賾賱 丕賱賮賰丕賴丞購 鬲丨丿賷丿丕賸 賮賷 丕賱兀爻賱賵亘貙 亘賰賵賳賴丕 賲丨賲賵賱丞 毓賱賶 賲丨賷胤 丕賱亘丨孬. 賷鬲乇賰 氐賲賵賷賱 亘賷賰賷鬲 丕賱丕囟胤乇丕亘賻 賷購賴丿賴丿購 噩賲賱鬲賻賴貙 亘丕賱賵鬲賷乇丞 匕丕鬲賴丕 丕賱鬲賷 賱丿賶 亘乇賵爻鬲: 賮賷 丕賱賵賯鬲 匕丕鬲賴 廿卮丕乇丞 賵胤乇賷賯丞 賮賷 賮賴賲 賲丕 賷鬲丨丿賾孬 毓賳賴 亘卮賰賱 兀賮囟賱. 孬賲丞 賮賴賲賹 兀賷囟丕賸 賮賷 丕賱丕賳鬲賯丕亍 丕賱匕賷 賷賯賵賲 亘賴 亘賷賰賷鬲 亘丕賱鬲乇噩賲丞 丕賱卮禺氐賷丞 賱丕賯鬲亘丕爻丕鬲 亘乇賵爻鬲貙 亘丕賱乇睾賲 賲賳 鬲賵賮賾乇 鬲乇噩賲丕鬲 爻賰賵鬲 賲賵賳賰乇賷賮 (Scott Moncrieff) 賲賳匕 1922. 賵 賷亘乇夭 氐賲賵賷賱 亘賷賰賷鬲 賴賳丕 賰賲賲乇賾乇 賱賱賰賱賲丕鬲 睾賷乇 丕賱丕毓鬲賷丕丿賷丞 丕賱鬲賷 爻賷購毓鬲乇賮購 賱賴 亘賴丕 賱丕丨賯丕賸.
爻賳爻鬲睾乇亘 賱賰賵賳 氐賲賵賷賱 亘賷賰賷鬲貙 丕賱匕賷 氐丕乇 丕賱賰丕鬲亘 丕賱賲夭丿賵噩 丕賱匕賷 賳毓乇賮賴貙 賲鬲乇噩賲丕賸 賵賲亘丿毓丕賸 噩丿賷丿丕賸 賱兀毓賲丕賱賴 亘賴匕賴 兀賵 亘鬲賱賰 丕賱賱賾睾丞貙 賱賲 賷鬲乇噩賲 賴賵 匕丕鬲賴 賰鬲丕亘賴 毓賳 "亘乇賵爻鬲" 廿賱賶 丕賱賮乇賳爻賷賾丞. 賯賷賱 賲乇丕乇丕賸 廿賳賴 賰丕賳 賷賳賰乇 丿丕卅賲丕賸 賴匕丕 丕賱毓賲賱 丕賱匕賷 兀賳噩夭賴 賮賷 卮亘賷亘鬲賴. 賮賷 丕賱丨賯賷賯丞貙 廿賳 賴匕丕 丕賱鬲乇賮賾毓 鬲噩丕賴 毓賲賱賴 孬丕亘鬲 賱丿賷賴. 賮亘賲噩乇賾丿 丕賳賮氐丕賱賴丕 毓賳賴貙 鬲氐亘丨購 賴匕賴 丕賱兀毓賲丕賱 賲夭毓噩丞 賱賴: 氐賮丨丕鬲賺 賲胤賵賷賾丞貙 丌孬丕乇賻 夭賵亘毓丞賺 乇賲賱賷賾丞.
爻賳爻鬲睾乇亘 賱賰賵賳 氐賲賵賷賱 亘賷賰賷鬲貙 丕賱匕賷 氐丕乇 丕賱賰丕鬲亘 丕賱賲夭丿賵噩 丕賱匕賷 賳毓乇賮賴貙 賲鬲乇噩賲丕賸 賵賲亘丿毓丕賸 噩丿賷丿丕賸 賱兀毓賲丕賱賴 亘賴匕賴 兀賵 亘鬲賱賰 丕賱賱賾睾丞貙 賱賲 賷鬲乇噩賲 賴賵 匕丕鬲賴 賰鬲丕亘賴 毓賳 "亘乇賵爻鬲" 廿賱賶 丕賱賮乇賳爻賷賾丞. 賯賷賱 賲乇丕乇丕賸 廿賳賴 賰丕賳 賷賳賰乇 丿丕卅賲丕賸 賴匕丕 丕賱毓賲賱 丕賱匕賷 兀賳噩夭賴 賮賷 卮亘賷亘鬲賴. 賮賷 丕賱丨賯賷賯丞貙 廿賳 賴匕丕 丕賱鬲乇賮賾毓 鬲噩丕賴 毓賲賱賴 孬丕亘鬲 賱丿賷賴. 賮亘賲噩乇賾丿 丕賳賮氐丕賱賴丕 毓賳賴貙 鬲氐亘丨購 賴匕賴 丕賱兀毓賲丕賱 賲夭毓噩丞 賱賴: 氐賮丨丕鬲賺 賲胤賵賷賾丞貙 丌孬丕乇賻 夭賵亘毓丞賺 乇賲賱賷賾丞.
63 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 1931
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2438 people want to read
About the author
Samuel Beckett
847听books6,340听followersSamuel Barclay Beckett was an Irish avant-garde novelist, playwright, theatre director, and poet, who lived in France for most of his adult life. He wrote in both English and French. His work offers a bleak, tragicomic outlook on human nature, often coupled with black comedy and gallows humour.
Beckett is widely regarded as among the most influential writers of the 20th century. Strongly influenced by James Joyce, he is considered one of the last modernists. As an inspiration to many later writers, he is also sometimes considered one of the first postmodernists. He is one of the key writers in what Martin Esslin called the "Theatre of the Absurd". His work became increasingly minimalist in his later career.
Beckett was awarded the 1969 Nobel Prize in Literature "for his writing, which鈥攊n new forms for the novel and drama鈥攊n the destitution of modern man acquires its elevation". In 1984 he was elected Saoi of Aosd谩na.
Beckett is widely regarded as among the most influential writers of the 20th century. Strongly influenced by James Joyce, he is considered one of the last modernists. As an inspiration to many later writers, he is also sometimes considered one of the first postmodernists. He is one of the key writers in what Martin Esslin called the "Theatre of the Absurd". His work became increasingly minimalist in his later career.
Beckett was awarded the 1969 Nobel Prize in Literature "for his writing, which鈥攊n new forms for the novel and drama鈥攊n the destitution of modern man acquires its elevation". In 1984 he was elected Saoi of Aosd谩na.
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May 28, 2021
Il est curieux de lire le texte de l鈥檜n des plus grands auteurs irlandais du XX猫me si猫cle sur l鈥檜n des plus grands auteurs fran莽ais de la g茅n茅ration pr茅c茅dente. Deux auteurs, en outre, dont les styles sont absolument 脿 l鈥檕ppos茅 l鈥檜n de l鈥檃utre. Curieux 茅galement que ce texte, 茅crit en anglais, soit pratiquement introuvable dans sa langue d鈥檕rigine鈥� (Fort heureusement, on peut encore assez facilement en obtenir la traduction fran莽aise, aux 脡ditions de Minuit). Proust est un texte de jeunesse, 茅crit en 1930, alors que Beckett 茅tait lecteur d鈥檃nglais 脿 la rue d鈥橴lm. A l鈥櫭﹙idence, il s鈥檃git d鈥檜ne monographie sur l鈥檃uteur de la , command茅e par l鈥櫭ヾiteur anglais de la traduction de Scott Moncrieff.
L鈥檈ssentiel de l鈥檃nalyse de Beckett porte sur les dichotomies m茅taphysiques pr茅sentes dans le r茅cit proustien. L鈥檕pposition entre m茅moire volontaire et m茅moire involontaire, illustr茅e, entre autres, par l鈥櫭﹑isode de la madeleine dans 鈥� tellement c茅l猫bre qu鈥檌l a d茅sormais la dimension d鈥檜n poncif. Autre tension, parall猫le 脿 la premi猫re, que Beckett identifie chez Proust : l鈥橧d茅e oppos茅e au concept, qui fait de Proust une sorte de romancier platonicien 鈥� argument qui sera repris par la suite par Gilles Deleuze dans . Sont int茅ressantes 茅galement les r茅flexions de Beckett sur le temps et l鈥檋abitude 鈥� qui renvoient sans doute, sans le citer, au de F茅lix Ravaisson.
Beckett d茅crit 茅galement et 茅claire avec acuit茅 certains 茅pisodes ou trames essentielles de la Recherche, notamment la relation tragique entre le narrateur et l鈥橝lbertine multiple, ou celle entre le narrateur et sa grand-m猫re. Tristes duos qui ont peut-锚tre 茅t茅 des sources d鈥檌nspiration pour Vladimir et Estragon () ou pour Hamm et Clov (). En tout cas, 莽a m茅riterait d鈥櫭猼re examin茅鈥�
Le plus frappant dans tout 莽a, ce ne sont pas tellement les observations litt茅raires de Beckett au sujet de Proust. Le plus 茅tonnant c鈥檈st de voir le jeune Beckett a l鈥檕uvrage, se faisant les dents sur Proust, et d鈥檕bserver la gen猫se d鈥檜ne 艙uvre ult茅rieure. D鈥檜ne part, Beckett n鈥檋茅site pas 脿 choisir (provisoirement) son camp litt茅raire 鈥� plut么t du c么t茅 de , de et des po猫tes symbolistes 鈥� et 脿 se faire des ennemis : le naturalisme en g茅n茅ral, ou , plus particuli猫rement, qui prennent un ou deux camouflets au passage.
D鈥檃utre part et surtout, le style de Beckett est ici 脿 l鈥檕ppos茅 de l鈥檃ust茅rit茅 narrative et de l鈥櫭ヽriture minimaliste de son 艙uvre plus tardive (en fran莽ais, cette fois, traduit en anglais par ses soins). Les phrases longues et les descriptions exub茅rantes abondent, ainsi que les r茅f茅rences obscures et 茅rudites 鈥� et sont cit茅s, dans le texte, une page sur deux. On sent que Beckett est encore un jeune homme bouillonnant, qui se cherche dans l鈥檌mitations de ses ain茅s : Proust sans doute, mais aussi et peut-锚tre surtout , qu鈥檌l connaissait bien. Son sens de l鈥檋umour et ses phrases mordantes comportent des notations souvent triviales et peu ragoutantes : 芦 L鈥檋abitude est l鈥檃ncre qui encha卯ne le chien 脿 son vomi 禄 (p. 29). Bref, les traits sp茅cifiques de l鈥櫯搖vre de Beckett sont l脿, en germe, et font le charme essentiel de ce livre.
L鈥檈ssentiel de l鈥檃nalyse de Beckett porte sur les dichotomies m茅taphysiques pr茅sentes dans le r茅cit proustien. L鈥檕pposition entre m茅moire volontaire et m茅moire involontaire, illustr茅e, entre autres, par l鈥櫭﹑isode de la madeleine dans 鈥� tellement c茅l猫bre qu鈥檌l a d茅sormais la dimension d鈥檜n poncif. Autre tension, parall猫le 脿 la premi猫re, que Beckett identifie chez Proust : l鈥橧d茅e oppos茅e au concept, qui fait de Proust une sorte de romancier platonicien 鈥� argument qui sera repris par la suite par Gilles Deleuze dans . Sont int茅ressantes 茅galement les r茅flexions de Beckett sur le temps et l鈥檋abitude 鈥� qui renvoient sans doute, sans le citer, au de F茅lix Ravaisson.
Beckett d茅crit 茅galement et 茅claire avec acuit茅 certains 茅pisodes ou trames essentielles de la Recherche, notamment la relation tragique entre le narrateur et l鈥橝lbertine multiple, ou celle entre le narrateur et sa grand-m猫re. Tristes duos qui ont peut-锚tre 茅t茅 des sources d鈥檌nspiration pour Vladimir et Estragon () ou pour Hamm et Clov (). En tout cas, 莽a m茅riterait d鈥櫭猼re examin茅鈥�
Le plus frappant dans tout 莽a, ce ne sont pas tellement les observations litt茅raires de Beckett au sujet de Proust. Le plus 茅tonnant c鈥檈st de voir le jeune Beckett a l鈥檕uvrage, se faisant les dents sur Proust, et d鈥檕bserver la gen猫se d鈥檜ne 艙uvre ult茅rieure. D鈥檜ne part, Beckett n鈥檋茅site pas 脿 choisir (provisoirement) son camp litt茅raire 鈥� plut么t du c么t茅 de , de et des po猫tes symbolistes 鈥� et 脿 se faire des ennemis : le naturalisme en g茅n茅ral, ou , plus particuli猫rement, qui prennent un ou deux camouflets au passage.
D鈥檃utre part et surtout, le style de Beckett est ici 脿 l鈥檕ppos茅 de l鈥檃ust茅rit茅 narrative et de l鈥櫭ヽriture minimaliste de son 艙uvre plus tardive (en fran莽ais, cette fois, traduit en anglais par ses soins). Les phrases longues et les descriptions exub茅rantes abondent, ainsi que les r茅f茅rences obscures et 茅rudites 鈥� et sont cit茅s, dans le texte, une page sur deux. On sent que Beckett est encore un jeune homme bouillonnant, qui se cherche dans l鈥檌mitations de ses ain茅s : Proust sans doute, mais aussi et peut-锚tre surtout , qu鈥檌l connaissait bien. Son sens de l鈥檋umour et ses phrases mordantes comportent des notations souvent triviales et peu ragoutantes : 芦 L鈥檋abitude est l鈥檃ncre qui encha卯ne le chien 脿 son vomi 禄 (p. 29). Bref, les traits sp茅cifiques de l鈥櫯搖vre de Beckett sont l脿, en germe, et font le charme essentiel de ce livre.
February 28, 2025
I gave this book to my Mom in the twilight of her life when, overburdened by the sheer stress of taking on the entire work of managing a large public library with minimal delegation of its knotty problems to her subordinates, she needed relief.
I thought this would help, but it didn't.
No, for my Mom never grasped the raison d'etre of its existentialism, which was for her only utter hopelessness.
She refused to go there.
But Beckett did - oh, did he ever! And so did I at first. For, broken into depressive pieces by the Nazi occupation of France, he saw bleakness everywhere, in spades. And I did at my breakdown.
But - and this is key - we had learned a lesson from the Search for Lost Time: how to REGAIN time, and so to STOP IT.
Carlos Castaneda and Proust both discovered that way: to live (or relive, as Proust does) our life through our experiences as intensely as possible!
But Beckett hadn't done that completely. He was like I, a broken old Aspie, have been: a casualty of the Via Negativa.
Beckett - like Bachelard - chose the Philosophy of No.
Not Proust, though. He sorted through his life experiences gently and sensitively, like an archaeologist of the deeper historical strata of Time.
He didn't get frustrated like me and Beckett.
To paraphrase Eliot, we can only make sense of our (or the world's) past, through the experience of its timeless moments: "only through time, time is conquered."
And STOPPED.
But Beckett never understood that (though came close in Murphy, contemporaneous with this) and so misunderstood Temps Perdu -
And I am still learning how to live my life as a life redeemed, and so to read Proust's Lost Time in its redeeming plenitude.
Did Beckett get that far?
Perhaps, though even his answer - like this book - would be cryptic, alas.
Samuel Beckett must forever remain a mystery!
But for the rest of us, while Time forever marches on ceaselessly -
It will always be Redeemed by its wonderful Timeless Moments.
I thought this would help, but it didn't.
No, for my Mom never grasped the raison d'etre of its existentialism, which was for her only utter hopelessness.
She refused to go there.
But Beckett did - oh, did he ever! And so did I at first. For, broken into depressive pieces by the Nazi occupation of France, he saw bleakness everywhere, in spades. And I did at my breakdown.
But - and this is key - we had learned a lesson from the Search for Lost Time: how to REGAIN time, and so to STOP IT.
Carlos Castaneda and Proust both discovered that way: to live (or relive, as Proust does) our life through our experiences as intensely as possible!
But Beckett hadn't done that completely. He was like I, a broken old Aspie, have been: a casualty of the Via Negativa.
Beckett - like Bachelard - chose the Philosophy of No.
Not Proust, though. He sorted through his life experiences gently and sensitively, like an archaeologist of the deeper historical strata of Time.
He didn't get frustrated like me and Beckett.
To paraphrase Eliot, we can only make sense of our (or the world's) past, through the experience of its timeless moments: "only through time, time is conquered."
And STOPPED.
But Beckett never understood that (though came close in Murphy, contemporaneous with this) and so misunderstood Temps Perdu -
And I am still learning how to live my life as a life redeemed, and so to read Proust's Lost Time in its redeeming plenitude.
Did Beckett get that far?
Perhaps, though even his answer - like this book - would be cryptic, alas.
Samuel Beckett must forever remain a mystery!
But for the rest of us, while Time forever marches on ceaselessly -
It will always be Redeemed by its wonderful Timeless Moments.
February 19, 2010
Later in life, Beckett spoke disparagingly of this essay, dismissing its 鈥渃heap flashy philosophical jargon.鈥� He was right to give this depiction of the prose, and perhaps even too gentle with his wording. But the ideas are still good. Very, very good, in fact.
This little book is simultaneously one of the most difficult I've ever read and one of the most rewarding*. But its mixed blessings go beyond this experience. The very existence of this book in my library will almost certainly delay my next reading of In Search of Lost Time for the simple reason that it can reconjure some of the most evocative, miraculous parts of the book while fully and ingeniously discussing the novel's primary themes of Time, Habit, and Memory. I feel as though I鈥檝e relived a majority of Proust鈥檚 novel in this book鈥檚 scant 72 pages. And although this was my first exposure to Beckett's short critical work, I've read it about three times now due to the number of sentences I had to reread (over and over) even while absorbing maybe half of the book's mysterious insights. Ultimately I can't give Beckett too much credit for the perspicacity contained within, as he's mainly recapitulating Proust's own well-elucidated themes while also making them more difficult to excavate and therefore to scrutinize.
Much of the writing here is what David Foster Wallace would pejoratively call 鈥榓cademic writing鈥�. Wallace sums up his feelings on the subject nicely with a criticism that likely mirrors Beckett鈥檚 own retrospective feelings: As someone who has a lot of felt trouble being clear, concise, and/or cogent, I tend to be allergic to academic writing, most of which seems to me willfully opaque and pretentious. I could probably include five or six examples more staggering than the quotation below, which is from the first couple pages of the book, but it will give you an idea of what you鈥檙e up against here:
But the poisonous ingenuity of Time in the science of affliction is not limited to its action on the subject, that action, as has been shown, resulting in an unceasing modification of his personality, whose permanent reality, if any, can only be apprehended as a retrospective hypothesis.
But then again, there are also gems like this:
Surely in the whole of literature, there is no study of that desert of loneliness and recrimination that men call love posed and developed with such diabolical unscrupulousness.
In the end, much of this book鈥檚 obliquity and lack of comprehensiveness is mitigated by an imaginative and potent reading of Proust鈥檚 major themes, which are served up as worthy of study not only for intellectual or literary purposes, but for a fuller understanding of life itself. And that鈥檚 what Proust is all about.
*I should make the point that this is due mostly to the fact that Proust鈥檚 revelations on Time, Habit, and Memory are probably the most important and meaningful that I鈥檝e ever encountered in literature. Some of the most meaningful that I鈥檝e ever encountered, period. Point being, this book鈥檚 probably only worth your time if you鈥檙e very invested in the themes of In Search of Lost Time, even though Beckett apparently meant this book as a critical introduction to Proust鈥檚 work.
This little book is simultaneously one of the most difficult I've ever read and one of the most rewarding*. But its mixed blessings go beyond this experience. The very existence of this book in my library will almost certainly delay my next reading of In Search of Lost Time for the simple reason that it can reconjure some of the most evocative, miraculous parts of the book while fully and ingeniously discussing the novel's primary themes of Time, Habit, and Memory. I feel as though I鈥檝e relived a majority of Proust鈥檚 novel in this book鈥檚 scant 72 pages. And although this was my first exposure to Beckett's short critical work, I've read it about three times now due to the number of sentences I had to reread (over and over) even while absorbing maybe half of the book's mysterious insights. Ultimately I can't give Beckett too much credit for the perspicacity contained within, as he's mainly recapitulating Proust's own well-elucidated themes while also making them more difficult to excavate and therefore to scrutinize.
Much of the writing here is what David Foster Wallace would pejoratively call 鈥榓cademic writing鈥�. Wallace sums up his feelings on the subject nicely with a criticism that likely mirrors Beckett鈥檚 own retrospective feelings: As someone who has a lot of felt trouble being clear, concise, and/or cogent, I tend to be allergic to academic writing, most of which seems to me willfully opaque and pretentious. I could probably include five or six examples more staggering than the quotation below, which is from the first couple pages of the book, but it will give you an idea of what you鈥檙e up against here:
But the poisonous ingenuity of Time in the science of affliction is not limited to its action on the subject, that action, as has been shown, resulting in an unceasing modification of his personality, whose permanent reality, if any, can only be apprehended as a retrospective hypothesis.
But then again, there are also gems like this:
Surely in the whole of literature, there is no study of that desert of loneliness and recrimination that men call love posed and developed with such diabolical unscrupulousness.
In the end, much of this book鈥檚 obliquity and lack of comprehensiveness is mitigated by an imaginative and potent reading of Proust鈥檚 major themes, which are served up as worthy of study not only for intellectual or literary purposes, but for a fuller understanding of life itself. And that鈥檚 what Proust is all about.
*I should make the point that this is due mostly to the fact that Proust鈥檚 revelations on Time, Habit, and Memory are probably the most important and meaningful that I鈥檝e ever encountered in literature. Some of the most meaningful that I鈥檝e ever encountered, period. Point being, this book鈥檚 probably only worth your time if you鈥檙e very invested in the themes of In Search of Lost Time, even though Beckett apparently meant this book as a critical introduction to Proust鈥檚 work.
January 17, 2022
'The Proustian equation is never simple'.
This book can fulfill two purposes together. A glimpse of the writing of Samuel Beckett and, a thought on Marcel Proust! Is not this a great idea for those who do not know anything about the two masters? Something similar to killing two birds from one stone!
Proust's , I had started last year and I could not move beyond a few pages, So I know nothing about Proust writing so far, Neither I have been able to properly start . I started reading both these books, but time failed me in both cases and both were kept dangling in my list.
But today I got in my hand, this book. Eager to know what one thinks about the other, I read it and it was quite a pleasing experience. It shaped my understanding of Proust. The beginning was like a typical essay. He talks about Proust's memory and habits and writes,
It has multiple references to Proust's works. And the themes and philosophy, woven around all this make this reading not easy for a novice reader, but those who have read the majority of Proust's novels will definitely find the critical take of Samuel Beckett on Proust very enlightening.
Though I have not yet read Proust, this short book has given me some idea. I also saw Beckett's capabilities as a critic.
His precision, in the scrutiny and breakdown of themes and notions, present in Proust's work is commendable. I will recommend the book to those who are interested in reading a critical essay on one master's work by another master!
This book can fulfill two purposes together. A glimpse of the writing of Samuel Beckett and, a thought on Marcel Proust! Is not this a great idea for those who do not know anything about the two masters? Something similar to killing two birds from one stone!
Proust's , I had started last year and I could not move beyond a few pages, So I know nothing about Proust writing so far, Neither I have been able to properly start . I started reading both these books, but time failed me in both cases and both were kept dangling in my list.
But today I got in my hand, this book. Eager to know what one thinks about the other, I read it and it was quite a pleasing experience. It shaped my understanding of Proust. The beginning was like a typical essay. He talks about Proust's memory and habits and writes,
Proust had a bad memory- as he had an insufficient habit, the man with a good memory does not remember anything, because he doesn't forget anything."
It has multiple references to Proust's works. And the themes and philosophy, woven around all this make this reading not easy for a novice reader, but those who have read the majority of Proust's novels will definitely find the critical take of Samuel Beckett on Proust very enlightening.
Though I have not yet read Proust, this short book has given me some idea. I also saw Beckett's capabilities as a critic.
His precision, in the scrutiny and breakdown of themes and notions, present in Proust's work is commendable. I will recommend the book to those who are interested in reading a critical essay on one master's work by another master!
January 10, 2020
Sanat莽谋 i莽in, y眉zeylerle u臒ra艧mayan sanat莽谋 i莽in, dostlu臒u reddetmek sadece makul de臒il zorunludur da. 脟眉nk眉 tek m眉mk眉n tinsel geli艧me derinlik duygusundad谋r. Sanatsal e臒ilim, geni艧lemeyle de臒il, b眉z眉艧me ve daralmayla ilgilidir. Ve sanat da yaln谋zl谋臒谋n tamamlan谋艧谋d谋r. 陌leti艧im yoktur 莽眉nk眉 ileti艧im kanallar谋 yoktur. S枚z de jest de ki艧ili臒in katarakt谋ndan ge莽erken anlamlar谋n谋 yitirirler. Ya kendimiz i莽in konu艧uyor ve davran谋yoruzdur ki bu durumda da s枚yledi臒imiz ve yapt谋臒谋m谋z 艧ey bir yaland谋r.
September 13, 2021
Beckett'in Proust'un Kay谋p Zaman谋n 陌zinde eserindeki zaman mevhumu 眉zerine derinlikli bir incelemesi. Eserin kendisi kadar muazzam. T谋pk谋 eserdeki 莽aya bat谋r谋lan bisk眉vi ile canlanan t眉m bir ge莽mi艧 gibi bu kitab谋 okumak da bilincime getirdi臒i 莽a臒r谋艧谋mlar ile benim 莽aya bat谋r谋lm谋艧 bir par莽a bisk眉vim oldu.
December 11, 2024
Maybe Beckett鈥檚 greatest coup, this. He managed to get his first non-poetic longform published by throwing Proust鈥檚 name on the sumbitch. It has about as much to do with Proust as I do, ie not much. It鈥檚 effectively a polemic by Sam on the nature of art and temporality that, when functionally required, mentions Proust. It鈥檚 brilliant. Young, sure, but with the fire that brings.
Read
September 1, 2016I ought to have read this in English. Apparently, Beckett translated all the Proust passages he tries to analyse understand himself (I don't think he likes the word 'analyse' or anything related to academic criticism, and for that I love him). i'd really like to have read his versions of Proust's words - he could have just taken passages from Scott Moncreiff's English translation of the first volume but he chose to render everything in English himself. And because he didn't use footnotes or page notes for the citations, every translation of Beckett's involves translating Beckett's version of Proust's words into that language, even back into French, as in this version!
February 4, 2017
Il tempo non esiste
Achille Bonito Oliva ritiene che il tempo abbia fatto fatto deragliare tutti i linguaggi del Novecento e la filosofia contemporanea si interroga se il tempo esista, almeno per come lo abbiamo inteso fino ad oggi. Il saggio scritto da Samuel Beckett si inscrive bene in questa dialettica poich茅 lo scrittore analizza non solo l'opera letteraria di Marcel Proust, ma anche le categorie temporali.
non 猫 dato sfuggire alle ore e ai giorni, neppure al domani e allo ieri perch茅 quest'ultimo ci ha gi谩 deformati. Noi siamo altri.
La nostra infelicit脿, scrive Beckett, deriva dalla nostra volont脿 di perseguire delle aspirazioni che magari erano valide ieri, oggi sono gi脿 state superate. La realt脿 tende all'anamorfosi in un spazio cronologico dilatato e personale.
Ciascuno vive in s猫 un suo tempo, quindi il tempo come unit脿 non esiste: il tempo non 猫 ritrovato, 猫 cancellato.
La realt脿 nella quale ogni giorno intessiamo la nostra intricata rete di paure, ossessioni e felicit脿 猫, dunque, solo una nostra proiezione.
Scriveva Proust:
Chi non ha la forza di uccidere la realt脿, non ha la forza di crearla.
Achille Bonito Oliva ritiene che il tempo abbia fatto fatto deragliare tutti i linguaggi del Novecento e la filosofia contemporanea si interroga se il tempo esista, almeno per come lo abbiamo inteso fino ad oggi. Il saggio scritto da Samuel Beckett si inscrive bene in questa dialettica poich茅 lo scrittore analizza non solo l'opera letteraria di Marcel Proust, ma anche le categorie temporali.
non 猫 dato sfuggire alle ore e ai giorni, neppure al domani e allo ieri perch茅 quest'ultimo ci ha gi谩 deformati. Noi siamo altri.
La nostra infelicit脿, scrive Beckett, deriva dalla nostra volont脿 di perseguire delle aspirazioni che magari erano valide ieri, oggi sono gi脿 state superate. La realt脿 tende all'anamorfosi in un spazio cronologico dilatato e personale.
Ciascuno vive in s猫 un suo tempo, quindi il tempo come unit脿 non esiste: il tempo non 猫 ritrovato, 猫 cancellato.
La realt脿 nella quale ogni giorno intessiamo la nostra intricata rete di paure, ossessioni e felicit脿 猫, dunque, solo una nostra proiezione.
Scriveva Proust:
Chi non ha la forza di uccidere la realt脿, non ha la forza di crearla.
November 9, 2009
This book was much harder than the sort of thing I usually read voluntarily, but the few parts of it that didn't fly entirely over my head -- that sort of thwacked into my forehead and then dribbled down into my eyes -- those parts were great. Unlike ISoLT, this was short and difficult, though not necessarily in a bad way. Reading it gave me something to do while waiting for some time to pass by so I can start Proust fresh again.
This is a great book to read in public if you want everyone to know beyond a shadow of doubt that you're a total douchebag. I even had an attorney flip me shit for this while sitting in court with it, but I defended myself by assuring him that I didn't understand most of what Beckett was talking about. Between you and me, the parts I did get were excellent, and threw light on Proust's writing in a way I found, um.... illuminating? But a lot of the rest of it was basically Greek. I've heard this guy also wrote some plays, though I wouldn't know anything about that. If he was indirectly responsible for , though, I guess he's okay in my book.
Anyway, if you've recently read Proust and are interested in a response to his writing that's a) more intellectual than the book reports on here and b) more difficult to read than Proust himself but still well-written and good, this could be your ticket. And did I mention it's under a hundred pages?
This is a great book to read in public if you want everyone to know beyond a shadow of doubt that you're a total douchebag. I even had an attorney flip me shit for this while sitting in court with it, but I defended myself by assuring him that I didn't understand most of what Beckett was talking about. Between you and me, the parts I did get were excellent, and threw light on Proust's writing in a way I found, um.... illuminating? But a lot of the rest of it was basically Greek. I've heard this guy also wrote some plays, though I wouldn't know anything about that. If he was indirectly responsible for , though, I guess he's okay in my book.
Anyway, if you've recently read Proust and are interested in a response to his writing that's a) more intellectual than the book reports on here and b) more difficult to read than Proust himself but still well-written and good, this could be your ticket. And did I mention it's under a hundred pages?
Read
April 8, 2023Video review forthcoming along with C茅leste Albaret's
and J贸zef Czapski's
.
December 23, 2020
螠喂伪 魏蟻喂蟿喂魏萎 伪谓维位蠀蟽畏 蟿慰蠀 螒谓伪味畏蟿蠋谓蟿伪蟼 蟿慰谓 蠂伪渭苇谓慰 蠂蟻蠈谓慰 伪蟺蠈 蟿慰谓 伪蟺伪蟻维渭喂位位畏蟼 蔚蠀蠁蠀螑伪蟼, 未喂蔚喂蟽未蠀蟿喂魏萎蟼 喂魏伪谓蠈蟿畏蟿伪蟼 伪谓伪蟿慰渭萎蟼 魏伪喂 蟽蠀纬纬蟻伪蠁喂魏萎蟼 未蔚喂谓蠈蟿畏蟿伪蟼 螠蟺苇魏蔚蟿.
螝伪蟿维 蟿畏 纬谓蠋渭畏 渭慰蠀 魏伪位蠉蟿蔚蟻伪 谓伪 未喂伪尾伪蟽蟿蔚委 渭蔚蟿维 蟿慰 螒谓伪味畏蟿蠋谓蟿伪蟼 蟿慰谓 蠂伪渭苇谓慰 蠂蟻蠈谓慰 伪蟺蠈 蠈蟽慰蠀蟼 蟽魏慰蟺蔚蠉慰蠀谓 谓伪 未喂伪尾维蟽慰蠀谓 伪蠀蟿蠈 蟿慰 苇蟻纬慰 蟿慰蠀 螤蟻慰蠉蟽蟿 魏伪喂 未蔚谓 胃苇位慰蠀谓 谓伪 蔚蟺畏蟻蔚伪蟽蟿慰蠉谓.
螝伪蟿维 蟿畏 纬谓蠋渭畏 渭慰蠀 魏伪位蠉蟿蔚蟻伪 谓伪 未喂伪尾伪蟽蟿蔚委 渭蔚蟿维 蟿慰 螒谓伪味畏蟿蠋谓蟿伪蟼 蟿慰谓 蠂伪渭苇谓慰 蠂蟻蠈谓慰 伪蟺蠈 蠈蟽慰蠀蟼 蟽魏慰蟺蔚蠉慰蠀谓 谓伪 未喂伪尾维蟽慰蠀谓 伪蠀蟿蠈 蟿慰 苇蟻纬慰 蟿慰蠀 螤蟻慰蠉蟽蟿 魏伪喂 未蔚谓 胃苇位慰蠀谓 谓伪 蔚蟺畏蟻蔚伪蟽蟿慰蠉谓.
August 28, 2024
::丕賳胤亘丕毓 毓丕賲::
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賱丕 兀卮賰 賮賷 兀賲丕賳丞 丕賱鬲乇噩賲丞貙 賱賰賳賳賷 賱賲 兀賮賴賲 卮賷卅賸丕! 兀賵 乇亘賲丕 賱賰賷 鬲鬲賲 毓賲賱賷丞 賮賴賲 賰丕賲賱丞 賱丕亘丿 賲賳 賴囟賲 丕賱賲爻兀賱丞 丕賱亘乇賵爻鬲賷丞 亘丕賱賰丕賲賱 賲賳 賯亘賱 賵賯乇丕亍丞 兀毓賲丕賱賴 亘卮賰賱 賲鬲毓賲賯 丨鬲賶 賷鬲賲賰賳 丕賱賯丕乇卅 賲賳 毓賷卮 丕賱丨丕賱丞 丕賱匕賴賳賷丞 賳賮爻賴丕 丕賱鬲賷 賰鬲亘賴丕 氐賲賵賷賱 亘賷賰賷鬲. 廿賱丕 兀賳 賴賳丕賰 噩夭卅賷丞 鬲胤賲卅賳 賯賱賷賱丕賸 兀賳 亘賷賰賷鬲 賳賮爻賴 乇賮囟 賱賮鬲乇丞 鬲乇噩賲丞 賴匕丕 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 賱賱賮乇賳爻賷丞 兀氐賱丕賸 賵賰丕賳 賷賳爻丕賴 賵賱丕 賷毓丿賾賴 賲賳 囟賲賳 賰鬲亘賴 廿匕 賰鬲亘賴 賮賷 卮亘丕亘賴 兀孬賳丕亍 鬲兀孬乇賴 丕賱卮丿賷丿 亘亘乇賵爻鬲貙 賮賯丿 賷賰賵賳 賮賷 匕賱賰 亘毓囟 丕賱毓夭丕亍 賱賯丕乇卅 賷乇賶 賴匕丕 丕賱鬲賮賰賰 賮賷 丕賱賲賯丕賱丕鬲 賵毓丿賲 賵囟賵丨 賰丕賲賱 賱賱賮賰乇丞.
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::賮賷 爻胤賵乇::
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賰鬲亘 亘賷賰賷鬲 賴匕賴 丕賱賲賯丕賱丕鬲 毓賳 亘乇賵爻鬲 賮賷 氐賷賮 毓丕賲 1930貙 賰丕爻鬲噩丕亘丞 賱鬲賰賱賷賮 賲賳 鬲賵賲丕爻 賲丕賰噩乇賷賮賷貙 賵鬲卮丕乇賱夭 亘乇賳鬲賷爻貙 賵乇賷鬲卮丕乇丿 兀賱丿賷賳噩鬲賵賳貙 兀孬賳丕亍 廿賯丕賲鬲賴 賮賷 丕賱賲丿乇爻丞 丕賱毓賱賷丕 賮賷 亘丕乇賷爻. 賵亘丨賱賵賱 賳賴丕賷丞 卮賴乇 爻亘鬲賲亘乇貙 爻賱賲賴丕 亘丕賱賷丿 廿賱賶 鬲卮丕乇賱夭 亘乇賳鬲賷爻 賮賷 丿丕乇 賳卮乇 鬲卮丕鬲賵 丌賳丿 賵賷賳丿賵爻. 鬲賳氐賱 亘賷賰賷鬲 賲賳 丕賱賲賯丕賱丕鬲 亘丕毓鬲亘丕乇賴丕 賲賰鬲賵亘丞 亘賲氐胤賱丨丕鬲 賮賱爻賮賷丞 乇禺賷氐丞 亘乇丕賯丞.
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::丕賱賰鬲丕亘::
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乇亘賲丕 鬲賯丿賲 鬲賱賰 丕賱賲賯丕賱丕鬲 賵馗賷賮鬲賷賳貙 賮賴賷 亘賲孬丕亘丞 亘賷丕賳 噩賲丕賱賷 賵賲毓乇賮賷 賱賲丐賱賮賴貙 丨賷孬 賷毓賱賳 賳賷丕亘丞 毓賳 賲賵囟賵毓賴 丕賱馗丕賴乇賷: "賱丕 賳爻鬲胤賷毓 兀賳 賳賻毓乇賮 賵賱丕 賳爻鬲胤賷毓 兀賳 賳購毓乇賮". 賵賮賷 賱睾丞 賰孬賷賮丞 賵賲賵丨賷丞貙 賷毓夭賵 亘賷賰賷鬲 丕賱賮囟賱 廿賱賶 賲賳 兀孬乇賵丕 亘賴 賵賱丕 爻賷賲丕 卮賵亘賳賴丕賵乇 賵賰丕賱丿賷乇賵賳貙 賵賷鬲賳亘兀 亘丕賳卮睾丕賱丕鬲賴 丕賱賲爻鬲賯亘賱賷丞貙 賵賷鬲氐賮丨 賮賷 賳孬乇 賲丕乇爻賷賱 亘乇賵爻鬲:
"廿賳 賯賵丕賳賷賳 丕賱匕丕賰乇丞 鬲禺囟毓 賱賯賵丕賳賷賳 丕賱毓丕丿丞 丕賱兀賰孬乇 毓賲賵賲賷丞. 賮丕賱毓丕丿丞 賴賷 丨賱 賵爻胤 賷鬲賲 亘賷賳 丕賱賮乇丿 賵亘賷卅鬲賴貙 兀賵 亘賷賳 丕賱賮乇丿 賵睾乇丕卅亘賴 丕賱毓囟賵賷丞貙 賵囟賲丕賳丞 賱丨乇賲丞 亘丕賴鬲丞貙 賵賲丕賳毓 丕賱氐賵丕毓賯 賱賵噩賵丿賴. 賵丕賱毓丕丿丞 賴賷 丕賱孬賯賱 丕賱匕賷 賷賯賷丿 丕賱賰賱亘 亘賯賷卅賴. 賵丕賱鬲賳賮爻 毓丕丿丞. 賵丕賱丨賷丕丞 毓丕丿丞. 兀賵 亘丕賱兀丨乇賶 丕賱丨賷丕丞 毓亘丕乇丞 毓賳 爻賱爻賱丞 賲賳 丕賱毓丕丿丕鬲貙 賱兀賳 丕賱賮乇丿 毓亘丕乇丞 毓賳 爻賱爻賱丞 賲賳 丕賱兀賮乇丕丿貨 廿賳 丕賱毓丕賱賲 毓亘丕乇丞 毓賳 廿爻賯丕胤 賱賵毓賷 丕賱賮乇丿 (兀賵 鬲噩爻賷丿 賱廿乇丕丿丞 丕賱賮乇丿貙 賰賲丕 賷賯賵賱 卮賵亘賳賴丕賵乇)貙 賱匕丕 賮廿賳 丕賱毓賴丿 賱丕亘丿 賵兀賳 賷鬲噩丿丿 亘丕爻鬲賲乇丕乇貙 賵兀賳 賷鬲賲 鬲丨丿賷孬 禺胤丕亘 丕賱爻賱丕賲丞. 廿賳 禺賱賯 丕賱毓丕賱賲 賱賲 賷丨丿孬 賲乇丞 賵丕丨丿丞 賵廿賱賶 丕賱兀亘丿貙 亘賱 廿賳賴 賷丨丿孬 賰賱 賷賵賲. 賵丕賱毓丕丿丞 廿匕賳 賴賷 丕賱賲氐胤賱丨 丕賱毓丕賲 賱賱賲毓丕賴丿丕鬲 丕賱鬲賷 賱丕 鬲毓丿 賵賱丕 鬲丨氐賶 丕賱鬲賷 兀亘乇賲鬲 亘賷賳 毓丿丿 賱丕 賷丨氐賶 賲賳 丕賱賰賷丕賳丕鬲 丕賱鬲賷 鬲卮賰賱 丕賱賮乇丿 賵兀卮賷丕亍賴丕 丕賱賲乇鬲亘胤丞 丕賱鬲賷 賱丕 鬲毓丿 賵賱丕 鬲丨氐賶. 廿賳 賮鬲乇丕鬲 丕賱丕賳鬲賯丕賱 丕賱鬲賷 鬲賮氐賱 亘賷賳 丕賱鬲賰賷賮丕鬲 丕賱賲鬲鬲丕賱賷丞 (賱兀賳賴 賱丕 賷賲賰賳 賱兀賷 賵爻賷賱丞 賲賳 賵爻丕卅賱 丕賱鬲丨賵賱 丕賱賲乇賵毓 兀賳 鬲禺丿賲 賲賱丕亍丕鬲 丕賱賯亘乇 賰兀賯賲胤丞) 鬲賲孬賱 丕賱賲賳丕胤賯 丕賱禺胤乇丞 賮賷 丨賷丕丞 丕賱賮乇丿貙 賵丕賱禺胤賷乇丞貙 賵丕賱賲丨賮賵賮丞 亘丕賱賲禺丕胤乇貙 賵丕賱賲丐賱賲丞貙 賵丕賱睾丕賲囟丞貙 賵丕賱禺氐亘丞貙 毓賳丿賲丕 賷鬲賲 丕爻鬲亘丿丕賱 丕賱賲賱賱 賲賳 丕賱丨賷丕丞 賱賱丨馗丞 亘賲毓丕賳丕丞 丕賱賵噩賵丿 (賮賷 賴匕賴 丕賱賲乇丨賱丞貙 賵亘賯賱亘 孬賯賷賱 賵賱廿乇囟丕亍 兀賵 丕爻鬲賷丕亍 丕賱噩賷丿賷賷賳貙 卮亘賴 丕賱賰丕賲賱 賵丕賱賲鬲賰丕賲賱貙 兀賱賴賲賳賷 兀賳 兀鬲賳丕夭賱 毓賳 賯賵爻賷賳 賯氐賷乇賷賳 賱噩賲賷毓 丕賱賲鬲卮丕亘賴賷賳貙 丕賱賯丕丿乇賷賳 毓賱賶 鬲賮爻賷乇 丕賱毓賷卮 亘禺胤乇貙 匕賱賰 丕賱賮賵丕賯 丕賱賲賳鬲氐乇 賮賷 丕賱賮乇丕睾貙 毓賱賶 兀賳賴 丕賱賳卮賷丿 丕賱賵胤賳賷 賱賱兀賳丕 丕賱丨賯賷賯賷丞 丕賱賲賳賮賷丞 賮賷 丕賱毓丕丿丞. 賷丿丕賮毓 丕賱噩賷丿賷賷賳 毓賳 毓丕丿丞 丕賱毓賷卮 - 賵賷亘丨孬賵賳 毓賳 賱賯亘. 毓亘丕乇丞 丿賳賷卅丞 賱丕 賲毓賳賶 賱賴丕. 廿賳 丕賱鬲賰賷賮 丕賱鬲賱賯丕卅賷 賱賱賰丕卅賳 丕賱亘卮乇賷 賲毓 馗乇賵賮 賵噩賵丿賴 賱賴 兀賴賲賷丞 兀禺賱丕賯賷丞 賯賱賷賱丞 賲孬賱 廿賱賯丕亍 丕賱賳賮賵匕 毓賳丿賲丕 賷賰賵賳 卮賴乇 丨夭賷乇丕賳 兀賵 賱丕 賷賰賵賳貨 廿賳 丕賱丨孬 毓賱賶 鬲賳賲賷丞 毓丕丿丞 賱丕 賲毓賳賶 賱賴丕 賲孬賱 丕賱丨孬 毓賱賶 鬲賳賲賷丞 丕賱夭賰丕賲. 賲毓丕賳丕丞 丕賱賵噩賵丿: 兀賷 丕賱賱毓亘 丕賱丨乇 賱賰賱 賯丿乇丞. 賱兀賳 丕賱鬲賮丕賳賷 丕賱禺亘賷孬 賱賱毓丕丿丞 賷卮賱 丕賳鬲亘丕賴賳丕貙 賵賷禺丿乇 禺丕丿賲丕鬲 丕賱廿丿乇丕賰 丕賱賱賵丕鬲賷 賱丕 賷卮賰賱 鬲毓丕賵賳賴賳 囟乇賵乇丞 賲胤賱賯丞."
賷賵丕氐賱 亘賷賰賷鬲 鬲丨丿賷丿 鬲乇賰賷夭賴 丕賱兀禺賱丕賯賷 毓賱賶 丕賱賲毓囟賱丕鬲 丕賱兀爻丕爻賷丞 賱賱賵噩賵丿 丕賱亘卮乇賷貙 賲鬲禺賱賷賸丕 毓賳 兀賷 鬲賵乇胤 賮賷 丕賱賯囟丕賷丕 丕賱丕噩鬲賲丕毓賷丞:
"賴賳丕貙 賰賲丕 賴賵 丕賱丨丕賱 丿丕卅賲賸丕貙 賷賳賮氐賱 亘乇賵爻鬲 鬲賲丕賲賸丕 毓賳 噩賲賷毓 丕賱丕毓鬲亘丕乇丕鬲 丕賱兀禺賱丕賯賷丞. 賱丕 賷賵噩丿 氐賵丕亘 賵禺胤兀 賮賷 亘乇賵爻鬲 賵賱丕 賮賷 毓丕賱賲賴 (亘丕爻鬲孬賳丕亍 乇亘賲丕 鬲賱賰 丕賱賲賯丕胤毓 丕賱鬲賷 鬲鬲毓丕賲賱 賲毓 丕賱丨乇亘貙 毓賳丿賲丕 賷鬲賵賯賮 賱賮鬲乇丞 毓賳 賰賵賳賴 賮賳丕賳賸丕 賵賷乇賮毓 氐賵鬲賴 賲毓 丕賱毓丕賲丞貙 賵丕賱睾賵睾丕亍貙 賵丕賱乇毓丕毓). 賱丕 鬲賴鬲賲 丕賱賲兀爻丕丞 亘丕賱毓丿丕賱丞 丕賱廿賳爻丕賳賷丞. 丕賱賲兀爻丕丞 賴賷 亘賷丕賳 賱賱鬲賰賮賷乇貙 賵賱賰賳賴丕 賱賷爻鬲 丕賱鬲賰賮賷乇 丕賱亘丕卅爻 毓賳 禺乇賯 賲丿賵賳 賱鬲乇鬲賷亘 賲丨賱賷貙 賳馗賲賴 丕賱兀卮乇丕乇 賱氐丕賱丨 丕賱丨賲賯賶. 廿賳 丕賱卮賰賱 丕賱賲兀爻丕賵賷 賷賲孬賱 鬲賰賮賷乇 丕賱禺胤賷卅丞 丕賱兀氐賱賷丞貙 丕賱禺胤賷卅丞 丕賱兀氐賱賷丞 賵丕賱兀亘丿賷丞 丕賱鬲賷 丕乇鬲賰亘賴丕 賴賵 賵賰賱 兀禺胤丕卅賴 丕賱丕噩鬲賲丕毓賷丞貙 禺胤賷卅丞 賵賱丕丿鬲賴."
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::丕賱禺賱丕氐丞::
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"丕賱禺胤賷卅丞 丕賱賵丨賷丿丞 賴賷 禺胤賷卅丞 丕賱賵賱丕丿丞."
賮賷 丕賱賵丕賯毓貙 廿賳 丕賱丕賯鬲賳丕毓 亘兀賳 丕賱毓丕賱賲 賵丕賱廿賳爻丕賳 卮賷亍 賰丕賳 賲賳 丕賱兀賮囟賱 兀賱丕 賷賰賵賳丕貙 賲賳 丕賱賳賵毓 丕賱匕賷 賷賲賱兀賳丕 亘丕賱鬲爻丕賴賱 鬲噩丕賴 亘毓囟賳丕 丕賱亘毓囟. 亘賱 賵賲賳 賵噩賴丞 丕賱賳馗乇 賴匕賴貙 賯丿 賳毓鬲亘乇 兀賳 丕賱卮賰賱 丕賱賲賳丕爻亘 賱賱禺胤丕亘 亘賷賳 丕賱廿賳爻丕賳 賵丕賱丌禺乇 賱賷爻 "爻賷丿賷"貙 亘賱 "乇賮賷賯賷 賮賷 丕賱賲毓丕賳丕丞"!
*.*.*.*
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賱丕 兀卮賰 賮賷 兀賲丕賳丞 丕賱鬲乇噩賲丞貙 賱賰賳賳賷 賱賲 兀賮賴賲 卮賷卅賸丕! 兀賵 乇亘賲丕 賱賰賷 鬲鬲賲 毓賲賱賷丞 賮賴賲 賰丕賲賱丞 賱丕亘丿 賲賳 賴囟賲 丕賱賲爻兀賱丞 丕賱亘乇賵爻鬲賷丞 亘丕賱賰丕賲賱 賲賳 賯亘賱 賵賯乇丕亍丞 兀毓賲丕賱賴 亘卮賰賱 賲鬲毓賲賯 丨鬲賶 賷鬲賲賰賳 丕賱賯丕乇卅 賲賳 毓賷卮 丕賱丨丕賱丞 丕賱匕賴賳賷丞 賳賮爻賴丕 丕賱鬲賷 賰鬲亘賴丕 氐賲賵賷賱 亘賷賰賷鬲. 廿賱丕 兀賳 賴賳丕賰 噩夭卅賷丞 鬲胤賲卅賳 賯賱賷賱丕賸 兀賳 亘賷賰賷鬲 賳賮爻賴 乇賮囟 賱賮鬲乇丞 鬲乇噩賲丞 賴匕丕 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 賱賱賮乇賳爻賷丞 兀氐賱丕賸 賵賰丕賳 賷賳爻丕賴 賵賱丕 賷毓丿賾賴 賲賳 囟賲賳 賰鬲亘賴 廿匕 賰鬲亘賴 賮賷 卮亘丕亘賴 兀孬賳丕亍 鬲兀孬乇賴 丕賱卮丿賷丿 亘亘乇賵爻鬲貙 賮賯丿 賷賰賵賳 賮賷 匕賱賰 亘毓囟 丕賱毓夭丕亍 賱賯丕乇卅 賷乇賶 賴匕丕 丕賱鬲賮賰賰 賮賷 丕賱賲賯丕賱丕鬲 賵毓丿賲 賵囟賵丨 賰丕賲賱 賱賱賮賰乇丞.
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::賮賷 爻胤賵乇::
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賰鬲亘 亘賷賰賷鬲 賴匕賴 丕賱賲賯丕賱丕鬲 毓賳 亘乇賵爻鬲 賮賷 氐賷賮 毓丕賲 1930貙 賰丕爻鬲噩丕亘丞 賱鬲賰賱賷賮 賲賳 鬲賵賲丕爻 賲丕賰噩乇賷賮賷貙 賵鬲卮丕乇賱夭 亘乇賳鬲賷爻貙 賵乇賷鬲卮丕乇丿 兀賱丿賷賳噩鬲賵賳貙 兀孬賳丕亍 廿賯丕賲鬲賴 賮賷 丕賱賲丿乇爻丞 丕賱毓賱賷丕 賮賷 亘丕乇賷爻. 賵亘丨賱賵賱 賳賴丕賷丞 卮賴乇 爻亘鬲賲亘乇貙 爻賱賲賴丕 亘丕賱賷丿 廿賱賶 鬲卮丕乇賱夭 亘乇賳鬲賷爻 賮賷 丿丕乇 賳卮乇 鬲卮丕鬲賵 丌賳丿 賵賷賳丿賵爻. 鬲賳氐賱 亘賷賰賷鬲 賲賳 丕賱賲賯丕賱丕鬲 亘丕毓鬲亘丕乇賴丕 賲賰鬲賵亘丞 亘賲氐胤賱丨丕鬲 賮賱爻賮賷丞 乇禺賷氐丞 亘乇丕賯丞.
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::丕賱賰鬲丕亘::
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乇亘賲丕 鬲賯丿賲 鬲賱賰 丕賱賲賯丕賱丕鬲 賵馗賷賮鬲賷賳貙 賮賴賷 亘賲孬丕亘丞 亘賷丕賳 噩賲丕賱賷 賵賲毓乇賮賷 賱賲丐賱賮賴貙 丨賷孬 賷毓賱賳 賳賷丕亘丞 毓賳 賲賵囟賵毓賴 丕賱馗丕賴乇賷: "賱丕 賳爻鬲胤賷毓 兀賳 賳賻毓乇賮 賵賱丕 賳爻鬲胤賷毓 兀賳 賳購毓乇賮". 賵賮賷 賱睾丞 賰孬賷賮丞 賵賲賵丨賷丞貙 賷毓夭賵 亘賷賰賷鬲 丕賱賮囟賱 廿賱賶 賲賳 兀孬乇賵丕 亘賴 賵賱丕 爻賷賲丕 卮賵亘賳賴丕賵乇 賵賰丕賱丿賷乇賵賳貙 賵賷鬲賳亘兀 亘丕賳卮睾丕賱丕鬲賴 丕賱賲爻鬲賯亘賱賷丞貙 賵賷鬲氐賮丨 賮賷 賳孬乇 賲丕乇爻賷賱 亘乇賵爻鬲:
"廿賳 賯賵丕賳賷賳 丕賱匕丕賰乇丞 鬲禺囟毓 賱賯賵丕賳賷賳 丕賱毓丕丿丞 丕賱兀賰孬乇 毓賲賵賲賷丞. 賮丕賱毓丕丿丞 賴賷 丨賱 賵爻胤 賷鬲賲 亘賷賳 丕賱賮乇丿 賵亘賷卅鬲賴貙 兀賵 亘賷賳 丕賱賮乇丿 賵睾乇丕卅亘賴 丕賱毓囟賵賷丞貙 賵囟賲丕賳丞 賱丨乇賲丞 亘丕賴鬲丞貙 賵賲丕賳毓 丕賱氐賵丕毓賯 賱賵噩賵丿賴. 賵丕賱毓丕丿丞 賴賷 丕賱孬賯賱 丕賱匕賷 賷賯賷丿 丕賱賰賱亘 亘賯賷卅賴. 賵丕賱鬲賳賮爻 毓丕丿丞. 賵丕賱丨賷丕丞 毓丕丿丞. 兀賵 亘丕賱兀丨乇賶 丕賱丨賷丕丞 毓亘丕乇丞 毓賳 爻賱爻賱丞 賲賳 丕賱毓丕丿丕鬲貙 賱兀賳 丕賱賮乇丿 毓亘丕乇丞 毓賳 爻賱爻賱丞 賲賳 丕賱兀賮乇丕丿貨 廿賳 丕賱毓丕賱賲 毓亘丕乇丞 毓賳 廿爻賯丕胤 賱賵毓賷 丕賱賮乇丿 (兀賵 鬲噩爻賷丿 賱廿乇丕丿丞 丕賱賮乇丿貙 賰賲丕 賷賯賵賱 卮賵亘賳賴丕賵乇)貙 賱匕丕 賮廿賳 丕賱毓賴丿 賱丕亘丿 賵兀賳 賷鬲噩丿丿 亘丕爻鬲賲乇丕乇貙 賵兀賳 賷鬲賲 鬲丨丿賷孬 禺胤丕亘 丕賱爻賱丕賲丞. 廿賳 禺賱賯 丕賱毓丕賱賲 賱賲 賷丨丿孬 賲乇丞 賵丕丨丿丞 賵廿賱賶 丕賱兀亘丿貙 亘賱 廿賳賴 賷丨丿孬 賰賱 賷賵賲. 賵丕賱毓丕丿丞 廿匕賳 賴賷 丕賱賲氐胤賱丨 丕賱毓丕賲 賱賱賲毓丕賴丿丕鬲 丕賱鬲賷 賱丕 鬲毓丿 賵賱丕 鬲丨氐賶 丕賱鬲賷 兀亘乇賲鬲 亘賷賳 毓丿丿 賱丕 賷丨氐賶 賲賳 丕賱賰賷丕賳丕鬲 丕賱鬲賷 鬲卮賰賱 丕賱賮乇丿 賵兀卮賷丕亍賴丕 丕賱賲乇鬲亘胤丞 丕賱鬲賷 賱丕 鬲毓丿 賵賱丕 鬲丨氐賶. 廿賳 賮鬲乇丕鬲 丕賱丕賳鬲賯丕賱 丕賱鬲賷 鬲賮氐賱 亘賷賳 丕賱鬲賰賷賮丕鬲 丕賱賲鬲鬲丕賱賷丞 (賱兀賳賴 賱丕 賷賲賰賳 賱兀賷 賵爻賷賱丞 賲賳 賵爻丕卅賱 丕賱鬲丨賵賱 丕賱賲乇賵毓 兀賳 鬲禺丿賲 賲賱丕亍丕鬲 丕賱賯亘乇 賰兀賯賲胤丞) 鬲賲孬賱 丕賱賲賳丕胤賯 丕賱禺胤乇丞 賮賷 丨賷丕丞 丕賱賮乇丿貙 賵丕賱禺胤賷乇丞貙 賵丕賱賲丨賮賵賮丞 亘丕賱賲禺丕胤乇貙 賵丕賱賲丐賱賲丞貙 賵丕賱睾丕賲囟丞貙 賵丕賱禺氐亘丞貙 毓賳丿賲丕 賷鬲賲 丕爻鬲亘丿丕賱 丕賱賲賱賱 賲賳 丕賱丨賷丕丞 賱賱丨馗丞 亘賲毓丕賳丕丞 丕賱賵噩賵丿 (賮賷 賴匕賴 丕賱賲乇丨賱丞貙 賵亘賯賱亘 孬賯賷賱 賵賱廿乇囟丕亍 兀賵 丕爻鬲賷丕亍 丕賱噩賷丿賷賷賳貙 卮亘賴 丕賱賰丕賲賱 賵丕賱賲鬲賰丕賲賱貙 兀賱賴賲賳賷 兀賳 兀鬲賳丕夭賱 毓賳 賯賵爻賷賳 賯氐賷乇賷賳 賱噩賲賷毓 丕賱賲鬲卮丕亘賴賷賳貙 丕賱賯丕丿乇賷賳 毓賱賶 鬲賮爻賷乇 丕賱毓賷卮 亘禺胤乇貙 匕賱賰 丕賱賮賵丕賯 丕賱賲賳鬲氐乇 賮賷 丕賱賮乇丕睾貙 毓賱賶 兀賳賴 丕賱賳卮賷丿 丕賱賵胤賳賷 賱賱兀賳丕 丕賱丨賯賷賯賷丞 丕賱賲賳賮賷丞 賮賷 丕賱毓丕丿丞. 賷丿丕賮毓 丕賱噩賷丿賷賷賳 毓賳 毓丕丿丞 丕賱毓賷卮 - 賵賷亘丨孬賵賳 毓賳 賱賯亘. 毓亘丕乇丞 丿賳賷卅丞 賱丕 賲毓賳賶 賱賴丕. 廿賳 丕賱鬲賰賷賮 丕賱鬲賱賯丕卅賷 賱賱賰丕卅賳 丕賱亘卮乇賷 賲毓 馗乇賵賮 賵噩賵丿賴 賱賴 兀賴賲賷丞 兀禺賱丕賯賷丞 賯賱賷賱丞 賲孬賱 廿賱賯丕亍 丕賱賳賮賵匕 毓賳丿賲丕 賷賰賵賳 卮賴乇 丨夭賷乇丕賳 兀賵 賱丕 賷賰賵賳貨 廿賳 丕賱丨孬 毓賱賶 鬲賳賲賷丞 毓丕丿丞 賱丕 賲毓賳賶 賱賴丕 賲孬賱 丕賱丨孬 毓賱賶 鬲賳賲賷丞 丕賱夭賰丕賲. 賲毓丕賳丕丞 丕賱賵噩賵丿: 兀賷 丕賱賱毓亘 丕賱丨乇 賱賰賱 賯丿乇丞. 賱兀賳 丕賱鬲賮丕賳賷 丕賱禺亘賷孬 賱賱毓丕丿丞 賷卮賱 丕賳鬲亘丕賴賳丕貙 賵賷禺丿乇 禺丕丿賲丕鬲 丕賱廿丿乇丕賰 丕賱賱賵丕鬲賷 賱丕 賷卮賰賱 鬲毓丕賵賳賴賳 囟乇賵乇丞 賲胤賱賯丞."
賷賵丕氐賱 亘賷賰賷鬲 鬲丨丿賷丿 鬲乇賰賷夭賴 丕賱兀禺賱丕賯賷 毓賱賶 丕賱賲毓囟賱丕鬲 丕賱兀爻丕爻賷丞 賱賱賵噩賵丿 丕賱亘卮乇賷貙 賲鬲禺賱賷賸丕 毓賳 兀賷 鬲賵乇胤 賮賷 丕賱賯囟丕賷丕 丕賱丕噩鬲賲丕毓賷丞:
"賴賳丕貙 賰賲丕 賴賵 丕賱丨丕賱 丿丕卅賲賸丕貙 賷賳賮氐賱 亘乇賵爻鬲 鬲賲丕賲賸丕 毓賳 噩賲賷毓 丕賱丕毓鬲亘丕乇丕鬲 丕賱兀禺賱丕賯賷丞. 賱丕 賷賵噩丿 氐賵丕亘 賵禺胤兀 賮賷 亘乇賵爻鬲 賵賱丕 賮賷 毓丕賱賲賴 (亘丕爻鬲孬賳丕亍 乇亘賲丕 鬲賱賰 丕賱賲賯丕胤毓 丕賱鬲賷 鬲鬲毓丕賲賱 賲毓 丕賱丨乇亘貙 毓賳丿賲丕 賷鬲賵賯賮 賱賮鬲乇丞 毓賳 賰賵賳賴 賮賳丕賳賸丕 賵賷乇賮毓 氐賵鬲賴 賲毓 丕賱毓丕賲丞貙 賵丕賱睾賵睾丕亍貙 賵丕賱乇毓丕毓). 賱丕 鬲賴鬲賲 丕賱賲兀爻丕丞 亘丕賱毓丿丕賱丞 丕賱廿賳爻丕賳賷丞. 丕賱賲兀爻丕丞 賴賷 亘賷丕賳 賱賱鬲賰賮賷乇貙 賵賱賰賳賴丕 賱賷爻鬲 丕賱鬲賰賮賷乇 丕賱亘丕卅爻 毓賳 禺乇賯 賲丿賵賳 賱鬲乇鬲賷亘 賲丨賱賷貙 賳馗賲賴 丕賱兀卮乇丕乇 賱氐丕賱丨 丕賱丨賲賯賶. 廿賳 丕賱卮賰賱 丕賱賲兀爻丕賵賷 賷賲孬賱 鬲賰賮賷乇 丕賱禺胤賷卅丞 丕賱兀氐賱賷丞貙 丕賱禺胤賷卅丞 丕賱兀氐賱賷丞 賵丕賱兀亘丿賷丞 丕賱鬲賷 丕乇鬲賰亘賴丕 賴賵 賵賰賱 兀禺胤丕卅賴 丕賱丕噩鬲賲丕毓賷丞貙 禺胤賷卅丞 賵賱丕丿鬲賴."
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::丕賱禺賱丕氐丞::
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"丕賱禺胤賷卅丞 丕賱賵丨賷丿丞 賴賷 禺胤賷卅丞 丕賱賵賱丕丿丞."
賮賷 丕賱賵丕賯毓貙 廿賳 丕賱丕賯鬲賳丕毓 亘兀賳 丕賱毓丕賱賲 賵丕賱廿賳爻丕賳 卮賷亍 賰丕賳 賲賳 丕賱兀賮囟賱 兀賱丕 賷賰賵賳丕貙 賲賳 丕賱賳賵毓 丕賱匕賷 賷賲賱兀賳丕 亘丕賱鬲爻丕賴賱 鬲噩丕賴 亘毓囟賳丕 丕賱亘毓囟. 亘賱 賵賲賳 賵噩賴丞 丕賱賳馗乇 賴匕賴貙 賯丿 賳毓鬲亘乇 兀賳 丕賱卮賰賱 丕賱賲賳丕爻亘 賱賱禺胤丕亘 亘賷賳 丕賱廿賳爻丕賳 賵丕賱丌禺乇 賱賷爻 "爻賷丿賷"貙 亘賱 "乇賮賷賯賷 賮賷 丕賱賲毓丕賳丕丞"!
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October 20, 2020
EARLIER THIS SUMMER I completed the yearlong project of getting into Proust.
This took the form of listening to the 30-odd hours of Swann鈥檚 Way on Audible.com庐, snatched in 30-minute segments on the way to the grocery store, or the occasional hour or more on long aimless drives through the city. I knew it was going to be long. SW is but the first volume in the series 脌 la recherche du temps perdu which in English is often called Remembrance of Things Past as well as my preferred translated title In Search of Lost Time. The length is well known; indeed, unfortunately, it is usually the thing people talk about most when they refer to Proust. The total project clocks in at over 3,000 pages, and for most people that鈥檚 just taking the piss. I can understand why Ottessa Moshfegh makes fun of the lit bros who claim to have read the whole thing, cuz usually that鈥檚 the only reason why they do in the first place. They finish their fifteenth triathlon and then read Proust, or something, and yet there was a time long ago, back in the twentieth centch, when Prouprou was considered THE BEST writer of all time. How? Surely it鈥檚 all part of the piss take. It could only be a massive pat on the back to say you鈥檝e gotten through Proust; that you鈥檝e climbed the Kilimanjaro of books. Who gives a fuck what it鈥檚 actually about.
I was leery, but I figured I had to take a crack. Proust and Joyce are the twin pillars of pretentious dooshbaggery (which may be true of Joyce鈥�.) but I鈥檝e come to the point where I don鈥檛 give a fuck about what people say when they complain. I鈥檓 more interested in people鈥檚 opinions when they love something, and there were some interesting cats who seem to really love the lad with the name that means God of War but who was rather sensitive, shy even, and who loved writing while snug in bed with some leche calentita close by. I was determined to suss out this sneaky French bastard.
And turns out鈥�.. 鈥淚 tried it and I liked it!鈥濃劉
Now I鈥檓 not gunna empty tear duct nor seminal vesicle when describing the beauty of Marcel; but I did realize somewhere around hour 15 that I hadn鈥檛 been rolling my eyes. Proust is called wisdom literature by some, and he does drop a lot of axioms of so-called knowledge鈥攂its of observation that a writer will risk inserting into a 鈥減lot鈥� that one either finds painfully lame or spot on. I don鈥檛 remember a time when one of these nuggets made me scoff. OK, points awarded. But I wasn鈥檛 blown away necessarily either; I knew there must be more, and I readily admit I was not paying 1000% attention to every word.
SO I WENT TO SEE what other cats had said about the dude. The people who liked him. What really is the point of reading reviews that are merely takedowns (beside the myriad joys of hatereading鈥�)? More brilliant people than I have read the man, and thoroughly; surely they鈥檇 be able to lead me in the right direction. I went to Bloom, an endless proponent of Proust (PoP); he focuses a lot on the theme of jealousy and while that鈥檚 valid I asked myself: Can jealousy be enough to qualify someone as the best writer of the 20th Centchury Flox漏? Jealousy is a legit concept鈥攂ut what about war, peace, death, transcendence, etc? I had to keep looking.
And I found this. Proust by Samuel Beckett. I looked it up on that fucking travesty called Eugooglize Books漏, which previewed me the first three pages and then cut me off and didn鈥檛 give me the option to pay for it. FUCKING A. Next over to Amazon庐: but no, only used copies in stock, with a paperback runnin north of $125+. Are you mad?!
I ended up鈥攖hrough a series of hookups鈥攑rocuring it from my local uni library. USE YOUR LOCAL STATE UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES. They are PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS and you have the RIGHT to their truly amazing book stacks.
Anyway, I peeped and HOLY FUCK if this isn鈥檛 my fav Beckett-boy ever! #FBBE :)
I still remember my first experience with his books, his first novel Murphy, which is his only real book-y book. Samuel L. Beckett can be brutal and everything else for the non-serious reader is going to be tough. The main thing I had gotten from reading everything post Murph was that after his first foray into novel writing he couldn鈥檛 manufacture falsity anymore, couldn鈥檛 stomach having to write 鈥淪o-and-so got up and walked over to the window,鈥� etc, and this happens sometimes when you delve deep into literature. Everything seems so contrived and the suspension of disbelief cannot for the love of God be forced, or even faked. This is where Beckett found himself because, like Hamlet, he鈥檚 too smart. All he sees is artifice. He has to write but he cannot write another pre-modern 鈥渟tory.鈥� So why the fuck would a guy like that dig Proust?!
Well, turns out this book helped to explain not only Proust, but Beckett as well. This was a truly special 90-pager (see size 诲辞别蝉苍鈥檛 matter鈥�), totally worth every line and this is precisely because of the language. The language is fucking sick. Dude is spitting winners, constantly, so that this is the most accessible read since , and such a pleasant return to straightforward writing after such labors as Godot and Molloy. Indeed the language was so tight I鈥檓 tempted to go back to The Trilogy and his other works and see if I can鈥檛 appreciate it more just for the mere ring of the Irishman鈥檚 words. Some examples from the list I started making, which included 16 quotes in the final third alone:
鈥淭ragedy is not concerned with human justice. Tragedy is the statement of an expiation, but not the miserable expiation of a codified breach of a local arrangement, organised by the knaves for the fools. The tragic figure represents the expiation of original sin, of the original and eternal sin of him and all his 鈥榮ocii malorum鈥�, the sin of having been born.
Yowza. Proust makes you come up with lines like that?? Sign me up, dag. Or this:
鈥淎nd the dirge of his sepulchral whisper falls like clay from the spade of a gravedigger.鈥�
Damn. Gothic as fuck. #GAF. Not to mention tons of truth bombs like:
鈥淎nd as before wisdom consists in obliterating the faculty of suffering rather than in the vain attempt to reduce the stimuli that exasperate that faculty.鈥�
And:
鈥淎n impression for the writer is like an experiment for the scientist."
Sick. Longer time would be needed to dig into the meat of the philosophies here, but plenty of it can be enjoyed purely on its own merit, and I can鈥檛 help thinking that Beckett had a little bit of that creative-writing sense of joy when composing some of these lines (a joy that seemed later in his career to make his nauseous). Of course, if you haven鈥檛 acquainted yourself with Proust at all then from start to finish this is going to be gibberish. The point is that once you sort out each guy鈥擯roust and the writer of Proust, that is, Beckett鈥攖here鈥檚 a lot of joy to be had. It is an odd joy to try and explain at halftime of the big game, but it鈥檚 a strangely satisfying inner joy. You know, the kind that other people think makes you a cunt!
I think part of the reason Prouey-boy gets a bad rap nowadays (although apparently he wasn鈥檛 totally loved in his day either, bit of an acquired taste even then鈥�.) is cuz so many wankers get labelled 鈥渏ust like Proust漏鈥� or 鈥淧luperfectly Proustiesque鈥� or 鈥淟ike OMG he鈥檚 the noo noo Prou!!鈥� I鈥檒l cite two examples and then wrap up this review, before it turns into another 脌 la recherche鈥�.
First is a guy I don鈥檛 know but who I already don鈥檛 like, so I admit I could be wrong but tbh I don鈥檛 want to spend the time to find out, esp with my prejudiced view of looking for openings to beat the lad down like I was some literary Mayweather鈥� and that dude is Karl鈥檚 Jr. Knussnuss. I hear about this guy that he鈥檚 鈥渟o good鈥� and that 鈥渉e writes about nothing鈥� and that this latter quality somehow makes him like Marcel Proust. He鈥檚 been asked about it himself and says that he read Recherche over a single summer and that 鈥渙f course my book is not as good鈥� (WTF does that mean, vaugue-ass motherfucker鈥�.). Beckett would heartily disagree鈥攁t least in the statement that Proust writes about nothing. Beckett believes that for Proust symbol and subject are one, which means that his overall aim is total reality. Now, he 诲辞别蝉苍鈥檛 always succeed; but there are moments of what Beckett calls 鈥渋nvoluntary memory鈥�, which are moments of transcendence when the 鈥淕oddess of Time鈥� is defeated, when tastes and smells and the sound of a fork against a plate can take you back to a moment of sublimity greater than any feeling you鈥檝e ever felt (before and again). It鈥檚 these feelings Proust lives for; this is the lost time for which he searches. Karl鈥檚 Jr. seems to be infested with totally voluntary memories, and that he鈥檚 made the choice to re-live his entire life on the page line by garrulous line. I don鈥檛 know, I could be wrong. Fight me.
Wanker #2 is a dude I actually like a lot: Roberto Bola帽o. Some critics called 2666 鈥淧roustian鈥�. I have to sit on that one a little bit longer, but I think it鈥檚 possibly more true in that Bola帽o was concerned with the novel鈥檚 鈥渟ecret center鈥�, that invisible prana circulating through time and space, the logos spermatikos over which we have no control but which matters so much, which is everything (if you鈥檝e felt it before鈥�..) Unfortunately, I think RB gets the nod that he鈥檚 like Marcelo because he also wrote a book that most people think is so long it can only be a pisstake. Go figure.
In sum, Proust is tight. And so is Beckett. If you鈥檙e already a Beckett fan then you鈥檙e gunna love this but read Proust first, and if you aren鈥檛 a Proust fan already then you need to take a fuckin look in the mirror, bro. JK.
July 31, 2021
This book came about from a commission, when Beckett was only 25 years old. It remains a formalist analysis of some scenes and a few blunt observations that show unfamiliarity with human empathy.
Beckett does not seem to have any motivation for writing this essay, nor does he seem to understand once he has started it where he wants to take it. It feels short.
I've written about this book when writing about "Molloy" in my Portuguese blog:
Beckett does not seem to have any motivation for writing this essay, nor does he seem to understand once he has started it where he wants to take it. It feels short.
I've written about this book when writing about "Molloy" in my Portuguese blog:
September 13, 2009
When I was a student, Harold Bloom instructed us to read this in the following manner: Whenever Beckett mentions the name of Proust, substitute that of Wordsworth. Reading it again now, I prefer to re-insert "Proust".
September 12, 2016
Sofrendo do mesmo mal que acometeu o trabalho de Deleuze sobre Proust, Em Busca do Tempo perdido 茅 t茫o obra prima que qualquer coisa dita sobre ele se torna redundante.
October 3, 2019
Two stars for pompous writing; three stars for some good ideas; four stars for writing about my beloved Proust. Proust wins!
May 8, 2023
What more do you need when you have Beckett analysing Proust!?
February 21, 2016
Took a little break from reading Proust (and added to my reading of the complete works of Beckett in order) to peruse this longish essay by Mr. Becket on M. Proust. It's very off-putting at first with dear, very young Sammy getting all high and mighty with the erudite words to prove he's up to the task of taking on the French monolith's magnum opus. After 10 or so pages he calms down enough to get his point across without infuriating. Then there's a long middle section that's mostly a commentary--synopsis with proofs of his opening remarks emphasized--and then a pretty rousing conclusion re-iterating his interpretation of La Recherche as an obliteration of time through processes outside of voluntary memory in which art is accessory but not totally germinal. All-in-all well done. I agree with his reading in the main, although I might ascribe it to other reasons. But, shit--spoilers! (I'm only as far as The Captive so the end was indeed ruined for me. Sigh. Wait until you've finished La Recherche to read this one.
May 13, 2021
Samuel Beckett'in yay谋mlanm谋艧 ilk kitab谋. 脰臒retmenlik yaparken 24 ya艧谋nda yazm谋艧 Proust 眉zerine olan bu k谋sa eseri. Bence Proust 眉zerine yaz谋lm谋艧 en iyi metinlerden biri. Neredeyse paragraf olmaks谋z谋n akan metin Kay谋p Zaman谋n 陌zinde serisi 眉zerine derinlemesine bir analiz sunuyor. Benim gibi Beckett'in de ba艧larda Kay谋p Zaman谋n 陌zinde serisini sevmemi艧 oldu臒u bilmek benim ad谋ma ilgin莽 bir ayr谋nt谋. 脟眉nk眉 serinin okurda yaratt谋臒谋 bu tarz bir d枚n眉艧眉m bence 莽ok daha ilgin莽 bir okuma ser眉veni sunuyor. O y眉zden Proust d眉nyas谋yla aramda geli艧en gelgitli ili艧kiyi Beckett'in de ya艧am谋艧 oldu臒u 枚臒renmek ve Proust incelemesini bu do臒rultuda okumak bana daha geni艧 bir 莽er莽eve sundu.
August 11, 2021
Surprisingly good, actually might be the best thing I've read by Beckett (certainly better than his fiction/plays). Amazed that he got there as early as 1931 (and at age 25); one thing that is often overlooked about critical essays is that they usually build on the work of others, but that was certainly not the case here. (This is especially true in philosophy; I can only imagine that the first commentators on Kant and Hegel felt like they were taking their life into their hands.) Beckett later dismissed this essay's 鈥渃heap flashy philosophical jargon," which is fair, but I prefer when authors risk pretentiousness.
Beckett is especially good on Proust's complete lack of morality (that the narrator is somehow pre-moral) and on Proust as barely modernist and really more reminiscent of Hugo (I would add Eliot -- Proust's favorite author -- as well as Stendhal and Tolstoy). Beckett also perfectly conveys the experience of reading Proust:
And this is a positive review of Proust, lol. Exhausted and angry after an hour is precisely right; yet one keeps going back.
Beckett is especially good on Proust's complete lack of morality (that the narrator is somehow pre-moral) and on Proust as barely modernist and really more reminiscent of Hugo (I would add Eliot -- Proust's favorite author -- as well as Stendhal and Tolstoy). Beckett also perfectly conveys the experience of reading Proust:
It is a tiring style, but it does not tire the mind. One's fatigue is a fatigue of the heart, a blood fatigue. One is exhausted and angry after an hour, submerged, dominated by the crest and break of metaphor after metaphor.
And this is a positive review of Proust, lol. Exhausted and angry after an hour is precisely right; yet one keeps going back.
March 30, 2021
Samuel Beckett - Proust, Bokf枚rlaget Faethon 2020 (utgiven 2021). 脰vers盲ttning av Erik Sandin, reviderad av Daniel Pedersen. Efterord av Johan Sehlberg. Serie alpha nr 06. Tryckt i 25 exemplar 鈥漢ors commerce鈥�, I-XXV och 475 exemplar, numrerade 1-475.
Med stor ambivalens 鈥� och f枚rmodligen mer av plikt 盲n lust 鈥� 氓tar sig Beckett i juli 1930 att skriva en monografi 枚ver Proust. I brev beklagar han sig 枚ver att inte kunna komma ig氓ng med skrivandet, men att han 氓tminstone har lyckats l盲sa ut 鈥漷he bastard鈥�. Han hade l盲st f枚rsta volymen av A la recherche du temps perdu i en 鈥漡r盲slig鈥� fransk 16-bandsutg氓va f枚rst sommaren innan (鈥漷盲nk att jag m氓ste sitta p氓 skithuset och begrunda honom 16 volymer igenom鈥�) och funnit den 鈥漨盲rkligt oj盲mn鈥�. F枚rvisso med 鈥漮j盲mf枚rbara stycken鈥� och, som han ska komma att skriva i boken, med en 鈥漵kattkammare av sl氓ende formuleringar鈥�. S氓 sent som 25 augusti 1930 skriver han till v盲nnen Thomas McGreevy att 鈥滻 can鈥檛 do the fucking thing鈥�, men mindre 盲n en m氓nad senare har han personligen 枚verl盲mnat ett r氓manuskript till sin f枚rl盲ggare Charles Prentice p氓 Chatto & Windus i London.
Beckett var vid den h盲r tiden en ung och ok盲nd f枚rfattare. Knappt en fotnot i litteraturhistorien. Han hade kommit till Paris h枚sten 1928 f枚r att tilltr盲da en tv氓氓rig tj盲nst som 鈥漧ecteur d鈥檃nglais鈥� vid Ecole Normale Sup茅riure och h盲ngde i kretsen kring James Joyce. Han hj盲lpte den sv氓rt synskadade landsmannen med 盲renden, l盲ste bland annat f枚r honom, och f枚rs枚kte h氓lla dennes dotter Lucia, som var sv氓rt f枚r盲lskad i Beckett, p氓 v盲rdigt avst氓nd. Han hade bara publicerat en novell och ett par ess盲er, samt debuterat som poet 1930 med den m盲rkv盲rdiga l氓ngdikten om Ren茅 Descartes, Whoroscope, utgiven i bara 300 ex.
Proust kom slutligen ut 5 mars 1931 och s氓lde f枚rv氓nansv盲rt bra (679 exemplar redan f枚rsta veckan). Boken inleds med ett citat av den italienske pessimisten Giacomo Leopardi (1798-1837): 鈥滶 fango e il mondo鈥�, ungef盲r: 鈥漮ch dy 盲r v盲rlden鈥�. Med detta 盲r 盲ven Becketts egen filosofi fastslagen. Hans pessimistiska 枚vertygelse 盲r i denna ess盲 avg枚rande f枚r f枚rst氓elsen av inte bara Prousts f枚rfattarskap utan sj盲lva tillvarons (brist p氓) mening: 鈥漑m]ellan denna d枚d och denna f枚delse: den outh盲rdliga verkligheten鈥�. Pendeln sv盲nger mellan tv氓 punkter: lidandet och ledan. Att han vid sidan om Proust 鈥� f枚rutom Keats och D鈥橝nnunzio 鈥� vid den h盲r tiden ocks氓 flitigt l盲ste Arthur Schopenhauer kommer allts氓 knappast som n氓gon 枚verraskning.
Prousts stora teman 盲r, enligt Beckett, Tiden, Vanan och Minnet (och som fj盲rde, m枚jligtvis jokern D枚den). Tiden, 鈥漝枚dens instrument鈥�, 鈥漟枚rd枚melsens och fr盲lsningens tveh枚vdade monster鈥�, 盲r oveders盲gligen av central betydelse f枚r Prousts stora romanverk. Dess varelser 盲r i m氓nga h盲nseenden offer f枚r tiden. Beckett po盲ngterar att g氓rdagen inte 盲r n氓got som passeras utan en o氓terkallelig del av oss, inte en milstolpe utan en 鈥漝agsten鈥� som finns inom oss, 鈥漷ung och farlig鈥�. Liksom v盲rldens skapelse inte skedde 鈥漞n g氓ng f枚r alla utan sker varje dag鈥�. Tiden 盲r inte n氓gonting som 鈥澝ervinns鈥� utan ist盲llet utpl氓nas och individen 盲r 鈥漵k氓deplatsen f枚r en st盲ndigt fortg氓ende dekantering fr氓n det k盲rl, som 盲r fyllt med kommande tid鈥�.
Vanan 盲r en ballast som st氓r 枚ver minnets lagar: 鈥滱tt andas 盲r en vana. Att leva 盲r en vana鈥�. H盲r tar han hj盲lp av Schopenhauer, som s盲ger att medvetandet 鈥� och d盲rmed v盲rlden 鈥� 盲r en objektivering av individens vilja. Livet 盲r en f枚ljd av vanor eftersom 鈥漹盲rlden 盲r en projektion av individens medvetande鈥�. Vanans uppgift 盲r att f枚rlama v氓r uppm盲rksamhet och bed枚va v氓ra 鈥漰erceptionsorgan鈥�. H盲r h盲nvisar Beckett till kokerskan Francoise i P氓 spaning... och 鈥漛er盲ttaren鈥�, som inte kunde sova i fr盲mmande rum (med h枚gt i tak): 鈥漋anan att tycka om rum f枚r det 盲r l氓gt i tak fungerar inte l盲ngre och m氓ste d枚 s氓 att en vana att tycka om rum d盲r det 盲r h枚gt i tak kan f枚das. Mellan denna d枚d och denna f枚delse: den outh盲rdliga verkligheten鈥�. Pessimismen igen.
Proust hade d氓ligt minne, skriver Beckett, och till盲gger f枚rnumstigt att en man med gott minne 鈥漦ommer inte ih氓g n氓gonting eftersom han inte gl枚mmer n氓gonting鈥�. Minnet 盲r ett 鈥漦liniskt laboratorium 鈥�, ett 鈥漹anedjur鈥�, ett 鈥漦l盲dstreck鈥� d盲r gamla smutskl盲der (鈥漣 g氓r鈥�) nu h盲nger 鈥漷vagna vita鈥� som 鈥漬枚jda tj盲nare鈥�, redo att anv盲ndas n盲r lusten faller p氓. Med hj盲lp av nyfikenhet och sinnesfr氓nvaro (det undermedvetna, skulle v盲l en freudian s盲ga) n氓r minnet 鈥漹氓rt v盲sens djupaste och mest o氓tkomliga valv, dit vanan inte har n氓gon nyckel鈥�. Det frivilliga minnet 盲r som en 鈥漦onkordans till individens Gamla Testamente鈥�; godtyckligt valda bilder fj盲rran fr氓n verkligheten. Ett 鈥漣ngenting鈥� rentav. Det ofrivilliga minnet d盲remot 盲r explosivt, med Prousts egna ord (och i Becketts n氓got f枚rvanskade 枚vers盲ttning), 鈥漞n 枚gonblicklig, total och h盲nryckande f枚rbr盲nning鈥� (ur IV: Albertine disparue, ett stycke som saknas i den svenska 枚vers盲ttningen). Men Beckett misstror Prousts id茅er om fr盲lsning via ofrivilliga minnen. Han kallar dem 鈥漟etischer鈥� och listar elva s氓dana (listan 鈥澝 inte fullst盲ndig鈥�), med start i den ber枚mda madeleinekakan. Han fnyser att det ofrivilliga minnet trollas fram ur en grund k盲lla 鈥� 鈥漞n tekopps outgrundliga banalitet鈥� 鈥� ja, hela 鈥漃rousts v盲rld kommer ur en tekopp鈥�.
D枚den beh枚ver vi inte orda s氓 mycket om: 鈥漋ad vi 盲n kan r氓ka anse om d枚den, s氓 kan vi vara s盲kra p氓 att v氓r 氓sikt 盲r meningsl枚s och v盲rdel枚s鈥�. Den 盲r Tidens instrument, presenterad som ber盲ttarens mormor i Prousts roman, ett sp枚ke som han ser l盲sande 鈥漵in 盲lskade Mme de S茅vign茅鈥�, trots att hon 盲r d枚d sedan l盲nge. Hon, mormodern, 鈥漝en 盲lskade gestalten inom honom鈥�, 盲r bara 氓terskapad av 鈥漹aneminnets omsorger鈥�. Men v氓rt liv 鈥澝 en f枚ljd av f枚rnekade paradis鈥�, och 鈥漝枚den kommer att bota m氓nga fr氓n deras l盲ngtan efter od枚dlighet鈥�.
Beckett tar f枚rst氓s h盲r och var exempel ur Prousts stora verk, men jag vill 盲nd氓 p氓st氓 att man kan f氓 lika mycket ut av den h盲r boken 盲ven om man inte l盲st en rad av den hypokondriske fransmannen. Jag har sj盲lv aldrig har kommit l盲ngre 盲n till f枚rsta bandet, Swanns v盲rld (there, I said it!). F枚r likt Michel Houellebecqs bok om H. P. Lovecraft s盲ger Becketts monografi mer om f枚rfattaren sj盲lv 盲n om sj盲lva 盲mnet. Ett uppenbart faktum som noterats av snart nog varje beckettolog. Till exempel skriver A. Alvarez i sin Beckettbok (Fontana 1973) att 鈥漃roust 盲r, framf枚r allt, en urs盲kt f枚r Beckett att diagnosticera sina egna besv盲r鈥�. Jag vill g氓 s氓 l氓ngt som att p氓st氓 att vi h盲r, 氓tminstone bitvis, f氓r se in i den 24-氓riga framtida nobelpristagarens hj盲rna.
Det 盲r ocks氓 tydligt att Proust 盲r skriven av en ung intellektuell, ivrig att visa vad han g氓r f枚r. Som John Calder skriver i The Philosophy of Samuel Beckett (Calder Publications 2001) 盲r boken bitvis m盲rkt av en 鈥漮ver-cleverness, a tendency to show off, that Beckett did not wholly overcome until after the war鈥�. Det g枚r nu inte boken mindre l盲sv盲rd. Tv盲rtom 盲r det inte bara underh氓llande utan ocks氓 berikande att ta del av en f枚rfattare som st氓r p氓 t氓 s氓v盲l spr氓kligt som intellektuellt. Och precis som i fallet Houellebecq (inte bara i H. P. Lovecraft - emot v盲rlden, emot livet, utan 盲ven och kanske till och med i 盲nnu h枚gre grad i H氓lla sig vid liv) l盲ser jag en filosofisk programf枚rklaring, ett pessimistiskt fundament mot vilket ett livsl氓ngt f枚rfattarskap ska komma att vila.
Sp氓r av Becketts Proustl盲sning ska dyka upp i flera av hans senare verk. Redan i Dream of Fair to Middling Women (1932) skriver han om 鈥漷he zone of evaporation鈥� (avdunstningszonen) och till盲gger lekfullt i en parentes: 鈥漌e stole that one. Guess from where鈥�. Svaret 盲r Swanns v盲rld. I En attendant Godot (1952) finner vi exempelvis proustska funderingar om vanans makt och i Endgame (1957) om minnet. Etcetera.
Jag s氓g en elak tunga tala illa om omslaget till den h盲r boken n氓gonstans. Jag protesterar 氓 det best盲mdaste och tycker tv盲rtom f枚rlagets serie alpha 盲r oerh枚rt smakfull. Rej盲la sm氓 tr氓dbundna klotband med strama gr氓 stilrena skyddsomslag. Det 盲r lika genialt enkelt som det 盲r snyggt och v盲rdigt.
Skrivandet var f枚r Samuel Beckett det enda s盲ttet att s枚ka n氓 fram till det han n氓gonstans kallar 鈥漹arats autentiska svaghet鈥�. Man kan s盲ga att det var med boken Proust som detta s枚kande p氓 allvar inleddes.
Med stor ambivalens 鈥� och f枚rmodligen mer av plikt 盲n lust 鈥� 氓tar sig Beckett i juli 1930 att skriva en monografi 枚ver Proust. I brev beklagar han sig 枚ver att inte kunna komma ig氓ng med skrivandet, men att han 氓tminstone har lyckats l盲sa ut 鈥漷he bastard鈥�. Han hade l盲st f枚rsta volymen av A la recherche du temps perdu i en 鈥漡r盲slig鈥� fransk 16-bandsutg氓va f枚rst sommaren innan (鈥漷盲nk att jag m氓ste sitta p氓 skithuset och begrunda honom 16 volymer igenom鈥�) och funnit den 鈥漨盲rkligt oj盲mn鈥�. F枚rvisso med 鈥漮j盲mf枚rbara stycken鈥� och, som han ska komma att skriva i boken, med en 鈥漵kattkammare av sl氓ende formuleringar鈥�. S氓 sent som 25 augusti 1930 skriver han till v盲nnen Thomas McGreevy att 鈥滻 can鈥檛 do the fucking thing鈥�, men mindre 盲n en m氓nad senare har han personligen 枚verl盲mnat ett r氓manuskript till sin f枚rl盲ggare Charles Prentice p氓 Chatto & Windus i London.
Beckett var vid den h盲r tiden en ung och ok盲nd f枚rfattare. Knappt en fotnot i litteraturhistorien. Han hade kommit till Paris h枚sten 1928 f枚r att tilltr盲da en tv氓氓rig tj盲nst som 鈥漧ecteur d鈥檃nglais鈥� vid Ecole Normale Sup茅riure och h盲ngde i kretsen kring James Joyce. Han hj盲lpte den sv氓rt synskadade landsmannen med 盲renden, l盲ste bland annat f枚r honom, och f枚rs枚kte h氓lla dennes dotter Lucia, som var sv氓rt f枚r盲lskad i Beckett, p氓 v盲rdigt avst氓nd. Han hade bara publicerat en novell och ett par ess盲er, samt debuterat som poet 1930 med den m盲rkv盲rdiga l氓ngdikten om Ren茅 Descartes, Whoroscope, utgiven i bara 300 ex.
Proust kom slutligen ut 5 mars 1931 och s氓lde f枚rv氓nansv盲rt bra (679 exemplar redan f枚rsta veckan). Boken inleds med ett citat av den italienske pessimisten Giacomo Leopardi (1798-1837): 鈥滶 fango e il mondo鈥�, ungef盲r: 鈥漮ch dy 盲r v盲rlden鈥�. Med detta 盲r 盲ven Becketts egen filosofi fastslagen. Hans pessimistiska 枚vertygelse 盲r i denna ess盲 avg枚rande f枚r f枚rst氓elsen av inte bara Prousts f枚rfattarskap utan sj盲lva tillvarons (brist p氓) mening: 鈥漑m]ellan denna d枚d och denna f枚delse: den outh盲rdliga verkligheten鈥�. Pendeln sv盲nger mellan tv氓 punkter: lidandet och ledan. Att han vid sidan om Proust 鈥� f枚rutom Keats och D鈥橝nnunzio 鈥� vid den h盲r tiden ocks氓 flitigt l盲ste Arthur Schopenhauer kommer allts氓 knappast som n氓gon 枚verraskning.
Prousts stora teman 盲r, enligt Beckett, Tiden, Vanan och Minnet (och som fj盲rde, m枚jligtvis jokern D枚den). Tiden, 鈥漝枚dens instrument鈥�, 鈥漟枚rd枚melsens och fr盲lsningens tveh枚vdade monster鈥�, 盲r oveders盲gligen av central betydelse f枚r Prousts stora romanverk. Dess varelser 盲r i m氓nga h盲nseenden offer f枚r tiden. Beckett po盲ngterar att g氓rdagen inte 盲r n氓got som passeras utan en o氓terkallelig del av oss, inte en milstolpe utan en 鈥漝agsten鈥� som finns inom oss, 鈥漷ung och farlig鈥�. Liksom v盲rldens skapelse inte skedde 鈥漞n g氓ng f枚r alla utan sker varje dag鈥�. Tiden 盲r inte n氓gonting som 鈥澝ervinns鈥� utan ist盲llet utpl氓nas och individen 盲r 鈥漵k氓deplatsen f枚r en st盲ndigt fortg氓ende dekantering fr氓n det k盲rl, som 盲r fyllt med kommande tid鈥�.
Vanan 盲r en ballast som st氓r 枚ver minnets lagar: 鈥滱tt andas 盲r en vana. Att leva 盲r en vana鈥�. H盲r tar han hj盲lp av Schopenhauer, som s盲ger att medvetandet 鈥� och d盲rmed v盲rlden 鈥� 盲r en objektivering av individens vilja. Livet 盲r en f枚ljd av vanor eftersom 鈥漹盲rlden 盲r en projektion av individens medvetande鈥�. Vanans uppgift 盲r att f枚rlama v氓r uppm盲rksamhet och bed枚va v氓ra 鈥漰erceptionsorgan鈥�. H盲r h盲nvisar Beckett till kokerskan Francoise i P氓 spaning... och 鈥漛er盲ttaren鈥�, som inte kunde sova i fr盲mmande rum (med h枚gt i tak): 鈥漋anan att tycka om rum f枚r det 盲r l氓gt i tak fungerar inte l盲ngre och m氓ste d枚 s氓 att en vana att tycka om rum d盲r det 盲r h枚gt i tak kan f枚das. Mellan denna d枚d och denna f枚delse: den outh盲rdliga verkligheten鈥�. Pessimismen igen.
Proust hade d氓ligt minne, skriver Beckett, och till盲gger f枚rnumstigt att en man med gott minne 鈥漦ommer inte ih氓g n氓gonting eftersom han inte gl枚mmer n氓gonting鈥�. Minnet 盲r ett 鈥漦liniskt laboratorium 鈥�, ett 鈥漹anedjur鈥�, ett 鈥漦l盲dstreck鈥� d盲r gamla smutskl盲der (鈥漣 g氓r鈥�) nu h盲nger 鈥漷vagna vita鈥� som 鈥漬枚jda tj盲nare鈥�, redo att anv盲ndas n盲r lusten faller p氓. Med hj盲lp av nyfikenhet och sinnesfr氓nvaro (det undermedvetna, skulle v盲l en freudian s盲ga) n氓r minnet 鈥漹氓rt v盲sens djupaste och mest o氓tkomliga valv, dit vanan inte har n氓gon nyckel鈥�. Det frivilliga minnet 盲r som en 鈥漦onkordans till individens Gamla Testamente鈥�; godtyckligt valda bilder fj盲rran fr氓n verkligheten. Ett 鈥漣ngenting鈥� rentav. Det ofrivilliga minnet d盲remot 盲r explosivt, med Prousts egna ord (och i Becketts n氓got f枚rvanskade 枚vers盲ttning), 鈥漞n 枚gonblicklig, total och h盲nryckande f枚rbr盲nning鈥� (ur IV: Albertine disparue, ett stycke som saknas i den svenska 枚vers盲ttningen). Men Beckett misstror Prousts id茅er om fr盲lsning via ofrivilliga minnen. Han kallar dem 鈥漟etischer鈥� och listar elva s氓dana (listan 鈥澝 inte fullst盲ndig鈥�), med start i den ber枚mda madeleinekakan. Han fnyser att det ofrivilliga minnet trollas fram ur en grund k盲lla 鈥� 鈥漞n tekopps outgrundliga banalitet鈥� 鈥� ja, hela 鈥漃rousts v盲rld kommer ur en tekopp鈥�.
D枚den beh枚ver vi inte orda s氓 mycket om: 鈥漋ad vi 盲n kan r氓ka anse om d枚den, s氓 kan vi vara s盲kra p氓 att v氓r 氓sikt 盲r meningsl枚s och v盲rdel枚s鈥�. Den 盲r Tidens instrument, presenterad som ber盲ttarens mormor i Prousts roman, ett sp枚ke som han ser l盲sande 鈥漵in 盲lskade Mme de S茅vign茅鈥�, trots att hon 盲r d枚d sedan l盲nge. Hon, mormodern, 鈥漝en 盲lskade gestalten inom honom鈥�, 盲r bara 氓terskapad av 鈥漹aneminnets omsorger鈥�. Men v氓rt liv 鈥澝 en f枚ljd av f枚rnekade paradis鈥�, och 鈥漝枚den kommer att bota m氓nga fr氓n deras l盲ngtan efter od枚dlighet鈥�.
Beckett tar f枚rst氓s h盲r och var exempel ur Prousts stora verk, men jag vill 盲nd氓 p氓st氓 att man kan f氓 lika mycket ut av den h盲r boken 盲ven om man inte l盲st en rad av den hypokondriske fransmannen. Jag har sj盲lv aldrig har kommit l盲ngre 盲n till f枚rsta bandet, Swanns v盲rld (there, I said it!). F枚r likt Michel Houellebecqs bok om H. P. Lovecraft s盲ger Becketts monografi mer om f枚rfattaren sj盲lv 盲n om sj盲lva 盲mnet. Ett uppenbart faktum som noterats av snart nog varje beckettolog. Till exempel skriver A. Alvarez i sin Beckettbok (Fontana 1973) att 鈥漃roust 盲r, framf枚r allt, en urs盲kt f枚r Beckett att diagnosticera sina egna besv盲r鈥�. Jag vill g氓 s氓 l氓ngt som att p氓st氓 att vi h盲r, 氓tminstone bitvis, f氓r se in i den 24-氓riga framtida nobelpristagarens hj盲rna.
Det 盲r ocks氓 tydligt att Proust 盲r skriven av en ung intellektuell, ivrig att visa vad han g氓r f枚r. Som John Calder skriver i The Philosophy of Samuel Beckett (Calder Publications 2001) 盲r boken bitvis m盲rkt av en 鈥漮ver-cleverness, a tendency to show off, that Beckett did not wholly overcome until after the war鈥�. Det g枚r nu inte boken mindre l盲sv盲rd. Tv盲rtom 盲r det inte bara underh氓llande utan ocks氓 berikande att ta del av en f枚rfattare som st氓r p氓 t氓 s氓v盲l spr氓kligt som intellektuellt. Och precis som i fallet Houellebecq (inte bara i H. P. Lovecraft - emot v盲rlden, emot livet, utan 盲ven och kanske till och med i 盲nnu h枚gre grad i H氓lla sig vid liv) l盲ser jag en filosofisk programf枚rklaring, ett pessimistiskt fundament mot vilket ett livsl氓ngt f枚rfattarskap ska komma att vila.
Sp氓r av Becketts Proustl盲sning ska dyka upp i flera av hans senare verk. Redan i Dream of Fair to Middling Women (1932) skriver han om 鈥漷he zone of evaporation鈥� (avdunstningszonen) och till盲gger lekfullt i en parentes: 鈥漌e stole that one. Guess from where鈥�. Svaret 盲r Swanns v盲rld. I En attendant Godot (1952) finner vi exempelvis proustska funderingar om vanans makt och i Endgame (1957) om minnet. Etcetera.
Jag s氓g en elak tunga tala illa om omslaget till den h盲r boken n氓gonstans. Jag protesterar 氓 det best盲mdaste och tycker tv盲rtom f枚rlagets serie alpha 盲r oerh枚rt smakfull. Rej盲la sm氓 tr氓dbundna klotband med strama gr氓 stilrena skyddsomslag. Det 盲r lika genialt enkelt som det 盲r snyggt och v盲rdigt.
Skrivandet var f枚r Samuel Beckett det enda s盲ttet att s枚ka n氓 fram till det han n氓gonstans kallar 鈥漹arats autentiska svaghet鈥�. Man kan s盲ga att det var med boken Proust som detta s枚kande p氓 allvar inleddes.
June 1, 2016
"Proust had a bad memory, as he had an inefficient habit, or because he had an inefficient habit. The man with a good memory does not remember anything because he does not forget anything"(17).
Involuntary memory, or Proustian revelation: "The whole of Proust comes out of a teacup鈥usann's, stimulated or charmed by the long-forgotten taste of a madelaine steeped in infusion of tea, conjures in all the relief and color of its essential significance from the shallow well of a cup's inscrutable banality"(21).
"The artist is active, but negatively鈥e cannot practice friendship, because friendship is the centrifugal force of self-fear, self-negation"(48); "He deplores the 'time one wastes in upholstering one's life with a human and parasitic vegetation"(68). As for vegetation, note Proust's images:
"It is significant that the majority of his images are botanical. He assimilates the human to the vegetal. He is conscious of humanity as flora, never as fauna. (There are no black cats andfaithful hounds in Proust." "Albertine's laugh has the color and smell of a geranium." "Flowers and plants have no conscious will. They are shameless, exposing their genitals. And so in a sense are Proust's men and women, whose will is blind and hard, but never self-conscious"(69).
P "deplores his lack of will until he understands that will, being utilitarian, a servant of intelligence and habit, is not a condition of artistic experience." "So there is no collapse of the will in Proust, as there is for example in Spenser and Keats and Giorgione. He sits up all night in Paris, with a branch of apple-blossom laid beside his lamp, staring at teh foam of the white corollae until the dawn comes to redden them. But this is not the terrible panic-stricken stasis of Keats."
Music is the catalytic element in the work of Proust; it synthesizes teh moments of privilege and runs parallel to them, sine materia (contra Swann, who identifies Sonata with Odette). "Opera is a hideous corruption of music, most immaterial of all the arts. [libretto particularize the ideal, the musical phrase]鈥rom this point of view, opera is less complete than vaudeville, which at least inaugurates the comedy of an exhaustive enumeration"(91).
Involuntary memory, or Proustian revelation: "The whole of Proust comes out of a teacup鈥usann's, stimulated or charmed by the long-forgotten taste of a madelaine steeped in infusion of tea, conjures in all the relief and color of its essential significance from the shallow well of a cup's inscrutable banality"(21).
"The artist is active, but negatively鈥e cannot practice friendship, because friendship is the centrifugal force of self-fear, self-negation"(48); "He deplores the 'time one wastes in upholstering one's life with a human and parasitic vegetation"(68). As for vegetation, note Proust's images:
"It is significant that the majority of his images are botanical. He assimilates the human to the vegetal. He is conscious of humanity as flora, never as fauna. (There are no black cats andfaithful hounds in Proust." "Albertine's laugh has the color and smell of a geranium." "Flowers and plants have no conscious will. They are shameless, exposing their genitals. And so in a sense are Proust's men and women, whose will is blind and hard, but never self-conscious"(69).
P "deplores his lack of will until he understands that will, being utilitarian, a servant of intelligence and habit, is not a condition of artistic experience." "So there is no collapse of the will in Proust, as there is for example in Spenser and Keats and Giorgione. He sits up all night in Paris, with a branch of apple-blossom laid beside his lamp, staring at teh foam of the white corollae until the dawn comes to redden them. But this is not the terrible panic-stricken stasis of Keats."
Music is the catalytic element in the work of Proust; it synthesizes teh moments of privilege and runs parallel to them, sine materia (contra Swann, who identifies Sonata with Odette). "Opera is a hideous corruption of music, most immaterial of all the arts. [libretto particularize the ideal, the musical phrase]鈥rom this point of view, opera is less complete than vaudeville, which at least inaugurates the comedy of an exhaustive enumeration"(91).
September 25, 2022
(Edizione italiana SE, a cura di Piero Pagliano, con uno scritto di Margherita S. Frankel)
Sono un po鈥� confuso circa il significato di questo saggio su Proust, dello scopo di Beckett nello scriverlo. Temo che le sue motivazioni debbano tutte essere ricondotte ad una sola: lo smisurato amore di Beckett per Proust.
Pi霉 che un saggio sembra di leggere una lettera d鈥檃more, ma in quella rara e felice circostanza in cui esso 猫 reciproco, poich茅 Beckett ama e la Recherche si dischiude docile alla sua indagine. A sua volta Beckett naviga fra le pagine della Recherchecon disinvoltura ma con l鈥檃nsia di trasmettere la propria comprensione; ha una giustissima chiave di lettura, e sembra voler riconoscere il proprio amore nella constatazione della propria comprensione.
Quindi, dette queste sciocchezze -la confusione 猫 una gioia, il timore 猫 indulgenza-, devo ringraziare Beckett per questo fantastico saggio che illumina di una luce pi霉 intelligibile la Recherche per me che la amo ma che ahim茅 non ne sono altrettanto ricambiato come lo 猫 stato lui (sono un po鈥� geloso, in fondo).
Ovviamente, 猫 un saggio che presuppone l鈥檌ntera lettura della Recherche.
Lo scritto di Margherita S. Frankel, al contrario di quello sentimentale -oserei dire- di Beckett, 猫 decisamente pi霉 pedante e noioso. Non che non sia interessante, ma 猫 di una specie completamente diversa, non 猫 amore, 猫 conoscenza.
Sono un po鈥� confuso circa il significato di questo saggio su Proust, dello scopo di Beckett nello scriverlo. Temo che le sue motivazioni debbano tutte essere ricondotte ad una sola: lo smisurato amore di Beckett per Proust.
Pi霉 che un saggio sembra di leggere una lettera d鈥檃more, ma in quella rara e felice circostanza in cui esso 猫 reciproco, poich茅 Beckett ama e la Recherche si dischiude docile alla sua indagine. A sua volta Beckett naviga fra le pagine della Recherchecon disinvoltura ma con l鈥檃nsia di trasmettere la propria comprensione; ha una giustissima chiave di lettura, e sembra voler riconoscere il proprio amore nella constatazione della propria comprensione.
Quindi, dette queste sciocchezze -la confusione 猫 una gioia, il timore 猫 indulgenza-, devo ringraziare Beckett per questo fantastico saggio che illumina di una luce pi霉 intelligibile la Recherche per me che la amo ma che ahim茅 non ne sono altrettanto ricambiato come lo 猫 stato lui (sono un po鈥� geloso, in fondo).
Ovviamente, 猫 un saggio che presuppone l鈥檌ntera lettura della Recherche.
Lo scritto di Margherita S. Frankel, al contrario di quello sentimentale -oserei dire- di Beckett, 猫 decisamente pi霉 pedante e noioso. Non che non sia interessante, ma 猫 di una specie completamente diversa, non 猫 amore, 猫 conoscenza.
May 30, 2015
I like Beckett. And I like Proust. But this? No!
I don't really like academic literary criticism because it invariably turns out like this book. It was written when he was 25 or so and he apparently didn't like it himself when he was older.
Here's a quote from the beginning of the book:
Ok, there are a few good quotes, such as:
I don't really like academic literary criticism because it invariably turns out like this book. It was written when he was 25 or so and he apparently didn't like it himself when he was older.
Here's a quote from the beginning of the book:
But the poisonous ingenuity of Time in the science of affliction is not limited to its action on the subject, that action, as has been shown, resulting in an unceasing modification of his personality, whose permanent reality, if any, can only be apprehended as a retrospective hypothesis.And so on...
Ok, there are a few good quotes, such as:
Memory and Habit are attributes of the Time cancer.
Curiosity is the hair of our habit tending to stand on end.The additional dialogues between Samuel Beckett and Georges Duthuit are even more pointless.
April 23, 2007
cost me 鈧�50 in library charges. was worth it.
July 20, 2021
vou usar na inicia莽茫o cient铆fica quero nem saber, depois escrevo sobre
September 29, 2024
Verdi臒im 眉莽 y谋ld谋z eserden ziyade kendime diye pe艧in bir bildirimde bulunduktan sonra incelememe ge莽eyim.
Kay谋p Zaman谋n 陌zinde serisini bitirdikten sonra okunmas谋 gereken eserler diye bir listeyi takip ederek esere ula艧t谋m. Bir edebi metin incelemesi oldu臒unu bilerek ba艧lamama ra臒men baz谋 paragraflar谋 takip etmekte zorlan谋p ba艧tan okudu臒um oldu diyebilirim. Buraya tekrar okudu臒um k谋s谋mlardan bir 枚rnek de b谋rakay谋m: Bu iki y眉zl眉, 眉莽 ba艧l谋, 莽evik canavar ya da 陌lah'tan: Zaman - bir dirili艧 ko艧ulu 莽眉nk眉 bir 枚l眉m arac谋; Al谋艧kanl谋k - ilkinin tehlikeli co艧kusuna kar艧谋 莽谋kt谋臒谋 枚l莽眉de bir hastal谋k ve 陌kinci颅 sinin zalimli臒ini hafifletti臒i 枚l莽眉de bir nimet; ve Bellek - ze颅hir ve panzehirle, uyar谋c谋 ve yat谋艧t谋r谋c谋yla t谋ka basa dolu bir klinik laboratuvar: bu 眉莽 ba艧l谋 canavar ya da 陌lah'tan ka莽an zihin, Onun istibdat ve teyakkuzunun ho艧 g枚rd眉臒眉 tek telafi颅 ye ve ka莽谋艧 mucizesine d枚ner. Ya艧am谋n i莽ine batm谋艧ken beli颅ren bu rastlansal ve firari kurtulu艧, ancak irade-d谋艧谋 bellek Al谋艧kanl谋臒谋n anl谋k bir ihmali ya da azab谋yla uyar谋ld谋臒谋nda ger莽ekle艧ebilir, ba艧ka hi莽bir ko艧ulda de臒il; hatta o zaman bi颅le bir zorunluluk olarak de臒il.
Eseri okumay谋 d眉艧眉nenlere 枚ndeki sunu艧 yaz谋s谋n谋 sona b谋rakmalar谋n谋 枚neririm. Orada verilen bilgiler okuma s眉recine faydal谋 fakat i莽eri臒e dair yap谋lan payla艧谋mlar sonras谋 eseri okumadan kafan谋zda bir fikir olu艧turaca臒谋ndan esere bak谋艧 a莽谋n谋z谋 etkileyebilir. En basiti yazar谋n ya艧ad谋臒谋 s眉rece eserinin bir Frans谋zca 莽evirisinin yap谋lmas谋na izin vermemesini ilgin莽 buldu臒umu s枚yleyebilirim.
Kolay olmayan bir metindi, belki benim seviyemin 眉zerindeydi bilemiyorum ama sat谋r aralar谋ndan cahil akl谋ma yakalad谋臒谋m detaylar sebebiyle okumaya de臒erdi.
Kay谋p Zaman谋n 陌zinde serisini bitirdikten sonra okunmas谋 gereken eserler diye bir listeyi takip ederek esere ula艧t谋m. Bir edebi metin incelemesi oldu臒unu bilerek ba艧lamama ra臒men baz谋 paragraflar谋 takip etmekte zorlan谋p ba艧tan okudu臒um oldu diyebilirim. Buraya tekrar okudu臒um k谋s谋mlardan bir 枚rnek de b谋rakay谋m: Bu iki y眉zl眉, 眉莽 ba艧l谋, 莽evik canavar ya da 陌lah'tan: Zaman - bir dirili艧 ko艧ulu 莽眉nk眉 bir 枚l眉m arac谋; Al谋艧kanl谋k - ilkinin tehlikeli co艧kusuna kar艧谋 莽谋kt谋臒谋 枚l莽眉de bir hastal谋k ve 陌kinci颅 sinin zalimli臒ini hafifletti臒i 枚l莽眉de bir nimet; ve Bellek - ze颅hir ve panzehirle, uyar谋c谋 ve yat谋艧t谋r谋c谋yla t谋ka basa dolu bir klinik laboratuvar: bu 眉莽 ba艧l谋 canavar ya da 陌lah'tan ka莽an zihin, Onun istibdat ve teyakkuzunun ho艧 g枚rd眉臒眉 tek telafi颅 ye ve ka莽谋艧 mucizesine d枚ner. Ya艧am谋n i莽ine batm谋艧ken beli颅ren bu rastlansal ve firari kurtulu艧, ancak irade-d谋艧谋 bellek Al谋艧kanl谋臒谋n anl谋k bir ihmali ya da azab谋yla uyar谋ld谋臒谋nda ger莽ekle艧ebilir, ba艧ka hi莽bir ko艧ulda de臒il; hatta o zaman bi颅le bir zorunluluk olarak de臒il.
Eseri okumay谋 d眉艧眉nenlere 枚ndeki sunu艧 yaz谋s谋n谋 sona b谋rakmalar谋n谋 枚neririm. Orada verilen bilgiler okuma s眉recine faydal谋 fakat i莽eri臒e dair yap谋lan payla艧谋mlar sonras谋 eseri okumadan kafan谋zda bir fikir olu艧turaca臒谋ndan esere bak谋艧 a莽谋n谋z谋 etkileyebilir. En basiti yazar谋n ya艧ad谋臒谋 s眉rece eserinin bir Frans谋zca 莽evirisinin yap谋lmas谋na izin vermemesini ilgin莽 buldu臒umu s枚yleyebilirim.
Kolay olmayan bir metindi, belki benim seviyemin 眉zerindeydi bilemiyorum ama sat谋r aralar谋ndan cahil akl谋ma yakalad谋臒谋m detaylar sebebiyle okumaya de臒erdi.
February 19, 2024
pretty dopetastic
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