Join Amazon Prime and get unlimited Free One-Day Delivery. Already a member? Sign in.

 

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
   
More Buying Choices
28 used & new from £6.00

Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
Damned to Fame: Life of Samuel Beckett
 
See larger image
 

Damned to Fame: Life of Samuel Beckett (Paperback)

by James Knowlson (Author)
5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
RRP: £10.99
Price: £8.49 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
You Save: £2.50 (23%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk. Gift-wrap available.

Want guaranteed delivery by Tuesday, July 14? Choose Express delivery at checkout. See Details
15 new from £6.29 13 used from £6.00
Other Editions: RRP: Our Price: Other Offers:
Hardcover Order it used
Paperback 13 used & new from £13.40

Frequently Bought Together

Damned to Fame: Life of Samuel Beckett + Beckett Remembering: Remembering Beckett: Unpublished Interviews with Samuel Beckett and Memories of Those Who Knew Him + The Philosophy of Samuel Beckett
Price For All Three: £24.47

Show availability and shipping details


Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Beckett Remembering: Remembering Beckett: Unpublished Interviews with Samuel Beckett and Memories of Those Who Knew Him

Beckett Remembering: Remembering Beckett: Unpublished Interviews with Samuel Beckett and Memories of Those Who Knew Him

by James Knowlson
5.0 out of 5 stars (1)  £6.99
The Complete Dramatic Works of Samuel Beckett

The Complete Dramatic Works of Samuel Beckett

by Samuel Beckett
4.7 out of 5 stars (3)  £8.49
The Philosophy of Samuel Beckett

The Philosophy of Samuel Beckett

by John Calder
£8.99
Samuel Beckett, Volume 4: Poems, Short Fiction, Criticism

Samuel Beckett, Volume 4: Poems, Short Fiction, Criticism

by Samuel Beckett
Samuel Beckett: The Grove Centenary Edition. Volume II: Novels

Samuel Beckett: The Grove Centenary Edition. Volume II: Novels

by Samuel Beckett
5.0 out of 5 stars (3)  £24.00
Explore similar items

Product details

  • Paperback: 896 pages
  • Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC; New edition edition (4 Sep 1997)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0747531692
  • ISBN-13: 978-0747531692
  • Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 13 x 6 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 137,103 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories:

    #33 in  Books > Poetry, Drama & Criticism > History & Criticism > Drama & Dramatists > 20th Century
    #58 in  Books > Biography > Novelists, Poets & Playwrights > Playwrights

Customers Viewing This Page May Be Interested in These Sponsored Links

  (What is this?)
Samuel Beckett Audiobooks
   www.Audible.co.uk    Audiobooks By Samuel Beckett plus 30,000 other titles 
Download The Game of Life
   GameFools.com/TheGameofLife    Grow your fortune in this family favorite board game. Play now! 
Flame Of Life
   Ask.com    Search for Flame Of Life Find Flame of life 
  
 

Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review
Samuel Beckett, a talent so exceptional that he created masterpieces in both French and English, shied away from the limelight for much of his life. However, in this amazing biography James Knowlson shows Beckett wasn't completely reluctant to talk about himself; the book relies heavily on interviews with Beckett to reconstruct the writer's dizzying career. Knowlson fills the pages with exhaustive detail--some major, some minor. In addition, he analyzes the influences on and evolution of Beckett's work. Through it all a larger picture emerges, one of the artist at work and in life. Damned to Fame is a necessary addition to any study of Beckett.

Product Description
Samuel Beckett's long-standing friend, James Knowlson, recreates Beckett's youth in Ireland, his studies at Trinity College, Dublin in the early 1920s and from there to the Continent, where he plunged into the multicultural literary society of late-1920s Paris. The biography throws new light on Beckett's stormy relationship with his mother, the psychotherapy he received after the death of his father and his crucial relationship with James Joyce. There is also material on Beckett's six-month visit to Germany as the Nazi's tightened their grip. The book includes unpublished material on Beckett's personal life after he chose to live in France, including his own account of his work for a Resistance cell during the war, his escape from the Gestapo and his retreat into hiding. Obsessively private, Beckett was wholly committed to the work which eventually brought his public fame, beginning with the controversial success of "Waiting for Godot" in 1953, and culminating in the award of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1969. James Knowlson is the general editor of "The Theatrical Notebooks of Samuel Beckett".

Suggested Tags from Similar Products

 (What's this?)
Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
Check a corresponding box or enter your own tags in the field below

Your tags: Add your first tag
 


 

Customer Reviews

2 Reviews
5 star:
 (2)
4 star:    (0)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
5.0 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Magnificent - kept my attention thoughout !!, 16 Nov 2002
By John Begg (Glasgow, Scotland) - See all my reviews
James Knowlson's masterwork is an amazingly detailed and dedicated account of Samuel Becketts life, from a close long time friend.

Whether you are a student of Beckett, or a newcomer to his work, this book is a great read. It is a hefty volume - over 800 pages including extensive notes, bibliography and index - but don't let that put you off.

He manages to discuss and inform on Beckett's work without getting too heavily into literary criticism, which stops the book becoming stuffy. As Beckett lived most of his life in Dublin, London and Paris, we also get an overview of almost a century of European history, through the eyes of a great intellect and original thinker.including his period working for the resistance during the second world war, which for me was one of the highlights of the book.

Depite his shy and reclusive nature, Beckett met and worked with some of the worlds greatest writers, artists and actors - all of whom come alive in this insightful book.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars impressive, 1 Jan 2000
By A Customer
as meticulous in its research and description as Beckett's own work - great
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Only search this product's reviews



Customer Discussions

 Beta (What's this?)
This product's forum (0 discussions)
  Discussion Replies Latest Post
  No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
  [Cancel]


Active discussions in related forums
   
Related forums


Listmania!


Look for similar items by category


Feedback


The Body Shop

The Body Shop - Vitamin C Skin Boost
Protect and boost your glow with The Body Shop Vitamin C Skin Boost.

Shop The Body Shop

 

More From James Knowlson

Waiting for Godot

Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett

'Nothing happens, nobody comes, nobody goes, it's awful.' This line... Read more
£9.99 £4.99

 

Boys Smell

Lynx Africa Body Spray and After Shave Gift set
But we make sure they smell good...

Discover male grooming at Amazon.co.uk

 

Treat Someone

Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificates--available in any amount from £5 to £500 With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is).

Learn more about Gift Certificates

 
Ad

Where's My Stuff?

Delivery and Returns

Need Help?

Your Recent History

  (What's this?)
You have no recently viewed items or searches.

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.

Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session.

Continue Shopping: Top Sellers
The Girl Who Played with Fire
Breaking Dawn (Twilight Saga)
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Host
The Host by Stephenie Meyer

amazon.co.uk Amazon Home
International Sites:  United States  |  Germany  |  France  |  Japan  |  Canada  |  China
Business Programs: Sell on Amazon  |  Fulfilment by Amazon  |  Join Associates  |  Join Advantage
Customer Service  |  Help  |  View Basket  |  Your Account
About Amazon.co.uk  |  Careers at Amazon
Conditions of Use & Sale |  Privacy Notice  © 1996-2009, Amazon.com, Inc. and its affiliates