Three Novels: Molloy, Malone Dies, the Unnamable

Three Novels: Molloy, Malone Dies, the Unnamable | Samuel Beckett

My feelings on Beckett are ambiguous, but I think the following from James Mustich's recent newsletter is worth posting:
“And there comes the hour when nothing more can happen and nobody can come and all is ended but the waiting that knows itself in vain.“

Like words that have wandered out of Shakespearean soliloquies, liberated but lost, stripped of the assurances of meter and the surety of drama, Beckett‘s phrases wander👇

vivastory restlessly through the desolate landscape of his imagination like eloquence that has lost its way but clings to its need. His sentences hum like downed wires, alive and dangerous, powering nothing beyond themselves, echoing with diminishing volume the sound and fury of distant living, with only the rhythm and the aspiration of the human voice to keep it close. 4y

Liz_M Love the plays, hate the novels. 4y

54 likes2 comments

Billypar

Molloy | Samuel Beckett

so-so

This novel is divided in two parts, each with a different protagonist. The first was a slog for me: the character we follow is not of sound mind- he relays his journey to reach his mother's home. The 2nd part is a little easier to follow since this character is sane (or saner), but both consist mostly of thoughts while wandering in the woods. I know Beckett is brilliant and there's probably a ton of stuff I'm missing, but I couldn't get into it.

Emilymdxn I had to study Beckett at uni and never managed to get into it myself at all. It was pretty much the only stuff I ever studied that I just had no thoughts about or any response at all 5y

Billypar @Emilymdxn Yeah- I first read Godot in college. I liked it fine and Murphy wasn't bad, but none of them became favorites. I do get FOMO with him though- like, even if I don't enjoy the whole book, there might be something really unique and interesting on page 106 that I'd have been sorry to have missed 😁 5y

Liz_M Unfortunately, I think most of his prose works need more than one read. I had read/studued Godot more than once, but didn't enjoy it until I saw an Irish Theater staging. I did love some of his other, simpler plays (Happy Days, Endgame) the first time round though. 5y

Billypar @Liz_M Ooh- that sounds incredible! I used to love reading plays until I saw a few productions and realized how much you're missing on the page alone. I'm still going to finish the trilogy eventually, but you're right- a second reading probably does wonders. 5y

47 likes4 comments

Billypar

Molloy | Samuel Beckett

Oh boy, Beckett, a few more sentences like this and I think my brain is going to break 😬 🐑🐑🐑

saresmoore I didn‘t even make it to the end of the sentence before my vision blurred from boredom. 😆 6y

Billypar @saresmoore At least you never really know what you're going to get from sentence to sentence- the very next page, he was calculating his number of farts- by day, then by hour, then by 15 min....that's high literature for you 😂 6y

saresmoore Bahahaha! 6y

Leftcoastzen ❤️ 6y

Cathythoughts 😂😂😂 6y

29 likes5 comments

kspenmoll

Molloy | Samuel Beckett

#Ireland #Magical March
Some books having to do with Ireland, and some Irish items. ☘️🇮🇪

vkois88, Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Love Cyril 💚💚💚 Pretty picture!!! 6y

vkois88 Ooooh love! 6y

75 likes1 stack add2 comments

BarbaraBB

Three Novels: Molloy, Malone Dies, the Unnamable | Samuel Beckett

bailed

I'm sorry. I gave up. I reminded myself that reading should be something to enjoy, to look forward to etc. I have so many books waiting for me, I don't have to spend so much time with monologues by dying men, monologues which I don't understand and frankly am not interested in at the moment. #1001books

6 likes

Cristine

Three Novels: Molloy, Malone Dies, the Unnamable | Samuel Beckett

"Então voltei para casa e escrevi: É meia-noite. A chuva está batendo nas janelas. Não era meia-noite. Não estava chovendo."
— Epigrafe do livro "Força estranha", de Nelson Motta.

("Then I went back into the house and wrote, It is midnight. The rain is beating on the windows. It was not midnight. It was not raining."
— Epigraph @ "Força estranha", by Nelson Motta)

1 like

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