Samuel Beckett and German Culture / Samuel Beckett und die deutsche Kultur
23 – 25 September 2011
Technische Universität Darmstadt, Germany
In the last few years Beckett studies has frequently probed the connections between Samuel Beckett’s work and German culture. Beckett’s interest in German literature, his months of travelling in Germany in the 1930s, and his involvement with translations of his work into German offer a vast field for study to scholars. And Beckett’s debt to German literature and culture is immense and is felt until today.
The conference “Samuel Beckett and German Culture” at the Technische Universität Darmstadt in Germany from 23-25 September 2011 is now considering the intersections of Samuel Beckett and German literature, philosophy, television and film. Eleven Beckett scholars from around the globe will pursue the field of Beckett and Germany, addressing questions of intertextuality, translation, as well as Beckett’s role in the German publishing and television market.
Beckett’s influence on German literature as well as the debt of “Beckettian” authors, such as Thomas Bernhard, to a younger generation of writers will be discussed in two readings by the German author Michael Lentz and the English writer Tim Parks.
We believe the event will be especially timely considering the still growing field of Beckett and Germany in Beckett studies and the forthcoming publication of Beckett’s “German Diaries” in 2015.
Organizers: Jan Wilm (Technische Universität Darmstadt) and Mark Nixon (University of Reading)
