After Pinter's Nobel Prize honor, the New York Times posted information regarding past Nobel Prize winners in the literature category. Gloriously, they posted a gem of an article, speaking of a non-existent book, praising Beckett's health, and speaking about he was simply annoyed at the publicity of receiving the Prize. He refused to attend the ceremony, but didn't turn down the prize because he apparently thought it would only make matters worse.
Beckett was a comedian of a high order, to be sure. It's no secret that he's a personal hero of mine, I'm just constantly amazed at how often I hear or see something new about him that makes my toes curl into pleasing little laugh shapes.
So wonderful. Check out the PDF here.
He's one of my heros, too.
ReplyDeleteActually, "Sans" isn't a non-existent book, but the French version of a text called "Lessness," which turned out to be much less of a book than Beckett intended. The five-page text can be found in The Complete Short Prose.
ReplyDeleteSorry to be such a kvetch, but ...
Jean-Paul Sartre was awarded the noble prize and turned it down... I still have to find out why...
ReplyDeleteGeorge:
ReplyDeleteNever realized that. Who says you can't teach a young dog like me new tricks?
Actually, they expressly don't say that.
Boo: I'm sure it was in some way intended to pick up women.