Abstract
Gillespie considers Samuel Beckett’s bilingual writing in both French and English, with and many of these works translated into the other language. He analyses Beckett’s approach to evaluative concepts in translation by looking at religious themes, concentrating on a detailed analysis of the scene of the two thieves at the crucifixion of Christ in En attendant Godot. He argues that the significant number of differences in the English translation reveal Beckett’s attitudes towards the values of religion more forcefully because English was an expression of his identity and his experience of them emerges in English, whereas those elements are less present in his writing in French. This analysis is then extended to some of Beckett’s other works translated into English and French as further evidence of the author’s approach to translation.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
- 1.
- 2.
Many Beckett scholars allude to the pervasive influence of the King James Bible in his work to the extent that such a point is regarded as common knowledge in Beckett criticism. Particularly helpful is the excellently detailed study by Mary Bryden (1998), which has a broader focus, and Iain Bailey’s (2014) thorough and insightful treatment of the topic.
- 3.
See Deirdre Bair (1990).
- 4.
As Lance St John Butler so aptly says ‘About religion Beckett is unambiguously ambiguous’ (1992: 169).
- 5.
Page references in En attendant Godot are to Colin Duckworth’s edition (1966) and are marked EAG and the number in the text; those in English are taken from The Complete Dramatic Works (1990) and marked CDW and the number. The equivalent parts of each speech are shown in inverted commas with the appropriate reference. The words that are not present in the other language are placed within parentheses. Translations into English without page numbers are my own. Stage directions are written in italics and placed within square brackets.
- 6.
This refers to the fact that ‘a comparative study of Matthew, Mark and Luke leads to the recognition that there is a considerable body of material common to all three, or to two out of the three’ (Atkinson and Field 1996: 428) which has often been a source of controversy in biblical criticism.
Bibliography
Atkinson, D. J., & Field, D. H. (Eds.). (1996). The synoptic gospels. Leicester: Inter-Varity Press.
Bailey, I. (2014). Samuel Beckett and the Bible. London: Bloomsbury.
Bair, D. (1990). Samuel Beckett: A biography. London: Vintage.
Beckett, S. (1957). Fin de partie. Paris: Les Editions de minuit.
Beckett, S. (1959). La dernière bande, suivi de Cendres. Paris: Les Editions de minuit.
Beckett, S. (1963/1974). Oh les beaux jours suivi de Pas moi. Paris: Les Editions de minuit.
Beckett, S. (1966). En attendant Godot (ed.: Duckworth, C.). London: Harrap.
Beckett, S. (1990). The compete dramatic works. London/Boston: Faber and Faber.
Beer, A. (1994). Beckett’s Bilingualism. In J. Pilling (Ed.), The Cambridge companion to Beckett (pp. 209–221). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Bryden, M. (1998). Samuel Beckett and the idea of God. Basingstoke/London: Macmillan.
Butler, L. S. J. (1992). “A mythology with which I am perfectly familiar” Samuel Beckett and the absence of God. In R. Welch (Ed.), Irish writers and religion (pp. 169–184). Colin Smythe: Gerrards Cross.
Calder, J. (2001). The philosophy of Samuel Beckett. London/New Jersey: Calder Publications.
Edwards, M. (1992). Beckett’s French. Translation and Literature, 1, 67–83.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Copyright information
© 2016 The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s)
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Gillespie, J. (2016). Beckett as Translator of Beckett: The Transmission of (Anti-?) Religious Concepts. In: Blumczynski, P., Gillespie, J. (eds) Translating Values. Palgrave Studies in Translating and Interpreting. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-54971-6_13
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-54971-6_13
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-137-54970-9
Online ISBN: 978-1-137-54971-6
eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)