Professor David Peimer
Samuel Beckett’s Life and Plays
Summary
Samuel Beckett (1906–1989) was an Irish playwright and Nobel Prize winner during the middle of the 20th Century. Focusing on his life, sense of humor, and the play “Waiting for Godot” (1953), this lecture also touches on Beckett’s post-World War II approach to theater, his influence on global writers, and his departure from James Joyce’s influence. The concept of tragicomedy in “Waiting for Godot” is also explored, highlighting the absurd indifference of life and the importance of choosing a purpose.
Professor David Peimer
David Peimer is a Professor of Literature, Film and Theatre in the UK. He has worked for the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, New York University (Global Division) and was a Fulbright Scholar at Columbia University. Born in South Africa, David has won numerous awards for playwriting and directing in New York, UK, Berlin, EU Parliament (Brussels), Athens, Budapest, Zululand and more. He has most recently directed Dame Janet Suzman in his own play, Joanna’s Story, at London Jewish Book Week. He has published widely with books including: Armed Response: Plays from South Africa, the digital book, Theatre in the Camps. He is on the board of the Pinter Centre (London), and has been involved with the Mandela Foundation, Vaclav Havel Foundation and directed a range of plays at Mr Havel’s Prague theatre.
It was all part of the Camus, Sartre world in the thirties, in particular, the influence of Camus and later.
Yes, he wouldn’t allow that Godot specifically to be made into a film. He wanted it to be kept metaphor and image, so never, the set could not be naturalistic and set in an obvious rubbish dump somewhere in a very poverty stricken area of whatever country. He never wanted to be literal or naturalistic.
Yes. After the war, he started writing everything in French and then he would translate it all back into English, because he said writing in French helped him be absolutely minimalist with the number of words.