5 comments about Samuel Beckett.

1. I just read Bair's book. Impressed by her diligence and appetite for detail. Some interesting insights: for example, she claims that much of the dialogue in Godot was taken verbatim from his conversations with Suzanne, his lover, while fleeing from Paris during the war years when his resistance circle was busted by the Nazis. On the minus side, much of her psychology is too simple-minded and pat, with too much emphasis on his love-hate relationship with his mother. Worst of all, time and again she claims access to his thoughts and feelings way beyond what she can possibly have known. So many contradictions in his character that after reading it, still have no idea what really drove him.



2. As one who is attempting to read almost all there is to read regarding Samuel Beckett, I have to rate Bair's attempt as weak at best. I can't even begin to explain how far off she is attempting to characterize Sam, as he was a true sympathetic, modest, and generous person. Her allegations of his romantic encounters with actress Billie Whitelaw are completely unfounded, as Billie has explained countless times in interviews and her "chatterbox" sessions.

   It is also important to understand that Deirdre Bair was a PhD STUDENT when she was working on this book, and that Sam said he would neither "help nor hinder her," meaning it was not authorized. If you looking for a solid academic study of the life of Samuel Beckett, I suggest you turn to "Damned to Fame," a work by renown scholar and PERSONAL FRIEND of Sam, and the ONLY authorized biography of Beckett. This book provides a truthful and honest look at the wonderful person Sam was, and doesn't turn to unfounded selacious details for dramatic effect.




3. SAMUEL BECKETT: A Biography. By Deirdre Bair. 736 pages. New York and London: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1978. ISBN 0-15-179256-9 (hbk).

   In 1971, while casting about for a dissertation topic, Deirdre Bair wrote to Samuel Beckett (1906-1989) to ask if she could write his biography. He replied that, while he was not prepared to help her, he wouldn't hinder her either. As things turned out, he did help her to some extent, as did many others, and the result is this well-written, well-researched, and extremely illuminating account which covers the story of Beckett's life up to 1973. Although it has since been superseded by the fuller biography, 'Damned to Fame,' by Beckett's personal friend and official biographer, James Knowlson, which appeared in 1996 and which covers the whole of Beckett's life, Bair's book seems to me to be still well worth reading. The fact that she was not a personal friend had both disadvantages and advantages. Although it meant that certain things were closed off to her, at the same time it left her a certain freedom, the freedom to say things a friend might be disinclined to say.

   Briefly Bair sees Beckett's mother as the key factor in his formation - a cold, frigid, and neurotic woman dominated by notions of class and respectability, and determined to mold him into an ideal son who would be respected by Protestant and materialistic upper middle class Dublin society. Beckett rebelled against this treatment from an early age, and the regular campaigns of psychological torture which his mother launched whenever things didn't go her way were to lead to his years of misery, repeated bouts of serious physical illness, and eventually to the full-blown psychosis which is evident in certain of his works. With a more balanced and loving mother, and one sensitive to her son's aesthetic nature, Beckett might have led a normal and happier life, though it is doubtful he would have arrived at the shattering insights into human nature and reality that helped make him one of the greatest writers of the age.

   The story of Beckett's life and his extreme sufferings and spiritual anguish, as told by Deirdre Bair, is both horrifying and fascinating, and she does seem to have done her best to present it as objectively as possible, though she does allow her distaste for certain of his views to peek through at times. From her account, which covers far more than his devastating love-hate relationship with his mother, and which I can't even begin to do justice to here, we come away with an enhanced understanding of Beckett that should help anyone to better understand and appreciate his somber and often difficult works.

   It's true that as a mere graduate student she could hardly be expected to have a grasp of Beckett's works as extensive as that of a seasoned professor such as Knowlson. It's also true that there appear to be a number of errors and misunderstandings in her work, possibly because of her limited access to materials. But her less unctuous attitude to her subject leads me to feel that we are perhaps getting a more objective portrait of Beckett, though one that in some respects is not as detailed as that provided by Knowlson, and the serious student will want to read them both.




4. Sammm, or whatever. i need to set you straight about a few things. get in contact with me quick. you miss the point more times than one would think possible.



5. Richard Ellman gave the the world the casting for what would be known as the perfect biography, James Joyce. Thus, as Beckett recanted when he stated Celine's Journey to the End of the Night was the greastest novel in the English language before pausing and explaining that Joyce is on a level that no one should have to be compared, I must state this is a good effort on Bair's behalf. The pace is well kept until the end, when things seem rushed. It ends with "1973-." I would love to see her go back and finish the text since Beckett's demise. I would not state that this text gives ample evidence of Beckett's insanity. Anyone wired directly to the world's pulse as we Beckett, will indeed suffer the psychosomatic symptoms that he underwent throughout his life, as do most greast artists. Their illnesses, physical and mental, are defense mechanisms to protect themselves from their selves. Beckett is no different and in some cases to be considered elevation upon the "upper teir" with the world's greatest artists. All in all this is a great text, especially how Bair projects Beckett's comments without interpertation, thus insinuating that he should not be trusted at all times. Case in point: he stated that Godot was a fun project that he didn't take seriously. Considering the complexity of the play, if any human were able to throw such materials onto the page without effort . . . see for yourself.

5 comments about The Connemara Bus "A Journey Through The Past In Ireland".

1. Life is full of missed opportunities. How many of us have lamented over that moment of hesitation when we didn't seize the opportunity to speak to an intriguing stranger or take advantage of a once in a lifetime opportunity? Fortunately there are also those serendipitous moments that can change the whole course of your life. For Missouri native, Ann Milholland Webb, that moment came when she stepped on the Connemara Bus in Galway City. Bus owner and tour guide, Hugh Ryan, offered Ann much more than a tour of the Connemara landscape and history. He provided a glimpse into a simpler time when his grandfather, Andrew Ferguson, used the original bus as a means for women, especially, to come to the city to sell their wares and visit the world outside the narrow confines of village life. For Ann the journey served several purposes, not the least of which was a means of coming to terms with the death of the major figures in her life, her husband and her father. In addition, she found a sense of belonging and acceptanace within the Ryan's close-knit family. Even more surprising, she found a sense of purpose in life and a reason to go on by developing a cottage industry in the Connemara countryside which benefits the local inhabitants. Travel along with Ann on this trip of healing and renewal in the Connemara Bus. It is a journey well worth taking.



2. This is a superb work about greif bearing,roots, and the splendid man Mr. Ferguson. A look at the Connemara Region in times forgotten by many or rather unknown to more. A region of natural beauty not to be missed when you go to Galway. You will consider a tour on the Connemara Bus a bargain. If for no other reason, you will have had the company of Mr.Hugh Ryan, the driver, for an afternoon. Buy the book if you go or not. Ann Milholland has a lot to say in her first book.



3. I visited Galway, Ireland in June of this year and met Hugh and Annon the Connemara Bus which is now a tourist bus. They were great people.

   I highly recommend this book to Irish Americans like myself who are interested in their ancestry and finidhing their relations.




4. The Connemara Bus is a beautifully well written autobiography which will hold the reader captivated from start to finish. The author describes her childhood, her close relationship to her father and her association with Hugh Ryan and his family. Accompanied by her brother, Dennis, Ann Milholland Webb while on tour in Ireland on The Connemara Bus, chronicals her personal "coming to terms" with the deaths of both her husband and her father in a way which makes the reader feel like they, too, are passengers on the bus and witnesses of her experiences. I am very much looking forward to a sequel of The Connemara Bus by this very talented author.



5. Ann Milholland Webb's THE CONNEMARA BUS is one of those intimate epics that hooks a reader and just doesn't let go. It spins fascinating tales and adventures involving two people, their two cultures and countries and families, and the themes of heartbreak, loss of love and innocence, discovery and hope are not just universal, they become more personal as you read on. This is a ride well worth taking, beautifully told. Truly an intimate story of epic proportions!

No comments about Journals: Scott's Last Expedition (Oxford World's Classics).

No comments about Micheal Farrell: The Life and Work of an Irish Artist.

2 comments about Richard III (Revealing History).

1. After reading Hick's effort at a biography about Anne Neville I thought perhaps this "leading" scholar of the period would be on firmer ground with Richard, for whom there is no lack of material. Indeed.
   However, by p.77 I could take no more; Hicks was caught manipulating a minor detail into a portrayal of Richard as a foolhardy, relentless opportunist whose greed made him the dupe of one Sir James Harrington, whose implied claims to Hornby Castle was legally specious and typical of Richard's political ineptitude, as if this Harrington was some unknown quantity to him, to his family!
   
   Had Hicks really read the biography of Richard by Prof. Charles Ross (whom he alleges to admire) he would certainly have come across this family in Ross's far more honest assessment of the facts: Harrington was the same family that stood by Richard's father, the Duke of York, especially Sir Thomas (the father of Sir James) who fought and died alongside York at Wakefield (Dec.1460).
   
   If there is nothing else that can be said about Richard I think it is he was loyal to the memory of his father and extended this loyalty to any of his father's adherents or heirs: those bonds were all he would have of this father whose head would be piked on Micklegate Bar in York when Richard was only eight.
   
   If Hicks is willing to play stupid games like this, just to make Richard look uniquely and mindlessly grapsing then for me Hicks lost all credibility and I proceeded to read every statement with not just caution but outright suspicion.
   
   One of the most annoying segments was concerning the "star witness," Dominic Mancini (p.125-136). To even suggest Mancini was in any way objective and just happened to be wandering around London in 1483, who just happened to know the Archbishop of Vienne (Angelo Cato, physician to the French king, Louis XI) strained my patience. Why any author hoping to establish Mancini as their "proof" that More and the Tudors had it right would not think to fully first establish Mancini's presumed credentials can only be doing so to plump up a very dangerous weakness in his "history."
   
   For example, who sent Mancini to London? Why early in 1483, who paid his living expenses, why did he leave just as suddenly and just as things were getting interesting, ie. a most unexpected coronation, in early July? When did he write any part of this history? What language was it written in? were there installment reports sent back to Cato while he was abroad? was he an agent of the French king's physician? was he there to report on the rumors of Edward IV's decline? Was he there to simply connect with other agents in the city, as a routine procedure? was he ever sent by Cato to any other country, as an ambassador, an agent, to check on any other king and their circle? If not, why not? When and where did he meet Cato? Why the English court?
   
   Since Hicks wasn't about to even allow he possibility that Mancini had been sent with an agenda I will provide it, thanks to the scepticism Hick's sloppy manner engenders - as far as I can ascertain from other author's references to Mancini he was probably sent by Cato as a agent, (and who knows how many others!) and specifically to report on the situation there. It was Cato's good fortune that his man was there at the time Edward IV died from his well known excesses. Mancini was recalled by Cato, with the coronation of Richard, at a most curious time: Why recall him then? Did he fear for Mancini's life? Was it now unsafe for Mancini, especially if he was consorting with Argentine, and how many others was Argentine in league with? when did Argentine leave London? Was the only mission for Mancini extended by his French "patron" - Cato - when his liege realized things had gone awary, as far as what would have been more beneficial to the French, that of a child king? Was Mancini only recalled once Cato quite suddenly realised what he was dealing with? Not the 12 year old stripling Edward V in the hands of his dozy, scholarly uncle Rivers; but instead, the most inopportune reality of Richard duke of Gloucester, now king, someone Cato et al knew to be openly hostile to them since the Treaty of Picquigny (1475) which Richard refused to sign much less attend it's signing.
   
   If Mancini showed up with any biases against Richard it was not Tudor or Lancastrian related, it was simple French mistrust and possibly even loathing for Richard, who most assuredly wanted that 1475 invasion to be another Agincourt!
   
   Mancini no doubt sent updates back to Cato, who once he recalled Mancini, then wanted a formal document drawn up to have on hand for future use if needed (for defamation, as a no doubt doctored tract would be). How much Mancini knew of these machinations I can't tell, he may simply have been aware of Cato's larger plans for his update reports only after he was recalled and then "made to" write them down as a history.
   
   So, read Hicks if you have nothing else to do, but read with a pen nearby, you will have to do alot of cross referencing to even hope to establish what is reliable versus what is Hick's tiresome malice concerning his subject.



2. The back cover calls this book a "biography" of Richard III. That, it should be emphasised, it is not. Many important events in the life of Richard III are only mentioned in passing. Readers who want to know whether Richard really ordered the murder of his nephews will have to look elsewhere, too. In fact, the author clearly assumes that the reader has already read a biography of this king, and is familiar with the facts.
   
   The book really is an assesment of Richard III as a politician: His career, the methods by which he climbed to power, and his downfall. The author makes an effort to situate Richard III in the the context of his own time, but at the same time very much portrays him as a politician who used techniques that are familiar to today's spin doctors.
   
   As such, this is a fine book, and well worth reading, even if the authors is at times guilty of too much repetition. It is an highly interesting assesment. All the same, the readers gets the annoying feeling that it is not an objective assesment; this clearly is the case for the prosecution. Where the author attempts to present also a case for the defense, he automatically falls back into prosecutorial mode. Hence the fifth star remains out of reach.

2 comments about Joey Dunlop: His Authorised Biography.

1. I've been a subscriber to Cycle News in the US for many years. My original subscription was for Cycle News East, for those who know, this was quite a few years ago. Before cable TV my only information conserning moto racing on the "Continent" was through these pages. My only connection to racing on "The Island" was through a man by the name of Eddie Labelle, a well respected racer himself in his community, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA who spoke quite respectfully of these races. I knew absolutely nothing about Joey Dunlop. I remember receiving my copys of Cycle News through the time that Joey Dunlop was providing so many people in the world with his special talent. There would be small bits of information that claimed "Joey" wins another one! I still knew nothing about Joey Dunlop. I remember reading about Mike The Bike in retrospect articles, and in Motocourse. I followed the FIM Moto Circus through articles I've read from 79 until now and could tell you about most racers of the time, but I still knew nothing about Joey Dunlop.
   I still do not know Joey, but I think I know Himself much better than I did before purchasing this book. Do yourself a favor and get to Know Joey by purchasing this book. You will not only help yourself by knowing...... well, Joey, but you will also be helping his family as all of the proceeds from the sale of this book goes directly to his family. This is a resrectful man that we all need to know.



2. This is a factual review of Joey Dunlop's career. It is a very nicely produced hard back with great photos. It is probably a must for any Joey Dunlop fan. However, it is not anywhere near as absorbing or personal as "Joey Dunlop, A Tribute" by author and TT winner Ray Knight. Now that is a fabulous book!!!!
   You cannot get it on Amazon yet 9/2002, but you can get it at [URL]

   Keep the shiny side up!

No comments about Henry VIII.

No comments about Churchill.

2 comments about Saint Brendan And The Voyage Before Columbus.

1. 
   Many parents want to teach their children the importance of identifying and pursuing their dreams and the value of a strong faith in God. In the new book Saint Brendan and the Voyage Before Columbus (Paulist Press, December 2004, paperback, 32 pages) author Dr. Mike McGrew and illustrator Marnie Saenz Litz share the story of St. Brendan and his legendary voyage to North America.
   
   Through lyrical prose and vivid illustrations, this book recounts the life history of Saint Brendan, the Irish monk who spread the message of Jesus Christ in his own land of Ireland and, legend states, beyond to the land of Tir-na-n-Og and to its native "painted saints", a thousand years before Columbus set sail for North America. Whether fact or fiction, Brendan's voyage has sparked the enthusiasm and adventurous spirit of many, including sailors who count him as their patron saint.
   
   The great value in providing children with the images of concrete role models is that it helps them see that they too can capture their dreams. McGrew shares Saint Brendan's story with zeal and energy, stressing the saint's reliance on God's protection and his appreciation for God's hand in the nature surrounding him and in his brother monks. Children who might not sit still for a dry recitation of the facts of a saint's life will be drawn in and inspired by this book and its message to trust in God and pursue your dreams. Aimed at children ages four through eight, the book will also be enjoyed by older adventurers and those interested in the lives of the saints.



2. A beautifully illustrated book, Dr. McGrew did a wonderful job telling the story of St. Brendan in a way that is thorough, yet succinct. It is a book that both parent and child can enjoy.

No comments about Lady Gregory: The Woman Behind the Irish Renaissance.