Interview with Emilie Morin on Beckett's Political Imagination

In this interview with Emilie Morin, author of Beckett's Political Imagination, we discuss what prompted Emilie to write a book on Beckett's politics, and why Beckett traditionally is not considered to be a political playwright. Emilie also explains how Beckett's political outlook is reflected in his writing, and she tells us what has surprised her the most when researching for this new book. Beckett's Political Imagination charts unexplored territory: it investigates how Beckett's bilingual texts re-imagine political history, and documents the conflicts and controversies through which Beckett's political consciousness and affirmations were mediated. The book offers a startling account of Beckett's work, tracing the many political causes that framed his writing, commitments, collaborations and friendships, from the Scottsboro Boys to the Black Panthers, from Irish communism to Spanish republicanism to Algerian nationalism, and from campaigns against Irish and British censorship to anti-Apartheid and international human rights movements. Emilie Morin reveals a very different writer, whose career and work were shaped by a unique exposure to international politics, an unconventional perspective on political action and secretive political engagements. The book will benefit students, researchers and readers who want to think about literary history in different ways and are interested in Beckett's enduring appeal and influence. You can find out more about the book here: https://www.cambridge.org/9781108417990