tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2013099116454762594.post136855219906966321..comments2024-01-31T17:20:47.037-05:00Comments on Ultimate Indivisibility: Book Review: Milligan and Murphy by Jim MurdochBrent Robisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06882060411376854563noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2013099116454762594.post-15840480979211990212013-02-25T01:36:25.986-05:002013-02-25T01:36:25.986-05:00Krapp’s Last Tape is one of my favourite Beckett p...<i>Krapp’s Last Tape</i> is one of my favourite Beckett plays, Kevin, although <i>Waiting for Godot</i> will always be my first love as it was the first play by him I saw; in the early hours of the morning I got up to watch an Open University performance and was so blown away that the next day when it was repeated I made my wife get up to watch it with me. Have you seen Harold Pinter’s interpretation of Krapp? It’s not exactly a definitive performance—John Hurt’s comes close—but his stage presence is something else.<br /><br />And, you’re right, this is a great review by Brent. It is <i>so</i> gratifying when a reader gets you. If you’re looking to buy the paperback the best (and cheapest) place to go is the <a href="http://www.fvbooks.com/jmurdoch/jmurdoch5.htm" rel="nofollow">FV Books site</a>; the ebook is available from <a href="http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/222058" rel="nofollow">Smashwords</a>.<br /><br><br />Jim Murdochhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12786388638146471193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2013099116454762594.post-60507401945871743352013-02-24T21:10:49.669-05:002013-02-24T21:10:49.669-05:00What a well written review Brent. You have captur...What a well written review Brent. You have captured my imagination, so I'll have to get the book itself. Keep up the good work.<br /><br />BTW,I saw Krapp at the Abbey Theater in Dublin back in July of 1997. It was wonderful and haunting. Beckett really has to be performed to be appreciated. The sounds are so important.Kevin Swanwickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04011029016583385078noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2013099116454762594.post-544054364932152882013-01-16T19:11:35.694-05:002013-01-16T19:11:35.694-05:00Thanks, Jim -- I'm pleased that you're ple...Thanks, Jim -- I'm pleased that you're pleased. It's good that you supplied the link to your post about the writing of the book. I just read the post again and remembered reading it many months ago, but I'm glad I forgot about it before I read the book and wrote the review. So my reactions and ideas were fresh and unprompted (at least consciously). Also, I'm no Beckett scholar (often wish I was, but I've only read Godot and Krapp), so that allowed a more independent reaction to the book as well. I must say, I have appreciated your various writings on Beckett; I've learned a lot.Brent Robisonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06882060411376854563noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2013099116454762594.post-59059313989584773322013-01-12T17:20:38.719-05:002013-01-12T17:20:38.719-05:00I think I’ve met my ideal reader. You really have ...I think I’ve met my ideal reader. You really have got this book. I am <i>so</i> impressed by this review. There’s more, of course, like the two one-legged men who make up a composite whole, but you’ve got the idea. That Didi and Gogo are two halves of a single personality is not a new thought but I do talk about it in this post: <a href="http://jim-murdoch.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/becketts-pseudo-couples-part-one.html" rel="nofollow">Beckett's pseudo-couples (part one)</a> and specifically Mercier and Camier—the prototypes for Vladimir and Estragon—<a href="http://jim-murdoch.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/becketts-pseudo-couples-part-two.html" rel="nofollow">here</a>. I don’t ever say who the tramp is but I do suggest who he might be in <a href="http://jim-murdoch.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/milligan-and-murphy.html" rel="nofollow">this post</a> in which I discuss the writing of the book and explain who the narrator might be too. The first post also talks about the narrator in <i>Mercier and Camier</i> which was my template after all. I mention all of this not to say that your review has fallen short—I cannot imagine anyone writing a more thorough or insightful one—but I thought you might be interested. <br /><br><br /><br />Jim Murdochhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12786388638146471193noreply@blogger.com