Samuel Beckett, Ill Seen Ill Said

Dirk Van Hulle (University of Antwerp)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.09: English Writing and Culture: Postwar and Contemporary Britain , 1945-present.
Vol. editors: Gina Lyle (University of Glasgow), Graham MacPhee (University of Manchester), Kerry Myler (Birmingham Newman University), Jenni Ramone (The Nottingham Trent University)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1982

Places

Ireland, Republic of (Eire) (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Story

Resources

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Written in French, from 24 October 1979 to 21 January 1981, this second text of the set of three, published as

Nohow On

(

Company, Ill Seen Ill Said, Worstward Ho

), was translated into English by Beckett (late 1980, early 1981) even before the original French was finished. When read after the 59 paragraphs of

Company

, the 61 paragraphs of

Ill Seen Ill Said

suggest another variation on the theme of Time. While

Company

can be read as a reflection on a life that has almost, but not quite come to an end,

Ill Seen Ill Said

may be regarded as a meditation on a life that is coming, or has just come, full circle. But above all, it is – as its title indicates – an exploration of human consciousness and the act of perception.

The protagonist is a woman, with white hair and black clothes. The

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1380 words

Citation: Van Hulle, Dirk. "Ill Seen Ill Said". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 30 September 2004 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=4535, accessed 19 April 2024.]

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