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Series: Elements in Beckett Studies
Suzanne Dumesnil, Suzanne Beckett
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 04 July 2025
Summary
Little has been written about Suzanne Beckett, née Déchevaux-Dumesnil (1900–1989). As Samuel Beckett's lifelong companion, she found herself in a peculiar quandary, owing to the amounts of support required by Beckett's unease with success and with the business of writing, and owing to her deep awareness of the damage that fame can cause to everyday life, friendships, and freedom. This Element offers the first full portrait of this elusive figure. It contextualises the texts she wrote under the name Suzanne Dumesnil, emphasises the significance of her artistic and literary accomplishments, and discusses her steady labour, her uncompromising discretion, and her profound reluctance to ever become a public figure as Beckett's wife.
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- Series: Elements in Beckett StudiesOnline ISBN: 9781009585545Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication: 24 July 2025
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