Women in the Life and Work of Samuel Beckett [10min]

Few writers are remembered quite so warmly as Samuel Beckett. The celebrations of his centenary have seen any number of commentators attest to the near-saintliness of his character. But Beckett's relationship with women -- both on and off the page -- was complicated and often very difficult. He had an intense and troubled relationship with his mother, which he described as 'savage loving'. He had numerous extra-marital affairs and as a young man regularly paid to sleep with prostitutes, despite being reluctant to have sex with his girlfriends. So how far was this experience reflected in the many parts he wrote for women? Host Jenni Murray discusses this with Professor Mary Bryden Professor of European Literature, University of Cardiff and author of Women in Samuel Beckett's Prose and Drama (Palgrave Macmillan); and Anthony Cronin, acquaintance of Beckett.