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2.WhyGombrowiczandBeckett
20WhyGombrowiczandBeckeI
11
Trueenough,atfirstglancethetwowriters,GombrowiczandBeckett,
couldhardlybemoredifferent.Thedifferencecanbeexemplifiedby
theirapproachestotheirwork.Gombrowiczeagerlyandmeticulously
discussedhiswriting,ferventlycriticisedthosewhohadcriticisedhim
andrelentlesslyfoughtforrecognition.Beckett,ontheotherhand,was
ratherreluctanttocommentuponhiswriting;withhisbackagainstthe
wall,hechosetobevagueaboutit,asinhisfamousreplytoVivianMer-
cier’squestionofwhetherVladimirandEstragonhadearnedPhDs.One
mightsaythatrecognitionHhappened”tohimandhemetthejury’sver-
dictawardinghimthe1969NobelPrizeinliteraturewithindifference,
nottosayanxiety.4
InhisdiaryGombrowiczmakesonlyonepassingmentionofBeckett
inthecontextofthePrixInternationaldeLittérature;hebelieveshim
Hexcellent”[2012:717].Yet,asMauriceNadeaurecollectsinGombrowicz
wEuropie,ononeoccasionheheardhimpasscausticcommentsabout
Beckettandotherauthors,Jean-PaulSartre,MichelButorandEugèneIo-
nesco[1965:97].ThismightsuggestthatGombrowiczwasfamiliarwith
Beckett’sworksalthoughitisdifficulttounivocallyarguewhathisat-
titudetoIrishman’sworksreallywas.Ontheotherhand,Gombrowicz
doesnotappearineitherofthebiographiesofBeckettbyJamesKnowl-
sonandAnthonyCronin.Intwovolumesofhisletters,1941-1956and
1957-1965,thereisnoGombrowiczeither.Itis,however,inconceivable
tostatewithabsolutecertaintythatheneverheardaboutGombrowicz,
whohadachievedinternationalfame,especiallyinFrancewhereBeckett
waslivingatthetime,afterwinningtheprestigiousPrixInternationalin
1967withCosmosandwasamajorcontendertotheNobelPrizein1969.
Allinall,itislessimportanttoascertainwithcertaintywhetherGom-
browiczknewBeckett’sworksandBeckettGombrowicz’s,thantoob-
servehowtheirfictioninthefiftiesandsixtiesrealizessomewhatanalo-
gousandcomparableprojects.Furthermore,onecannoticemanyother
similaritiesbetweenGombrowiczandBeckett.Forone,neitherofthem
livedintheirhomelandsbutinconsciouslychosenexiles,Gombrowicz
inArgentina(andlaterFrance)andBeckettinFrance.Nowadaysboth
shareanuncannilysimilarstatusbackhome:asenormouslyinfluential
andparalysinglydauntingliteraryfigures.AsWernerargues,HSomeone
whohasnotconfrontedthemselvesspirituallywiththephenomenon
