The Department of French and Francophone Studies and the Institute of Literary Studies of the Shanghai International Studies University (SISU) organize, in collaboration with the bilingual journal Samuel Beckett Today/Aujourd’hui (ed. Brill, Leiden, Netherlands ), a symposium entitled
Samuel Beckett in China
The symposium proposes to take stock of the reception of Beckett in China. Rather than considering the relationship that one can establish or imagine between Beckett and such and such a country, and such and such a culture, this colloquium prefers to give priority to the relationship that the various Chinese audiences may have had with Beckett’s work. It is therefore particularly interested in:
(1) the publication and the different editions of Beckett in China: contexts, dates, circulation, audiences, etc.
(2) the question of the translation of Beckett in China: target language, source language, choice of texts, etc.
(3) stagings of the texts of Beckett’s work in China or by Chinese
(4) critical literature on Beckett and its general reception in China: trends, audiences, themes, distribution
(5) various creations inspired by the work of Beckett (for example in the visual arts, in the cinema, or even pastiches, parodies etc.)
The symposium will be held in the spring (May/June) or autumn (September/October) of the year 2023. Depending on the sanitary conditions of the moment, it will be held either completely online, or will be “hybrid”, the part physics taking place in the premises of SISU University in Shanghai. The three languages of the symposium will be Chinese, and the two languages in which Beckett wrote his work, English and French. Given the international character of the symposium and the publication of a selection of texts in the bilingual journal Samuel Beckett Today/Aujourd’hui, the organizers encourage contributions in English and French, if possible.
The review Samuel Beckett Today/Aujourdhui also plans to publish in a special issue the contributions that the editorial committee will have judged to be the most representative.
Proposals for contributions in French should be sent before December 1, 2022 to:
JMMHouppermans@hum.leidenuniv.nl
Proposals will consist of an abstract of the proposed topic (300 words max.) as well as a brief biographical sketch (150 words max.) indicating any academic affiliation, and the e-mail address of the author of the proposal.
————–
The School of French and Francophone Studies and the Institute of Literary Studies of the Shanghai International Studies University (SISU), in collaboration with the bilingual journal Samuel Beckett Today/Aujourd’hui (Leiden, Holland: Brill), are organizing the conference
Samuel Beckett in China
The main aim of the conference is to take stock of the reception of Beckett in China. Its goal is to explore all aspects of the relationship between China, Chinese-speaking audiences and Beckett’s oeuvre, including the following key aspects:
(1) publication and editions of Beckett in China: contexts, dates, distribution, audiences, etc.
(2) translations of Beckett in China: source texts, target language, choice of works, etc.
(3) performances of texts in China and/or in Chinese: directing, acting, styles, choice of works, contexts
(4) critical literature on Beckett and his reception in China: trends, audiences, themes, approaches
(5) artistic or other work inspired by Beckett (in media, such as the visual arts or cinema, or other genres, like pastiche and parody)
The conference will be held in spring (May/June) or autumn (September/October) 2023. It will be a hybrid event, with a limited number of sessions taking place at the SISU in Shanghai. Should Covid restrictions limit movement, the conference will shift online. The three languages of the conference will be Chinese and the two languages in which Beckett published his work, French and English. Given the international nature of the conference, and the fact that a selection of the contributions will be published in the bilingual journal Samuel Beckett Today/Aujourd’hui, the organizers encourage the use of English or French for presentations, if possible.
Samuel Beckett Today will publish a special issue with a selection of peer-reviewed articles based on contributions to the conference.
Please send paper proposals in English to m.engelberts@uva.nl before 1 December 2022.
Conference proposals must include an abstract of the proposed topic (300 words max.) and a short biographical note (150 words max.) that includes your current academic affiliation and email address.