Shangkett Opera

China, Ireland celebrate 100th anniversary of Samuel Beckett's birth

Artists from China and Ireland on Friday celebrated the centenary year of the birth of Irish playwright Samuel Beckett.

Irish artists staged a segment of Beckett's best-known work, "Waiting for Godot", in the Central Academy of Drama (CAD), China's foremost institute of dramatic study and practice.

The embassy of Ireland donated series of books on Beckett to the CAD.

Liu Libin, deputy director of the CAD, said working with the Irish artists enriched their understanding of Beckett, whose works have been staged in China since the 1970s.

Sarah Jane Scaife, an Irish expert on Beckett, described the playwright's works as "universal", which could be interpreted differently according to the cultural background.

"I believe that China's unique culture will enlarge the understanding of Beckett and his works," said Scaife.

Beckett, who is considered as one of the most influential writers of the 20th Century, was born in Dublin on April 13, 1906 and died in Paris on Dec. 22, 1989. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1969.

In April this year, the Festival of Samuel Beckett's Works opened in Shanghai and "Waiting for Godot" was staged in the form of a Chinese opera during the festival.
Source: Xinhua