Inaugural lecture by London School of Film Media and Design (LSFMD) Professor focuses on Samuel Beckett’s London
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Professor of Film, Literature and Media Garin Dowd gave his Inaugural Professorial and Public Lecture on ‘Samuel Beckett’s London: Dislocating Metropolitan Modernism in Murphy’, to an audience of colleagues and guests in the Dr William Barry Theatre at St Mary’s Road on Tuesday 23 May.
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Professor Dowd, who is Course Leader for the University of West London’s combined honours courses - English and Creative Writing, English and Film, and English and Media & Communications – has a long association with UWL, as Provost and Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor Anthony Woodman acknowledged while introducing the lecture:
It has been really good to see that as the institution has matured and developed and had a good appreciation for quality writing and research, Garin has been one of the pillars for us in taking that forward.”
Having studied English and Philosophy at University College, Cork, in Ireland, Professor Dowd went on to complete a PhD exploring the intersection of philosophical concepts with 20th century authors including James Joyce, Samuel Beckett, and Marcel Proust. His lecture focused on Beckett’s first published novel, Murphy, which is set in London. Explaining his chosen topic, Garin said:
My recent research has focused on questions of space and place and ideas like territory and how these are reflected in literature. Samuel Beckett fascinates me - his innovations in literary form, the way he can't be pinned to a definition like a national literature and even escapes the boundaries of language. He moved on to write in French too as a way of escaping the influence of precursors and writing on a blank slate.”
Beckett spent two years in London in the mid-1930s while writing Murphy and found the city less cosmopolitan than bohemian Paris, where he spent the rest of his life.
Like Beckett, on moving to London, Garin didn’t intend to stay. However, its diversity, vibrancy and thriving cultural scene proved irresistible, as he recalled:
There were art house cinemas like the Scala showing all night Antonioni films, a thriving music scene and great book shops like the much-missed Compendium in Camden. At the ICA you would have visiting speakers like Jacques Derrida.”
The academic scene in London is extraordinarily rich, and for Garin, getting an academic job anchored him into this community.
A university post in London opens up a distinct cultural and intellectual scene. You build networks and form connections.”
His inaugural lecture proved a moment to reflect on these, and on people who have enriched his life and thinking.
It's a pleasure to see how it unfolds and the conversations it inspires afterwards. An opportunity to combine the professional and personal, acknowledge and bring together people who have been important to you,”
Garin said.
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