Beckett: Lieben - Welcome and Keynote: Professor Mark Nixon - Erste Liebe

Beckett: Lieben 2026 explores Beckett's fascination with German expressionism, which he first encountered through his relationship with the Sinclair family in Kassel in the 1930s. For more information about the festival, please go to www.liverpool.ac.uk/beckett.

We are delighted to welcome Mark Nixon, Professor of Modern Literature and Beckett Studies at the University of Reading and editor of Beckett's German diaries, to the festival to give the Welcome Address and Keynote.

Please note that light refreshments will be served before the keynote lecture.

‘Erste Liebe’: Samuel Beckett, Peggy Sinclair and German Culture

To quote the German title of his short story ‘First Love’, German culture was an ‘Erste Liebe’ for Samuel Beckett. He made eight trips to Kassel in the late 1920s and early 1930s to visit his relatives, the Sinclairs, which resulted in a love affair with his cousin, Peggy Sinclair, and an introduction to modern art through his uncle, the art dealer William ‘Boss’ Sinclair. These early experiences in the liberal Weimar Republic led to a sustained engagement with German culture in the 1930s, and in particular Beckett’s six-month trip through Germany in 1936-37. The diaries that he kept during this journey reveal Beckett’s deep study of the visual arts, including German Expressionism, and his reactions to National Socialism. And it was in Germany, in the 1960s and 1970s, that Beckett shaped his dramatic vision, directing seven of his theatrical plays in productions at the Schiller Theater in Berlin. At the same time, between 1965 and 1985, Beckett directed and recorded the definite versions of his television plays at the studios of the Süddeutscher Rundfunk in Stuttgart.

This illustrated talk gives an overview of the long-lasting relationship between Beckett and Germany, and looks at the way his life and work was profoundly shaped by his engagement with German literature, art, philosophy and music.

For information on how to get to St George's Hall, including nearby car parks, please go to https://liverpoolcityhalls.co.uk/plan-your-visit/.