Sir, – In his excellent article “Walking in Samuel Beckett’s footsteps” (Books, September 13th), Alan Gilsenan refers to the photograph of me and my son on the snow-clad Dublin mountains with the caption “Father and Son on a road to nowhere”.
This poignant photograph, taken by David Davison, has been used to illustrate many essays, book covers and theatre catalogues.
However, when I first showed it to Beckett in Paris, he asked why I had thought the quotation from Worstward Ho was that of a “father and son”.
Realising that I had misinterpreted his text, I suggested that the photograph should not be used in the book, but Beckett had been so overwhelmed by the loneliness and isolation it exuded that he insisted on its inclusion.
Lovebombing Trump: How US multinationals in Ireland will deal with the incoming president
LA fires: Video and images of the devastation
Conor Pope: What if dry January turned into dry forever? Eight ways life has changed since I stopped drinking in 2022
Ringo Starr on holidaying in Ireland: ‘We hopped over on a plane, rented a car and found a little guesthouse for two nights’
This is another example of Beckett’s way of delving into the memory of place, and occasionally person, to fire creative thought rather than worrying about the accuracy of detail underlying the initiating process. – Yours, etc,
EOIN O’BRIEN,
Dún Laoghaire,
Co Dublin.