My Beckett, My Howe, My Son

Beckett’s Childrenis a lyrical blend of personal memoir, fatherson dialogue, and literary investigation that probes the works of Irish writer Samuel Beckett and American poet Susan Howe in search of traces of their long-rumored status as father and daughter.

Although Howe has denied the rumor, the possibility that it might be true leads Coffey to a highly original appreciation of her work and a fascinating focus on the dozens of unattended children who wander through Beckett’s oeuvre.

The saga of Coffey’s adult son, at various moments on the run in the Indiana woods or incarcerated, shines light on life without parental connection in a cold America. As an adoptee himself, Coffey looks to literature for traces of his own origin story and lineage, a heritage held in secret by a closed adoption system but which, through books and cultural signs, he has been able to decipher in his own way.

Provocative andbeautifully expressed,Beckett’s Childrensuggests a new approach to the textual worlds of two highly respected artists, providing a revelatory perspective on both American poetics and the vibrant world of Beckett studies.

Author Biography

Michael Coffeywas, until 2014, the co-editorial director ofPublishers Weekly.His hybrid fictionSamuel Beckett Is Closed(Evergreen Review/OR Books) was described byThe New York Times Book Reviewas “a ghostly collaboration” and “a rewarding challenge” to the reader.