Malone Dies

By: Samuel Beckett

Narrated by: Sean Barrett

Length: 5 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's Summary

Malone Dies is the first person monologue of Malone, an old man lying in bed and waiting to die. The tone is fiercely ironic, highly quotable, and because of its extravagance, also very comic. It catches the reality of old age in a way that is grimly convincing, cruel as humor so often is, and memorable because of Beckett's way with words. A master dramatist, Beckett's novels can be even more effective when heard, and especially when read by such a Beckett specialist as Sean Barrett.

Malone Dies was written as a separate novel, but is often regarded as the second part of The Beckett Trilogy, preceded by Molloy and followed by The Unnamable

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©2004 NAXOS AudioBooks Ltd. (P)2004 NAXOS AudioBooks Ltd.

Living Beckett

Hearing these books ( i read them several years ago) brought them to life and gave them a whole other dimension. Personally i think they are marvelous, full of humor and philosophy. I wish Audible had more Beckett- MORE, MORE please.

The process of a mind disintegrating

I listened to this immediately after molloy, equally as stimulating. Less of a story but Beckett is able to explore features of the mind and world with heightened acuity (albeit in his very unclear way).

non-linear storytelling

Very odd, but from the same guy who wrote "Waiting for Godot" I expected it. One long stream of consciousness book, somehow he falls into story-telling about people he's known. Not sure if they were real people, fictional, or himself.

I could not wait until he died.

This novel was boring. I kept waiting for something to happen. I found myself wishing that he would die already. Pretty sad, huh?

Brilliant!

The narration was pitch perfect. A world in putrid atrophy rendered in brutal, yet tender, sparkling prose. The meandering reports betray a sharpness of observation that is vulnerable but witty. A listening experience that takes you within your own recesses and opens out into a growing familiarity with your own becoming.

It's Beckett - What more can I say

Sean Barrett was largely superb. Yes there a few times I felt uncomfortable with his interpretation but largely superb.

A Room Without A View

When I was 17 we were given this book to study at school, which just goes to show that even the people who set examination texts have a sense of humour. I think it's fair to say that it has had a major impact on my life - particularly my sense of humour. That is not necessarily a good thing, but still...

'Malone Dies' remains my favourite book in the trilogy of novels that begins with 'Molloy' and ends with 'The Unnameable'. It's sharp, funny, dark and dazzling by turns. It also features a pretty good anecdote about the pitfalls of 'a good day out'. If you're new to Beckett's prose writing it's also, IMHO, a pretty good place to start. And, as in the other two books of the trilogy, Sean Barrett's performance is a delight.

Wonderful.

Samuel Beckett is, as always, a joy. The narration is perfect for this story. I was disappointed by one, particularly, racist comment and didn't warm to the various descriptions of how animals die when murdered. Hopefully the character of Malone is fictional and this does not reflect Beckett's views. Nevertheless I would recommend.

Hilarious !

Excellent Beckett novel which honestly portrays the human condition with a large dose of black humour.

A realistic, witty, dark outlook into death

Samuel Beckett's classic tale of a man on his death bed is darkly humorous at the same time as being tragic.

Attempting his last shot at writing tales, poor Malone tries his best not to get jumbled with his thoughts but instead ends up on various tangents and rents about previous grudges.

The dramatic pauses are brilliant, usually entailing the storyteller dropping his pencil and general confusion of his mind. The reader does a fantastic job at this.