Samuel Barclay Beckett was an Irish writer, poet, theatre director, and literary translator. He was awarded the 1969 Nobel Prize in Literature "for his writing, which - in new forms for the novel and drama - in the destitution of modern man acquires its elevation". Murphy, Samuel Beckett's first published novel, was written in English and published in London in 1938. Beckett himself subsequently translated the book into French, and it was published in France in 1947. This tragicomic novel details the life of a dissatisfied man living in London who wants to fulfil his life by doing as little as possible. Imagine entering a stranger's apartment to find the stranger naked in a rocking chair. Obviously, you would have some explaining to do for entering a stranger's apartment. You would also probably develop some curiosity about the naked man in the rocking chair. This is Murphy, a man reluctant to accept any responsibility or pursue any commitment. To describe “what happens” in this novel is to describe the attempts of the protagonist to avoid having anything happen at all, and the attempts on the part of the other characters to make something happen to Murphy. Murphy has perceived life as a meaningless bundle of facilities. Murphy found it better to retreat to the world of oblivion and nothingness instead of being tortured in this sterile and insipid world. Enjoy free online English audiobook “Murphy”, Samuel Beckett’s first published novel.
