With respect to the issue of direct biographical influence, James Miller--in his
biography, "The Passion of Michel Foucalt"--spends quite a few pages on Foucault
and Beckett. He even takes Foucault's attendendance at "Waiting for Godot" to
be fundamentally formative for Foucault's thought and life. He quotes Foucault
himself to that effect: "I belong to that generation who, as students, had
before their eyes, and were limited by, a horizon consisting of Marxism,
phenomenology, and existentialism. ...For me the break was first Beckett's
'Waiting for Godot,' a breathtaking performance" (p. 65).
Sam Chambers
University of Minnesota
biography, "The Passion of Michel Foucalt"--spends quite a few pages on Foucault
and Beckett. He even takes Foucault's attendendance at "Waiting for Godot" to
be fundamentally formative for Foucault's thought and life. He quotes Foucault
himself to that effect: "I belong to that generation who, as students, had
before their eyes, and were limited by, a horizon consisting of Marxism,
phenomenology, and existentialism. ...For me the break was first Beckett's
'Waiting for Godot,' a breathtaking performance" (p. 65).
Sam Chambers
University of Minnesota