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Daniel Gunn

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Daniel Gunn

Distinguished Professor

  • Department: Comparative Literature and English
  • Office: 
    GR-111
  • Office Hours: 
    Mondays 10:00鈥�10:30 or by appointment

Professor Gunn joined The American University of Paris full-time in 1989 after completing his doctoral work at The University of Sussex and after four years of teaching at the Ecole Normale Sup茅rieure in Paris. He currently teaches courses from Shakespeare through the novel of the French revolution, to post-war fiction, concentrating on the literatures of Britain, France, and Italy.鈥ㄢ��

Gunn has research interests principally in twentieth-century European literature, fiction especially, and has specialized in the work of Marcel Proust and Samuel Beckett. He regularly reviews works of fiction and texts on literary theory for the TLS. He writes and publishes fiction, and is particularly interested in the area between fiction and non-fiction. Because of his activity in this field, he occasionally supervises student theses in creative writing.鈥ㄢ�燞e is the founder and director the BT天堂鈥檚 Center for Writers & Translators, and is Editor of the Cahiers Series.

He is the Paris director of the correspondence of Samuel Beckett, an international project based in Emory University, whose aim was the publication of a selection of Beckett鈥檚 voluminous correspondence. The four-volume edition, published by Cambridge University Press, was completed with the publication in September 2016 of the fourth and final volume, covering the years 1966 to 1989.聽He was appointed Editor of the letters of Muriel Spark in 2018 and is working, along with motivated students, on establishing the corpus of the letters.



Education/Degrees

  • D.Phil. The University of Sussex
  • MA in Twentieth Century Literature, The University of Sussex
  • BA, The University of Sussex

Publications

Books

  • February 2019: Samuel Beckett,聽Was bleibt, wenn die Schreie enden? - Briefe 1966-1989聽(German translation by Chris Hirte of聽The Letters of Samuel Beckett Volume IV)

  • September 2018: Samuel Beckett,聽Lettres IV, 1967-1989.聽Gallimard. (French translation by G茅rard Kahn of聽The Letters of Samuel Beckett Volume IV)

  • October 2016: Samuel Beckett,聽Lettres III, 1957-1966.聽Gallimard. (French translation of聽The Letters of Samuel Beckett Volume III.)

  • September 2016 (as Editor, and author of the Introduction): The Letters of Samuel Beckett, Vol IV, 1966-1989.
  • November 2015聽: Samuel Beckett, Lettres II, 1941-1965: Les Ann茅es Godot. Gallimard. (French translation of The Letters of Samuel Beckett Volume II.)
  • October 2014: Samuel Beckett, Ein Ungl眉ck, das man bis zum Ende verteidigen mu脽聽: Briefe 1941-1956. Suhrkamp Verlag. (German translation of The letters of Samuel Beckett Volume II.)
  • The Emperor of Ice-Cream. A novel (Seagull Books, December 2014).
  • The Letters of Samuel Beckett Vo聽lume III, 1957-1965 (Editor, and author of Introduction to the volume). (Cambridge University Press, October 2014).
  • Samuel Beckett, Lettres I: 1929-1940. Gallimard, May 2013. (French translation of The Letters of Samuel Beckett Volume I.)
  • Samuel Beckett, Weitermachen ist mehr, als ich tun kann 鈥� Briefe 1929-1940. Suhrkamp Verla, February 2013. (German translation of The Letters of Samuel Beckett Volume I.)
  • 鈥淪amuel Beckett鈥� in The Great Shakespeareans Volume XII, edited by Adrian Poole (Continuum Books / Bloomsbury, 2012).
  • The Letters of Samuel Beckett, Volume II: 1941-1956. Edited by George Craig, Martha Dow Fehsenfeld, Dan Gunn, and Lois Overbeck (Cambridge University Press, September 2011).
  • Samuel Beckett, Weitermachen ist mehr, als ich tun kann 鈥� Briefe 1929-1940. (Suhrkamp Verlag, 2013). (German translation of The Letters of Samuel Beckett Volume I.)
  • The Letters of Samuel Beckett, Volume I: 1929-1940. Edited by Martha Dow,聽Fehsenfeld and Lois More Overbeck, with Dan Gunn and George Craig (Cambridge University Press, March 2009).
  • Wool-Gathering or How I Ended Analysis. Brunner-Routledge, May 2002.
  • Body Language. A novel. Mainstream Publishing, May 2002. Nominated for the Saltire Literary Award as Scottish Book of the Year.
  • Almost You. A novel. Quartet Books, April 1994.
  • Psychoanalysis and Fiction: an exploration of literary and psychoanalytic borders. Cambridge University Press, 1988. Paperback edition, C.U.P., May, 1990.
  • French translation (by Jean-Michel Rabat茅): Analyse et fiction: aux fronti猫res de la litt茅rature et de la psychanalyse. Deno毛l (collection 鈥楲'Espace Analytique鈥�), October 1990.
Selected translations
  • Translator's Blues by Franco Nasi. Translation of La Malinconia del traduttore. The Cahiers聽Series no. 26, September 2015.
  • The Story Smuggler by Georgi Gospodinov. Translation with Kristina Kovacheva for The Cahiers Series no.29, October 2016.
  • Diplomat, Actor, Translator, Spy. Translation of Bernard Turle鈥檚 Le traducteur-orchestre (Cahiers Series no.19).
  • Reads Like a Novel. Translation of Daniel Pennac's Comme un roman. Quartet Books (London), 1994. Nominated for the 1996 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award.
Selected articles

  • 鈥淣otes on the Translator鈥檚 Space / The Editor鈥檚 Place鈥�. Chapter in聽Translation: Crafts, Contexts, Consequences. Edited by Jan Steyn. Cambridge University Press. 2022.

  • 鈥淥peratic Irritation, Historical Reinscription: Lampedusa鈥檚聽The Leopard.鈥� In聽Literature is Comparative: Toute litt茅rature est litt茅rature comparative. Etudes de litt茅rature et de linguistique offertes 脿 Roy Rosenstein par ses coll猫gues, ses disciples et ses amis.聽Eds. Danielle Vuschinger, Martine Marzloff, Patricia Gillies, and Marie-Genevi猫ve Grossel.聽惭茅诲颈别惫补濒别蝉聽No.70. Presses du Centre d鈥櫭塼udes M茅di茅vales de Picardie, 2021

  • "Paris, 18 April 2020." Article at http://www.cambridgeblog.org/2020/05/paris-18-april-2020/.

  • 鈥淏eckett鈥檚 Letters: the Edition and the Corpus鈥�. Chapter in The New Samuel Beckett Studies, ed. Jean-Michel Rabat茅, Cambridge University Press, 2019.

  • 鈥淓ulogy for George Craig.鈥� In Journal of Beckett Studies, 28.2, 2019.

  • 鈥淢e and the World鈥�. Introduction to Me & Other Writing by Marguerite Duras, translated by Olivia Baes and Emma Ramadan, published by Dorothy A Publishing Project, 2019.

  • 鈥淭he Significance of Shakespeare in Gabriel Josipovici鈥檚 Work鈥�. In European Judaism, Volume 52, No. 1, Spring聽2019.

  • 聽 鈥淎haron Appelfeld: A Shadow upon the Silence."聽In聽Jewish聽Identity and Comparative Studies /Jud茅it茅 et comparatisme. Etudes offertes 脿聽Astrid Starck-Adler par ses coll猫gues聽et amis 脿 l'occasion de son soixante quinzi猫me anniversaire.聽Eds. Danielle Buschinger et Roy Rosenstein.聽M茅di茅vales聽No. 68. Presses du Centre d'Etudes M茅di茅vales, 2019.

  • 鈥淏eckett and Translation鈥�. With George Craig, in聽In Other Words: A Translation Journal, 2018.

  • Introduction to new edition of聽Not To Disturb聽by Muriel Spark. Polygon, May 2018.

  • 鈥淭he Groves of Academe鈥�. In International Literary Quarterly, September 2016.
  • 鈥淓xcess of Language鈥�: on St茅phane Lambert, Avant Godot, and Leland de la Durantaye, Beckett鈥檚 Art of Mismaking. In TLS, 16 September 2016.
  • 鈥淢ore Vim than Spunk鈥�: on Jo Baker, A Country Road, A Tree. In TLS, 8 July 2016.
  • 鈥淭he Lightness of Muriel Spark鈥檚 Novels鈥�. Chapter in Hidden Possibilities: Essays in Honour of Muriel Spark, ed. Robert Hosmer, University of Notre Dame Press, 2014.
  • 鈥淏eckett鈥檚 letters to Barbara Bray鈥�. In The Guardian, 27 September 2014.
  • 鈥淩ecognition and Return鈥�: on the painting of William Pownall. In William Pownall, Hydra Press Ulm, 2014.
  • 鈥淭r猫s vif, tr猫s fort鈥�: review of Marguerite Duras, Oeuvres compl猫tes (Pl茅iade, 4 volumes); 尝鈥橝尘辞耻谤 (translated by Kazin Ali and Libby Murphy); Laure Adler, Marguerite Duras; Christiane Blot-Labarr猫re, Album Marguerite Duras. In TLS, October 2014.
  • 鈥淒iary鈥�. In the Scottish Review of Books, November 2014.
  • 鈥淭he Lightness of Muriel Spark鈥檚 Novels鈥�. Chapter in Hidden Possibilities: Essays in Honour of Muriel Spark, ed. Robert Hosmer, University of Notre Dame Press, 2014.
  • 鈥淏eckett鈥檚 letters to Barbara Bray鈥�. In The Guardian, 27 September 2014. 鈥淩ecognition and Return鈥�: on the painting of William Pownall. In William Pownall, Hydra Press Ulm, 2014.
  • Review of Marguerite Duras, Oeuvres compl猫tes (Pl茅iade, 4 volumes); 尝鈥橝尘辞耻谤 (translated by Kazin Ali and Libby Murphy); Laure Adler, Marguerite Duras; Christiane Blot-Labarr猫re, Album Marguerite Duras. In TLS, October 2014.
  • Review of Barbara Cassin, La Nostalgie: Quand donc est-on chez soi? In 贵谤补苍肠辞蝉辫丑猫谤别蝉, Vol. 2, No. 2, 178-181.
  • Interview conducted with Lydia Davis: The Quarterly Conversation, March 2014.
  • 鈥淏arbara Bray鈥�: entry on translator and radio producer Barbara Bray in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, October 2013.
  • Interview with Rhys Tranter on editing Samuel Beckett鈥檚 letters: The Quarterly Conversation, March 2013.
  • 鈥淧neumatic Neumann: Inside the Anim鈥�: on Max Neumann. In Literature and Music, 2, Spring 2013.
  • 鈥淪uperhuman Organization鈥�: on Patrick White, Happy Valley. In TLS, 25 January 2013.
  • 鈥淒evil Dances鈥�: on L谩szl贸 Krasznahorkai, 厂谩迟谩苍迟补苍驳辞. In TLS, 1 June 2012.
  • 鈥淎nd Then the Letting Go鈥︹��: on Tim Parks, Teach Us To Sit Still. In TLS, 20 & 27 August 2010. Reprinted in French translation in Books 21, March 2011.
  • 鈥淚mproper Intellect鈥�: on Geoff Dyer, Working the Room 鈥� Essays and Reviews: 1999-2020. In TLS, 7 January 2011.
  • 鈥淚n Flight鈥�: on Jean Echenoz, Des Eclairs. In TLS, 5 November 2010.
  • 鈥淣atura non Contristatur.鈥� On the art of Lanfranco Quadrio. In Natura non Contristatur, Editions Grande Finale, September 2010.
  • 鈥� 鈥業t is the Fate of Europe to Become Naples.鈥� Curzio Malaparte and the Plague of Benevolent Interventionism鈥�. In The International Literary Quarterly, Issue 1, November 2007
  • "Until the gag is chewed": on Samuel Beckett's correspondence. In TLS, 21 April, 2006.
  • 鈥淎haron Appelfeld鈥�, 鈥淕abriel Josipovici鈥�, 鈥淕eorges Perec鈥�. In Jewish Writers of the Twentieth Century, Fitzroy Dearborn, 2003.
  • 鈥淰arieties of Scottish Gothic: James Hogg and Muriel Spark鈥�. In Lo specchio dei mondi impossibili: Il fantastico nella letteratura e nel cinema. Edited by Cristian Bragaglio et. Al.. Firenze: Aletheia, 2001.
  • 鈥溾�橳is no Time to Play Now鈥�: on Deborah Cartmell, Interpreting Shakespeare on Screen; Douglas Brode, Shakespeare in the Movies: From the Silent Era to Shakespeare in Love; Mark Thornton Burnett & Ramona Wray Burnett, eds., Shakespeare, Film, Fin de Si猫cle; Russell Jackson, ed., The Cambridge Companion to Shakespeare on Film. In TLS, 7 December, 2001.
  • 鈥淧eace and the Monomaniac鈥�: on two exhibitions, 鈥淕iorgio Morandi鈥� at the Tate Modern, and 鈥淕iorgio Morandi: The Collectors鈥� Eye鈥� at the Estorick Collection. In TLS, 13 July, 2001.
  • 鈥淚rvine Welsh, his Success, his Patois, his Translators and his 鈥楲ikesay鈥欌��. In Recherches Anglaises et Nord-Am茅ricaines, Ann茅e 1997, Strasbourg, 1999.
  • 鈥淭he Beam of Sam鈥檚 Light鈥�: on Maurice Harmon (ed), No Author Better Served: The Correspondence of Samuel Beckett and Alan Schneider; John Pilling, Beckett before Godot; Phil Baker, Beckett and the Mythology of Psychoanalysis; Mary Bryden, Samuel Beckett and the Idea of God; Richard Begam, Samuel Beckett and the End of Modernity; H.Porter Abbott, Beckett Writing Beckett. In TLS, 15 January 1999. Reprinted in Portuguese translation in Best Of, no.1, September 1999.
  • 鈥淧ennac et ses traducteurs鈥�. A 鈥渢able ronde鈥� with Daniel Pennac, Sylv猫re Monod, and David Homel. In 罢谤补苍蝉尝颈迟迟茅谤补迟耻谤别 no.12, Winter 1996.
  • 鈥淭he art of exaggeration鈥�: on Thomas Bernhard, Extinction. In The Jewish Quarterly 162, Summer 1996.
  • 鈥淧ieces of eight! Coquilles Saint-Jacques! Of Parrots, Parents, and Prostheses鈥�. In Tekhnema, 3 (May 1996).
  • 鈥淭he joys of bad ping-pong鈥�: on the work of Jerome Charyn. In The Observer (London), 20 March, 1994.
  • 鈥淚l gioco sospeso sull'abisso鈥�: on Georges Perec. In Georges Perec (ed. Andrea Borsari). Milan: Marcos Y Marcos, 1993.
  • 鈥淟istening to Beckett鈥�. In Interfaces: image, texte, langage, 1992.
  • 鈥淟a bicyclette irlandaise: Flann O'Brien et Samuel Beckett鈥�. In Tropismes no.5, 1991.
  • 鈥淐ommunity of Meaning鈥�: on Gary Handwerk, Irony and Ethics in Narrative: from Schlegel to Lacan. In P.N. Review 57.
Interviews
  • "A Conversation with Dan Gunn", conducted by Lydia Davis, Music & Literature online.
  • Interview given to Rhys Tranter on editing Samuel Beckett鈥檚 letters: The Quarterly Conversation, March 2013.
  • 鈥淨 & A with Dan Gunn from Cahiers Series鈥�: bookculture blog, March 2014. 鈥淓ntretien avec Dan Gunn鈥� on editing Samuel Beckett鈥檚 letters, Florilettres (Fondation de la Poste), juin-juillet 2014.
  • 鈥淎 Q&A with Dan Gunn鈥� on The Letters of Samuel Beckett Volume 3, in Fifteeneightyfour (Academic Perspectives from Cambridge University Press), September 2014.
  • 鈥淎 Conversation with Dan Gunn鈥�, conducted by Lydia Davis, Music & Literature online.

Conferences & Lectures

  • Guest lecture at the University of Iowa Translation Programme, "The Translator as Editor, the Editor as Translator", delivered (by Zoom) 15 May 2023.
  • November 2016: "Samuel Beckett's Letters". A reading and discussion at a symposium dedicated to Volume IV of the Beckett Letters at King's College, Cambridge.
  • September 2016: 鈥淭he Significance of Shakespeare鈥�. Paper delivered at a conference on the work of Gabriel Josipovici at the University of Sussex.
  • August 2016: member of a three-person panel on 鈥淭he Death of the Critic鈥� at the Edinburgh International Book Festival.
  • August 2016: workshop on Beckett鈥檚 鈥淔irst Love鈥� at the Edinburgh International Book Festival.
  • June 2016: 鈥淏eckett and the Visual鈥�. Talk with Conor Carville as part of the Beckett In London Festival, Criterion Theatre.
  • February 2016: three plenary lectures by invitation of the Research Institute of Irish and Scottish Studies and the Sir Herbert Grierson Centre for Textual Criticism and Comparative Literary History, at King鈥檚 College, University of Aberdeen.
  • August 2015: 鈥淎uthor, Editor, Publisher, Translator鈥�. A panel with Alessandro Gallenzi at the Edinburgh International Book Festival.
  • August 2015: 鈥淚mmigration Song鈥�. A panel at the Edinburgh International Book Festival with Johannes Anyuru.
  • March 2015: 鈥淭ranslating Samuel Beckett.鈥� A talk (with George Craig) at Trinity College, Dublin.
  • March 2015: 鈥淓diting as Translation.鈥� A lecture at the Editorial Institute, University of Boston.
  • March聽 2015: 鈥淪amuel Beckett Through his Letters, 1957-1964鈥�. A reading and lecture at Harvard University.
  • March 2015: 鈥淟etters, Literature, and Politics鈥�. A conversation with Jean-Michel Rabat茅, Slought Gallery, Philadelphia.
  • February 2015: 鈥淓diting as Translation鈥�. A lecture at New York University.
  • February 2015: 鈥淪amuel Beckett鈥檚 Letters鈥�. A talk (with Joseph O鈥橬eill) at Albertine Books, New York.
  • October 2014: 鈥淪amuel Beckett Through his Letters, 1957-1964鈥�. A lecture at the Beckett International Foundation, University of Reading.
  • October 2014: 鈥淪amuel Beckett鈥�. Participation in a round-table, Cheltenham Literary Festival.
  • July 2012: Four lectures on Samuel Beckett at the University of Tokyo.
  • June 2012: 鈥淪amuel Beckett the Correspondent, 1957-1967鈥�. A lecture at the international colloquium Beckett au miroir des interpretations at the Sorbonne Nouvelle.
  • March 2011: 鈥淓diting Samuel Beckett鈥檚 Letters.鈥� A reading and discussion at Eugene Lang College, New School for Social Research, New York.
  • August 2010: 鈥淪amuel Beckett鈥檚 Letters.鈥� A reading and presentation with George Craig, the Edinburgh International Book Festival.
  • March 2009 鈥淪amuel Beckett鈥檚 Letters.鈥� A reading and discussion with Ian McKellan and Patrick Stewart, Foyle鈥檚 Bookshop, London.
  • February 2009: 鈥溾�楢n Effort, Necessarily Feeble, to Express the Nothing鈥�: Samuel Beckett鈥檚 Aesthetic Journey as Expressed in his Letters鈥�: to the World Theatre Forum, Harvard University.
  • February 2009: 鈥淔rom Spasm to Indigence: the writer鈥檚 duty as revealed through Samuel Beckett鈥檚 letters鈥�: to the Fund for Irish Studies, Princeton University.
  • November 2007: 鈥淲alking on Air: The Lightness of Muriel Spark鈥�. Muriel Spark Society Annual Lecture at the National Library of Scotland.
  • February 2009: 鈥淎spermatism as threat and reward: Samuel Beckett鈥檚 Letters and his Aestheic of Indigence鈥�: to the Modernist Studies Group, University of Pennsylvania. 鈥�
  • February 2009: 鈥淚ll-Armed with Languages: Samuel Beckett鈥檚 letters and his Aesthetic of Indigence鈥�: at the Boston University Editorial Institute.
  • "Samuel Beckett's Correspondence". TLS centenary lecture at the National Portrait Gallery, London, 20 April, 2006.
  • December 2002: 鈥淲riting from the Couch鈥�: on Wool-Gathering or How I Ended Analysis at the University of Pennsylvania.
  • November 2002: 鈥淐orresponding with Samuel Beckett鈥�, at Reed College, Oregon.
  • March 1999: 鈥淰arieties of Scottish Gothic: J.Hogg, R.L.Stevenson, M.Spark鈥�, at an international conference on Lo specchio dei mondi impossibili: Il fantastico nella letteratura e nel cinema, Universit脿 di Bologna, Italy.
  • November 1997: 鈥淚rvine Welsh: his success, his patois, his translators, and his 鈥榣ikesay鈥欌��, at an international conference on The Margins of Literature: Scottish, Irish, and Canadian Literature, Universit茅 de Strasbourg.
  • June 1996: 鈥淟a Double Traduction de Comme un roman de Daniel Pennac鈥�. Round table with Sylv猫re Monod, Daniel Pennac, David Homel, in the Mairie du 13猫me arrondissement, organised by the Assises de la Traduction Litt茅raire d鈥橝rles.
  • March 1995: 鈥淭he Scientific Unsayable: Limits of Scientific Discourse in Italo Calvino and Primo Levi鈥�, at the American Comparative Literature Association annual conference, Athens, Georgia.
  • March 1993: 鈥淭he space for Silence in Works by Aharon Appelfeld, Samuel Beckett, and Georges Perec鈥�, at the American Comparative Literature Association annual conference, Bloomington, Indiana.

Research Areas

  • British, Irish, French, and Italian fiction of the nineteenth, twentieth, and twenty-first centuries
  • Shakespeare
  • Samuel Beckett, Marcel Proust
  • Translation theory and practice
  • Scholarly editing