Suzanne Deschevaux-Dumesnil
Encyclopedia
Suzanne Déchevaux-Dumesnil (1900 – 17 July 1989)was the tennis-partner, lover, and later wife of Samuel Beckett
.
In the 1930s, Beckett, an avid tennis fan his whole life, chose Déchevaux-Dumesnil as his lover over the heiress Peggy Guggenheim
. Six years older than Beckett, Déchevaux-Dumesnil was an austere woman known for avant-garde tastes and left-wing politics.
During the Second World War, Beckett joined the French Resistance
. For over two years, he and Déchevaux-Dumesnil hid from the Germans in a village in the South of France.
Beckett's Waiting for Godot
has been called "a metaphor for the long walk into Roussillon
, when Beckett and Suzanne slept in haystacks... during the day and walked by night..."
During the relationship between Beckett and Déchevaux-Dumesnil, which lasted more than fifty-years, she maintained a private circle of friends and is credited with having influenced Beckett to produce more work.
During the late 1950s, Beckett often stayed in London
, where he met Barbara Bray
, a BBC
script-editor, a widow in her thirties. James Knowlson writes of them: "Beckett seems to have been immediately attracted to her and she to him. Their encounter was highly significant for them both, for it represented the beginning of a relationship that was to last, in parallel with that with Suzanne, for the rest of his life." Soon, their association became "a very intimate and personal one". In a visit to Paris
in January of 1961, Bray told Beckett she had decided to move there. His response was unusual. In March, 1961, he married Déchevaux-Dumesnil in a civil ceremony in Folkestone
. On the face of it, this was to make sure that if he died before her Déchevaux-Dumesnil would inherit the rights to his work, since there was no common-law marriage
under French law
. He may also have wanted to affirm his loyalty to her. In June, 1961, Bray moved to Paris, and despite his recent marriage Beckett spent much of his time with her. This side of his life was not well known, as Beckett’s reserve was "allied to his fear of giving offence to Suzanne". Beckett's play Play
(1963) seems to be inspired by these events.
Déchevaux-Dumesnil died in July 1989, five months before Beckett. They are interred together in the Cimetière de Montparnasse
in Paris
.
Samuel Beckett
Samuel Barclay Beckett was an Irish avant-garde novelist, playwright, theatre director, and poet. He wrote both in English and French. His work offers a bleak, tragicomic outlook on human nature, often coupled with black comedy and gallows humour.Beckett is widely regarded as among the most...
.
In the 1930s, Beckett, an avid tennis fan his whole life, chose Déchevaux-Dumesnil as his lover over the heiress Peggy Guggenheim
Peggy Guggenheim
Marguerite "Peggy" Guggenheim was an American art collector. Born to a wealthy New York City family, she was the daughter of Benjamin Guggenheim, who went down with the Titanic in 1912 and the niece of Solomon R. Guggenheim, who would establish the Solomon R...
. Six years older than Beckett, Déchevaux-Dumesnil was an austere woman known for avant-garde tastes and left-wing politics.
During the Second World War, Beckett joined the French Resistance
French Resistance
The French Resistance is the name used to denote the collection of French resistance movements that fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and against the collaborationist Vichy régime during World War II...
. For over two years, he and Déchevaux-Dumesnil hid from the Germans in a village in the South of France.
Beckett's Waiting for Godot
Waiting for Godot
Waiting for Godot is an absurdist play by Samuel Beckett, in which two characters, Vladimir and Estragon, wait endlessly and in vain for someone named Godot to arrive. Godot's absence, as well as numerous other aspects of the play, have led to many different interpretations since the play's...
has been called "a metaphor for the long walk into Roussillon
Roussillon
Roussillon is one of the historical counties of the former Principality of Catalonia, corresponding roughly to the present-day southern French département of Pyrénées-Orientales...
, when Beckett and Suzanne slept in haystacks... during the day and walked by night..."
During the relationship between Beckett and Déchevaux-Dumesnil, which lasted more than fifty-years, she maintained a private circle of friends and is credited with having influenced Beckett to produce more work.
During the late 1950s, Beckett often stayed in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, where he met Barbara Bray
Barbara Bray
Barbara Bray was a British translator and critic.An identical twin , she was educated at Girton College, Cambridge, where she read English, with papers in French and Italian...
, a BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
script-editor, a widow in her thirties. James Knowlson writes of them: "Beckett seems to have been immediately attracted to her and she to him. Their encounter was highly significant for them both, for it represented the beginning of a relationship that was to last, in parallel with that with Suzanne, for the rest of his life." Soon, their association became "a very intimate and personal one". In a visit to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in January of 1961, Bray told Beckett she had decided to move there. His response was unusual. In March, 1961, he married Déchevaux-Dumesnil in a civil ceremony in Folkestone
Folkestone
Folkestone is the principal town in the Shepway District of Kent, England. Its original site was in a valley in the sea cliffs and it developed through fishing and its closeness to the Continent as a landing place and trading port. The coming of the railways, the building of a ferry port, and its...
. On the face of it, this was to make sure that if he died before her Déchevaux-Dumesnil would inherit the rights to his work, since there was no common-law marriage
Common-law marriage
Common-law marriage, sometimes called sui juris marriage, informal marriage or marriage by habit and repute, is a form of interpersonal status that is legally recognized in limited jurisdictions as a marriage even though no legally recognized marriage ceremony is performed or civil marriage...
under French law
Law of France
In academic terms, French law can be divided into two main categories: private or judicial law and public law .Judicial law includes, in particular:*civil law ; and*criminal law ....
. He may also have wanted to affirm his loyalty to her. In June, 1961, Bray moved to Paris, and despite his recent marriage Beckett spent much of his time with her. This side of his life was not well known, as Beckett’s reserve was "allied to his fear of giving offence to Suzanne". Beckett's play Play
Play (play)
Play is a one-act play by Samuel Beckett. It was written between 1962 and 1963 and first produced in German as Spiel on 14 June 1963 at the Ulmer Theatre in Ulm-Donau, Germany, directed by Deryk Mendel, with Nancy Illig , Sigfrid Pfeiffer and Gerhard Winter...
(1963) seems to be inspired by these events.
Déchevaux-Dumesnil died in July 1989, five months before Beckett. They are interred together in the Cimetière de Montparnasse
Montparnasse Cemetery
Montparnasse Cemetery is a cemetery in the Montparnasse quarter of Paris, part of the city's 14th arrondissement.-History:Created from three farms in 1824, the cemetery at Montparnasse was originally known as Le Cimetière du Sud. Cemeteries had been banned from Paris since the closure, owing to...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.