Az Eszterházy Károly Tanárképző Főiskola Tudományos Közleményei. 2002. Vol. 8. Eger Journal of American Studies.(Acta Academiae Paedagogicae Agriensis : Nova series ; Tom. 28)

Studies - Zoltán Abádi-Nagy: Conversations with Raymod Federman: Take It or Leave It and The Voice in the Closet

the acrobat or the ballerina falls down, what you remember afterwards is not beauty or gracefulness, but clumsiness. In Beckett you remember beauty and grace, and perfection. In my work you are left with deliberate clumsiness and failure. Yes, it is deliberate. As such it is no longer an imitation, or a pastiche, or even a parody of Beckett. It is a way for me and my work to pull away from Beckett, to free myself from his work. Q: And your intention with this clumsiness, the final effect we leave the circus with? What is it aiming at? FEDERMAN: Ultimately what it is aiming at is the same thing Beckett is doing. Obviously we are talking about language, always about language. Earlier I quoted this statement: "Language is what gets us where we want to go and prevents us from getting there." Somehow in spite of the obstacle of language Beckett managed to get where he wanted to go. I have a feeling that I have not yet managed to overcome the obstacle of language, and therefore have not yet arrived where I want to go. Beckett, of course, has arrived. There is no question about that. Let's say that I am on my way there. But I may never get there, wherever there may be. 106