The Unnamable (novel)
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| The Unnamable | |
 1st edition (French) |
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| Author | Samuel Beckett |
|---|---|
| Original title | L'Innomable |
| Translator | Samuel Beckett |
| Country | France |
| Language | French |
| Genre(s) | Novel |
| Publisher | Les Éditions de Minuit |
| Publication date | 1953 |
| Published in English |
1958 |
| Media type | Print, Paperback & Hardcover |
| Preceded by | Malone Dies |
The Unnamable is a 1953 novel by Samuel Beckett. It is the third and final entry in Beckett's "Trilogy" of novels, which begins with Molloy followed by Malone Dies. It was originally published in French as L'Innomable and later translated by the author into English. Grove Press published the English edition in 1958.
The Unnamable consists entirely of a disjointed monologue from the perspective of an unnamed (presumably unnamable) and immobile protagonist. There is no concrete plot or setting - and whether the other characters ("Mahood" and "Worm") actually exist or whether they are facets of the narrator himself is debatable. The protagonist also claims authorship of the main characters in the two previous novels of the Trilogy.
The novel builds in its despairing tone until the ending, which is mainly comprised of very long run-on sentences. It closes with the phrase "I can't go on, I'll go on," which was later used as the title of an anthology of Beckett works.
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