It is with great sadness that the President and Board of the Samuel Beckett Society learned of the recent passing of the renowned Finnish academic Clas Zilliacus. Noted for his outstanding and pioneering work Beckett and Broadcasting: A Study of the Works of Samuel Beckett for and in Radio and Television, published by the Finnish University Press Åbo Akademi in 1976, it was with great interest to scholars everywhere when this remarkable monograph was reissued earlier this year by Anthem Press on the occasion of its fiftieth anniversary. Working at Åbo Akademi University, Zilliacus worked in various roles from 1967 to 2007, most notably as a long‑serving professor of Comparative literature. In this capacity, he produced the seminal volume Finlands svenska litteraturhistoria (2000).
Clas was a member of the Samuel Beckett Society’s board in the 1990s and contributed hugely to its scholarship and development. Our thoughts are with his family.
The Samuel Beckett Society 