Book launch: Failure Narratives Beyond Redemption

Launch of a new book on narratives of failure in twentieth-century literature, film, performance, and political thought.

Join us for the launch of Failure Narratives Beyond Redemption: Twentieth Century Literature and Film (Routledge 2026), a book exploring the concept of non-​ redemptive failure, a type of failure that is not part of a larger narrative of success or narrative redemption, with attention to how the concept functions between literature, critical theory, and other fields.

Examining literature and film from mid-​twentieth-​century Poland, Italy, and the United States, it traces productive effects of failure which cannot survive into the future, yet have an important, transformative impact in the moment in which they occur. The book engages with the work of John Williams, Pier Paolo Pasolini, and Bruno Jasieński, proposing a theory of failure at the intersection of literary study, performance theory, and political thought. In discussing these examples, the book examines the place of failure in the broader context of modern and contemporary US American, Italian, and Polish literary and cultural traditions. Because of its interdisciplinary potential, this study might appeal to readers in art history, philosophy, political theory, and other fields within the humanities and social sciences. The book offers a framework that could not only spotlight the contribution of literary studies to the topic, in the form of narrative analysis but also become part of the theoretical apparatus for further research in these fields.

The event is organised by the Fail Worse research network and will feature Debbie Lisle (Politics and International Relations, QUB), Nicholas Johnson (Drama, TCD), and book author Krzysztof Rowiński (TCD).

The event is free and open to the public. It will take place in person at the Trinity Long Room Hub and will also be streamed via zoom.