By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University) Waiting for Godot is one of the most important plays of the twentieth century. But analysing its significance is not easy, because Beckett’s play represents a major departure from many conventions and audience expectations regarding the theatre. Beginning life as a French play which […]
Tag: Samuel Beckett
Five Fascinating Facts about Samuel Beckett
The life of Samuel Beckett, told through five pieces of literary and biographical trivia 1. The ominous date of his birth amused him. Born on Good Friday, 13 April, 1906, Samuel Barclay Beckett enjoyed the irony of being born on a date ripe with religious connotations – not least because, as […]
Guest Blog: In Search of Samuel Beckett
By Kenneth Hickey, University College Cork L to R: A young Samuel Beckett, his wife Suzanne Déchevaux-Dumesnil and Beckett in later life. Samuel Beckett is one of those figures who, despite being known to almost anyone with even a passing interest in English literature, always somehow remain elusive. Despite several […]
The Shortest…
The shortest play in the world is probably by Samuel Beckett. ‘Breath’ is a 1969 work that was specially written for the theatrical revue Oh! Calcutta! The revue was organised by theatre critic Kenneth Tynan and brought together a host of famous people, including John Lennon and Sam Shepard. The […]