Christopher Murray (1)

A scholarly look at the works of Samuel Beckett, culled from papers given on the occasion of his 100th birthday in 2006. The writer's trace Beckett's evolution from poetry through novels to playwright, and his entry into the international scene with Waiting for Godot. Beckett eschewed traditional ideas about theatre, instead preferring to explore the avant garde,, and in fact could be considered a leader of avant garde theatre. The book succeeds more than fails, probably because the authors do not spend large amounts of time analyzing the philosophy of Beckett's plays and instead discuss the innovations and the interconnections between his works. A good introduction, but for those unfamiliar with Beckett, they might want to read a few of his most famous plays first, as it could be difficult to comprehend some of the things the authors are talking about if you aren't familiar with Beckett's style.… (mais)