The Letters of Samuel Beckett, 1929–1940

904 Pages·2009·34.106 MB·English

by  Samuel Beckett

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The letters of Samuel Beckett. Vol. 1
I
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BECKETT
1929-1940
EDITED BY
Martha Dow Fehsenfeld
and Lois More Overbeck
The letters written by Samuel Beck/ n
1929 and 1940 provide a vivid and •«/' view
of Western Europe in the 1930s, and in,, ' the
gradual emergence of Beckett’s unique voice and
sensibility.
The Cambridge University Press edition of The
Letters of Samuel Beckett offers for the first time
a comprehensive range of letters of one of the
greatest literary figures of the twentieth century.
Selected for their bearing on his work from over
15,000 extant letters, the letters published in this
four-volume edition encompass sixty years of
Beckett’s writing life (1929-1989), and include
letters to friends, painters and musicians, as well as
to students, publishers, translators, and colleagues
in the world of literature and theatre.
For anyone interested in twentieth-century
literature and theatre this edition is essential
reading, offering not only a record of Beckett’s
achievements but a powerful literary experience in
itself.
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In Memory Of
THOMAS IRVING CROWELL

The Letters of Samuel Beckett offers for the first time a comprehen¬
sive range of letters of one of the greatest literary figures of the
twentieth century. This volume includes letters written between
1929 and 1940. It provides a vivid and personal view of Western
Europe in the 1930s, marked by the gradual emergence, against
his own hesitations and the indifference or hostility of others, of
Beckett’s unique voice and sensibility. Even in the tentativeness of
the early writing, the letters show his care for his work as well as
what he must share or relinquish to allow it to have a life beyond
himself. Detailed introductions, translations, explanatory notes,
profiles of major correspondents, chronologies, and other contex¬
tual information accompany the letters. For anyone interested in
twentieth-century literature and theatre this edition offers not
only a record of achievements but a powerful literary experience
in itself.
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Samuel Beckett to Maiy Manning Howe, 13 December 1936
Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center,
The University of Texas at Austin
THE LETTERS
OF
SAMUEL BECKETT
I:
Volume 1929-1940
Editors:
Martha Dow Fehsenfeld, Lois More Overbeck
Associate Editors:
George Craig, Dan Gunn
Cambridge
UNIVERSITY PRESS
JUN 1 8 2009
CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS
Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, Säo Paulo, Delhi
Cambridge University Press
The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge CB2 8RU, UK
Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York
www.cambridge.org
Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9780521867931
The Letters of Samuel Beckett © The Estate of Samuel Beckett 2009.
Introduction, translations and notes © Martha Dow Fehsenfeld,
Lois More Overbeck, Dan Gunn and George Craig 2009
The moral right of Samuel Beckett always to be identified as
the author of the Letters is hereby asserted.
This publication is in copyright. No reproduction of any part may take
place without the written permission of The Estate of Samuel Beckett,
c/o Rosica Colin Limited, 1 Clareville Grove Mews, London SW7 5AH.
First published 2009
Fourth printing 2009
Printed in the United States
A catalogue record for this publication is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloguing in Publication data
Beckett, Samuel, 1906-1989.
(Correspondence. Polyglot. Selections]
The letters of Samuel Beckett / editors, Martha Dow Fehsenfeld, Lois More Overbeck;
associate editors, George Craig, Dan Gunn,
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-521-86793-1
1. Beckett, Samuel, 1906-1989 - Correspondence. 2. Authors, Irish - 20th century -
Correspondence. 3. Authors, French - 20th century - Correspondence. I. Fehsenfeld,
Martha Dow. II. Overbeck, Lois More. III. Craig, George, 1931- IV. Gunn, Dan. V. Title.
PR6003.E282Z48 2009
848'.91409-dc22
[B]
2008025530
ISBN 978-0-521-86793-1 hardback
Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or
accuracy of URLs for external or third-party internet websites referred to
in this book, and does not guarantee that any content on such
websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.
Major support from The National Endowment for the Humanities (1991-1997) has
facilitated the preparation of this Edition. Any views, findings, or conclusions
expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of the National
Endowment for the Humanities.
To Samuel Beckett who began “it all.”
MARTHA FEHSENFELD
To Kristen, Andrew, and Jonathan, whose years have been spent
with this edition, deep appreciation for their forbearance, humor,
and regard, and especially for the pleasure of their company in this
as in so much else. To James Overbeck, who endured, with gratitude
for his loving advice and constant support.
LOIS OVERBECK
To Kate Craig, for her unfailing support and sense of the appropriate.
GEORGE CRAIG
To George Craig, my teacher for thirty years, from whom I am learning
still; and in memory of Catharine Carver, the very best of editors.
DAN GUNN
Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2019 with funding from
Kahle/Austin Foundation
https://archive.org/details/lettersofsamuelbOOOObeck