Murphy 2009

Where to read

Libraries first: a card gets you most books for nothing. Each opens that service’s page for this title.

Samuel Barclay Beckett was an Irish avant-garde writer, dramatist and poet, writing in English and French. Beckett's work offers a bleak outlook on human culture and both formally and philosophically became increasingly minimalist in his later career. As a student, assistant, and friend of James Joyce, Beckett is considered one of the last modernists; as an inspiration to many later writers, he is sometimes considered one of the first postmodernists. He is also considered one of the key writers in what Martin Esslin called "Theatre of the Absurd." As such, he is widely regarded as one of the most influential writers of the 20th century. Beckett was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 19