Letters of Samuel Beckett: Volume 3, 1957-1965

This third volume of The Letters of Samuel Beckett focuses on the years when Beckett is striving to find a balance between the demands put upon him by his growing international fame, and his need for the peace and silence from which new writing might emerge. This is the period in which Beckett launches into work for radio, film and, later, into television. It also marks his return to writing fiction, with his first major piece for a decade, Comment c'est (How It Is). Where hitherto he has been reticent about the writing process, now he devotes letter after letter to describing and explaining his work in progress. For the first time Beckett has a woman as his major correspondent: a relationship shown in his intense and abundant letters to Barbara Bray. The volume also provides critical introductions, chronologies, explanatory notes and profiles of Beckett's main correspondents.

Winner of Choice Outstanding Academic Title 2015

“"In the third volume of this landmark project, the editors offer an expertly assembled selection of Beckett's letters written between 1957 and 1965." Publishers Weekly”

'In the third volume of this landmark project, the editors offer an expertly assembled selection of Beckett's letters written between 1957 and 1965.' Publishers Weekly 'Superb ... as with earlier volumes the editorial work on display here is of a very high order.' Standpoint 'Readers get an extraordinary insight into the mind of arguably this country's best playwright.' Irish Tatler 'The third volume is as impeccably and as lovingly edited as its predecessors ... As always, George Craig's translation of the letters in French is clear, elegant and always inventive - particularly felicitous, for instance, is his rendering of the French slang term mezigue as 'My Nibs'. Beckett would have loved it.' Irish Times 'The volume like its earlier companions is a work of meticulous scholarship and has to be counted a major achievement by Cambridge University Press.' Emer O'Kelly, Irish Independent 'Among all the tawdry showbiz memoirs now crowding the shops, here is greatness, words to take to heart, the book of the year.' David Sexton, Evening Standard 'A beautifully wrought publication and thanks to its four editors it has an artistry all of its own.' Sean Doran, The Independent '... magnificent and accessible, this collection will be cherished by scholars, but lovers of theater will appreciate it, too.' Library Journal 'The first two volumes have been critically acclaimed, and this one is a breathtaking feat, providing new insight into Beckett's personal life and working process.' The Chronicle of Higher Education 'Wonderfully unbuttoned and, in places, intimate and endearing.' The Guardian 'The most significant literary correspondence of its time.' The Spectator 'The best letter anthology this year and by quite a margin ... This is not only thanks to Beckett's mesmerising writing and wonderful turn of phrase but also because the book has been meticulously and perfectly edited.' Shaun Usher, The Big Issue 'Beckett's Letters are a joy to read.' The London Magazine 'George Craig's essay on translating Beckett and his translation of the letters Beckett wrote in French are a wonder of tact and ingenuity. In addition, Dan Gunn provides a thoughtful overview. ... I am sure that what is to come will be as good as what we have here, for it is now clear that Beckett is never going to dry up and, indeed, that he is that rare sort of writer who grows younger as he ages.' The Times Literary Supplement 'The Letters of Samuel Beckett series is a superb achievement of scholarship and publishing, wonderfully presented and richly annotated.' New York Review of Books "A model edition ... an invaluable asset not only to Beckettian scholarship but also to readers with a keen interest in the author's work ..."
Erica Mihalycsa, Babes-Bolyai University "In the third volume of this landmark project, the editors offer an expertly assembled selection of Beckett's letters written between 1957 and 1965."
Publishers Weekly "Superb ... as with earlier volumes the editorial work on display here is of a very high order."
Standpoint "Readers get an extraordinary insight into the mind of arguably this country's best playwright."
Irish Tatler "The third volume is as impeccably and as lovingly edited as its predecessors ... As always, George Craig's translation of the letters in French is clear, elegant and always inventive - particularly felicitous, for instance, is his rendering of the French slang term mezigue as 'My Nibs'. Beckett would have loved it."
Irish Times "The volume like its earlier companions is a work of meticulous scholarship and has to be counted a major achievement by Cambridge University Press."
Irish Independent "Among all the tawdry showbiz memoirs now crowding the shops, here is greatness, words to take to heart, the book of the year."
Evening Standard "A beautifully wrought publication and thanks to its four editors it has an artistry all of its own."
The Independent "... magnificent and accessible, this collection will be cherished by scholars, but lovers of theater will appreciate it, too."
Library Journal "The first two volumes have been critically acclaimed, and this one is a breathtaking feat, providing new insight into Beckett's personal life and working process."
The Chronicle of Higher Education "Wonderfully unbuttoned and, in places, intimate and endearing."
The Guardian "The most significant literary correspondence of its time."
The Spectator "The best letter anthology this year and by quite a margin ... This is not only thanks to Beckett's mesmerising writing and wonderful turn of phrase but also because the book has been meticulously and perfectly edited."
Shaun Usher, The Big Issue "Beckett's Letters are a joy to read."
The London Magazine "George Craig's essay on translating Beckett and his translation of the letters Beckett wrote in French are a wonder of tact and ingenuity. In addition, Dan Gunn provides a thoughtful overview. ... I am sure that what is to come will be as good as what we have here, for it is now clear that Beckett is never going to dry up and, indeed, that he is that rare sort of writer who grows younger as he ages."
The Times Literary Supplement

George Craig, Editor and French Translator, is an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Sussex. Martha Dow Fehsenfeld, Founding Editor, was authorized by Samuel Beckett to edit his correspondence in 1985. Dan Gunn, Editor, is Professor of Comparative Literature and English at The American University of Paris. Lois More Overbeck, General Editor, is a Research Associate of the Laney Graduate School, Emory University.

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