Dear Mr. Beckett: Letters from the Publisher: The Samuel Beckett File: Correspondence, Interviews, Photos
Preface by Paul Auster * Foreword by Edward Beckett Edited by Lois Oppenheim * Curated by Astrid Myers Rosset "You know, Barney, I think my writing days are over " Beckett writes in 1954 awhen most of his output was still ahead of him.a And later, "Sick of all this old vomit and despair more and more of ever being able to puke again. In a world where writers switch publishers at the first shake of a martini pitcher, our trans-Atlantic communications seemed to float on a sea of tranquility and trust." - fromDear Mr. Beckett Through letters, contracts, photos, interviews, speeches, reviews and memorabilia - most of which has never before been made public - a rare personal and professional friendship unfolds between these two oddly shy daredevils; through their embrace, they shifted and turned the tide of literature in America. Among the many never before published entries: * Beckett's discussion about acting with his long time director, Alan Schneider, as they huddled with Barney Rosset in his East Hampton quonset hut about their upcoming rehearsal with Buster Keaton. * Susan Sontag correspondence on herGodotproduction in Sarajevo. * The comprehensiveEndgamefile about the controversial production in Cambridge Mass which proceeded against Beckett's wishes. * Interviews with Eugene Ionesco and Alain Robbe-Grillet about Beckett and Rosset and the Absurdists. * Estelle Parsons correspondence with Beckett about the actress's proposal to performGodotwith Shelley Winters on Broadway. * Comprehensive file on the genesis and development of Beckett'sRockabywith Billie Whitelaw. * Comprehensive file on Rosset's termination from Grove, the press he founded and championed.
1121756810
Dear Mr. Beckett: Letters from the Publisher: The Samuel Beckett File: Correspondence, Interviews, Photos
Preface by Paul Auster * Foreword by Edward Beckett Edited by Lois Oppenheim * Curated by Astrid Myers Rosset "You know, Barney, I think my writing days are over " Beckett writes in 1954 awhen most of his output was still ahead of him.a And later, "Sick of all this old vomit and despair more and more of ever being able to puke again. In a world where writers switch publishers at the first shake of a martini pitcher, our trans-Atlantic communications seemed to float on a sea of tranquility and trust." - fromDear Mr. Beckett Through letters, contracts, photos, interviews, speeches, reviews and memorabilia - most of which has never before been made public - a rare personal and professional friendship unfolds between these two oddly shy daredevils; through their embrace, they shifted and turned the tide of literature in America. Among the many never before published entries: * Beckett's discussion about acting with his long time director, Alan Schneider, as they huddled with Barney Rosset in his East Hampton quonset hut about their upcoming rehearsal with Buster Keaton. * Susan Sontag correspondence on herGodotproduction in Sarajevo. * The comprehensiveEndgamefile about the controversial production in Cambridge Mass which proceeded against Beckett's wishes. * Interviews with Eugene Ionesco and Alain Robbe-Grillet about Beckett and Rosset and the Absurdists. * Estelle Parsons correspondence with Beckett about the actress's proposal to performGodotwith Shelley Winters on Broadway. * Comprehensive file on the genesis and development of Beckett'sRockabywith Billie Whitelaw. * Comprehensive file on Rosset's termination from Grove, the press he founded and championed.
32.95 In Stock
Dear Mr. Beckett: Letters from the Publisher: The Samuel Beckett File: Correspondence, Interviews, Photos

Dear Mr. Beckett: Letters from the Publisher: The Samuel Beckett File: Correspondence, Interviews, Photos

by Barney Rosset
Dear Mr. Beckett: Letters from the Publisher: The Samuel Beckett File: Correspondence, Interviews, Photos

Dear Mr. Beckett: Letters from the Publisher: The Samuel Beckett File: Correspondence, Interviews, Photos

by Barney Rosset

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Overview

Preface by Paul Auster * Foreword by Edward Beckett Edited by Lois Oppenheim * Curated by Astrid Myers Rosset "You know, Barney, I think my writing days are over " Beckett writes in 1954 awhen most of his output was still ahead of him.a And later, "Sick of all this old vomit and despair more and more of ever being able to puke again. In a world where writers switch publishers at the first shake of a martini pitcher, our trans-Atlantic communications seemed to float on a sea of tranquility and trust." - fromDear Mr. Beckett Through letters, contracts, photos, interviews, speeches, reviews and memorabilia - most of which has never before been made public - a rare personal and professional friendship unfolds between these two oddly shy daredevils; through their embrace, they shifted and turned the tide of literature in America. Among the many never before published entries: * Beckett's discussion about acting with his long time director, Alan Schneider, as they huddled with Barney Rosset in his East Hampton quonset hut about their upcoming rehearsal with Buster Keaton. * Susan Sontag correspondence on herGodotproduction in Sarajevo. * The comprehensiveEndgamefile about the controversial production in Cambridge Mass which proceeded against Beckett's wishes. * Interviews with Eugene Ionesco and Alain Robbe-Grillet about Beckett and Rosset and the Absurdists. * Estelle Parsons correspondence with Beckett about the actress's proposal to performGodotwith Shelley Winters on Broadway. * Comprehensive file on the genesis and development of Beckett'sRockabywith Billie Whitelaw. * Comprehensive file on Rosset's termination from Grove, the press he founded and championed.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781623160708
Publisher: Subtext
Publication date: 10/01/2016
Pages: 480
Product dimensions: 6.90(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.50(d)

About the Author

Barney Rossetdefended personal freedom of the written word at great personal risk (he was arrested numerous times) and redefined American's Puritanical literary parameters. Together with Beckett, his name is forever linked with his authors who include William S. Burroughs, Malcolm X, Henry Miller, Jean Genet, Harold Pinter, and D.H. Lawrence. Lois Oppenheim(Editor) is past president of the international Beckett Society.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments 14

Foreword Edward Beckett 17

Preface Paul Auster 19

Introduction Lois Oppenheim 25

Editor's Note 37

Dramatis Personae 38

Prologue 47

Act 1 The Early Letters 63

Selected Letters 1955-1964

Contracts Between Grove Press and Les Editions De Minuit

Howard Fertig in Village Voice

Kenneth Rexroth in the Nation

Entr'acte 147

Interview with Barney Rosset and John Calder

Interview with Barney Rosset on his Beginnings at Grove

Act 2 The French Connection 175

Interview with JérômeMe Lindon

Interview with Alain Robbe-Grillet

Interview with Eugène Ionesco

Pataphysics Award to Barney Rossset

"Publishing The French 'New Novel'" by Barney Rosset

Entr'acte 207

Letters from Judith Schmidt to Samuel Beckett

Village Voice on Happy Days Obie Award

Act 3 From Word to Image 215

Rosset Recollects

Interview with Barney Rosset on his Revolutionary Spirit

Interview with Barney Rosset on the Olympia-Merlin Conflict

Breath

Beckett's Corrections to Prologue for Oh Calcutta!

Film

Rosset on Film

Interview with Barney Rosset on the Five Grove Film Scripts

Letter from Samuel Beckett about Oriental Institute of Chicago Photograph

Excerpt from Recorded Film Pre-Production Transcript

Entr'acte 263

Come and Go

Letter from Rosset

Sol Lewitt Drawing in Harper's Bizarre

Selected Letters: Estelle Parsons, Samuel Beckett, Barney Rosset, David Mamet

Barney Rosset, Richard Seaver, and D.A. Pennebaker in Conversation

Selected Letters of the '70s

Act 4 The 'plays' the Thing 299

Rockaby

Daniel Labeille on Producing Rockaby

Correspondence between Labeille and Beckett

Endgame

First Paris Production

American Repertory Theater Production

Rosset Letter to Robert Brustein

Statements by Samuel Beckett and Grove Press

Waiting for Godot

Lincoln Center Production

Rosset Letter to Robin Williams

Rosset Letters to Beckett

Act 5 Après (Barney's) Grove 343

Letter from Samuel Beckett to Barney Rosset

Centre Pompidou

Opening to Address by Barney Rosset

Statement by Barney Rosset

Petition to Keep Rosset at Grove Press

Letter from Maurice Girodias to Samuel Beckett

Letter from Maurice Girodias to Serge July

Interview with Barney Rosset on his Fight to Publish Post-Grove

Interview with Barney Rosset on Beckett's Gift of Stirrings Still

Embers

Letters from John Calder to Joan Mitchell

Stirrings Still

Typescript

Review by Robert Scanlan

Letter from Rosset to Harold Pinter

Interview with Barney Rosset on Catastrophe and Vaclav Havel

Letter from Rosset to Vaclav Havel

Pen American Center Publisher Citation

Eleutheria

Letter from Beckett to Rosset

Jerry Tallmer in the Sunday Record

Letter from Rosset to Edward Albee

Letter from Bernard Gersten

Letter from Ciaran O'Reilly and Charlotte Moore

Program from Scena Theatre Production

Letters from Rosset to Jérôme Lindon and Edward Beckett

Letters from Edward Beckett to Rosset

Letter from Susan Sontag to Rosset

Smiting for Godot in Sarajevo

Susan Sontag Production Notes

Letter from Rosset to Susau Sontag

Susan Sontag Excerpts from "Waiting for Godot in Sarajevo"

Epilogue 451

Waiting for Godot at San Quentin 457

Rosset Publications of Beckett 462

Permission Credits 465

Index 477

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