What do You think about The Complete Dramatic Works (1990)?
As the title says, this contains all of Samuel Beckett's works, including his famous and all-around masterpiece Waiting for Godot. The first few are awesome, but the little ones tend to blend together. Beckett's style is one of those distinctive styles that is so him that all his work in a place like this seems so similar, much like Ramones songs if one may pardon the comparison. Also not very easy to read. Beckett used many silences and many emotions and gestures that make reading them a painstaking affair. Still, it makes me want to see more Beckett in performance; to put all of that into action would be an impressive performance for any actor. A must for Beckett fans.
—Felix Purat
I bought this volume after seeing a production of Krapp's Last Tape, because the play moved me, and I wanted to muse on it further. I may or may not ever read the rest of the volume! I suspect Beckett and I won't always get along very well. :-) So anyway, please consider this a partial review that I may or may not add to in the future. Krapp's Last Tape: 5 stars. A short and fascinating play, recently brought to memorable life for me by actor Richard Wilson and director Polly Findlay. It was funny, and moving, and overall I suppose the feeling must be one of witnessed despair; a reminder to live one's life while one can. But...But. The lyricism of the remembered moment Krapp shared with a long-lost love in a punt on a river... the beautiful lyricism of that moment really stayed with me. Krapp himself listens to the recounting of that moment not once but three times. And I think perhaps that having a few moments such as that, whether in our present or our past, might be enough to ultimately weigh against the darkness. Though perhaps I interpret this more optimistically than Beckett (or Wilson or Findlay) intended. But it really was that moment that stayed with me more than the sense of defeat. Anyway! The text was interesting to read, especially after seeing a production. Beckett certainly provided a lot of direction about how it would all work on the stage - far more direction than is common - so it was interesting to see what this production did and didn't do with that. One of the strengths of the play is the different aspects presented of the same character at different ages. You really get a feel for how Krapp has changed over the decades, from 20 years old, to 39, and to the present 69. It's interesting and often amusing to see Krapp at times empathise with his younger self and at times dismiss him in great frustration. All in all, a master class in life and how to write about it. Hhhmmm... Maybe Beckett and I can rub along together after all.
—Julie Bozza
Waiting for Godot is often cited as either the greatest play or the most influential play of the 20th century. There’s no denying its influence, but I have a hard time seeing the greatness of the play -- let alone the qualities in it that made Beckett famous. Unlike most people, I take Beckett at his word. The play is not allegory for anything. They are not waiting for god or salvation or Irish freedom or the Id, it’s not an allegory for the cold war or Jungian personalities or Christian repentance, nor is it homoerotic or autobiographical or existential. They play is essentially a nihilistic work signifying nothing other than its own nihilistic point of view. It’s that simple. It is neither moving, funny, hopeful nor dramatic. It is nihilistic. It promises nothing and delivers nothing. It takes no stand, prefers neither good nor evil. It posits no point of view. Never before had nihilism been given such a stark venue as this play, and I suppose that is the source of its power. Many critics cite the play’s humor and poetry, but, by any standard definition of humor or poetry, I don't see it. Nor does it include interesting or lively characters. To me, it is a work of a particular time and place that is otherwise unremarkable. (If you want nihilism presented in a more compelling manner, see King Lear or Hamlet.)
—Keith
