Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot

Description

"An impressively complete survey of the play in its cultural, theatrical, historical and political contexts." - David Bradby, co-editor of Contemporary Theatre Review Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot is not only an indisputably important and influential dramatic text -it is also one of the most significant western cultural landmarks of the twentieth century. Originally written in French, the play first amazed and appalled Parisian theatre-goers and critics before receiving a harshly dismissive initial critical response in Britain in 1955. Its influence since then on the international stage has been significant, impacting on generations of actors, directors and audiences.

Mark Taylor-Batty is Associate Professor of Theatre Studies and Deputy Head of School in the School of English at the University of Leeds, UK. His previous publications include The Theatre of Harold Pinter (Bloomsbury, 2014), About Pinter: The Playwright and the Work (Faber and Faber, 2005), Roger Blin: Collaborations and Methodologies (Peter Lang, 2007) and, he co-authored with his wife, Juliette Taylor-Batty, Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot (Continuum, 2009). Juliette Taylor-Batty is Associate Senior Lecturer in English at Leeds Trinity & All Saints, Leeds, UK.

"An impressively complete survey of the play in its cultural, theatrical, historical and political contexts." - David Bradby, co-editor of Contemporary Theatre Review Briefly reviewed in the Year's work in English Studies journal, vol 89, No. 1 'Its major strength is its exploration of the play's French origins, and especially the first production in Paris directed by Roger Blin.' This new introductory textbook is an extremely useful resource for both readers and performers of Beckett's Waiting for Godot. It provides some very interesting and readable biographical and historical background for the play, including some helpful analysis of genre and language. -- Routledge ABES