2006 marks the 100th anniversary of Samuel Beckett’s birth. To most, he was a brilliant artist who shied away from celebrity and photographers, but to the distinguished painter Avigdor Arikha and his wife, author Anne Atik, Beckett was the close friend with whom they shared countless drinks, meals, and rich conversations. As intimates and artists, they interacted with him several times a week for over four decades. In 1970, Atik began jotting down notes on her relationship with Beckett. “After fifteen years of memorable conversations with Beckett,” she writes, “I realized that I could not depend on my memory. The unforgettable was becoming the irretrievable.” The three could just as easily discuss their personal lives as ponder the state of art. This book documents not only Beckett’s passions, but is filled with drawings by Arikha, snapshots, and letters. There are also drafts in Beckett’s own handwriting that would eventually become part of his formidable canon, covering the breadth of his knowledge of literature by detailing his opinions and influences. An intimate collage, How It Was offers a unique insider’s portrait and gives the reader a chance to sit down with one of the great literary masters of the twentieth century.
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A must for Beckett fans!,
By Erstwhile (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: How It Was: A Memoir of Samuel Beckett (Hardcover)
This memoir is what we hope for. Lots of new information, inside anecdotes, and pictures.
If you love Beckett you must have this book. I would've gone without meals to buy it, if necessary. Also be sure to buy Why Beckett, by Enoch Brater. It is magical.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A must for anyone interested in Beckett,
By a reader (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
This review is from: How It Was: A Memoir of Samuel Beckett (Hardcover)
This is a revealing, insightful portrayal of the great Irish writer, by a close friend of his, the poet Anne Atik, wife of the painter Avigdor Arikha, whose striking portraits of Beckett are reproduced here. The book is unique for its descriptions of, and insights into the springs of artistic creation, for the refined 'table talk' it lovingly and discretely recounts, for the details that only a friend could know and see so well - all told by a poet. This is definitely a must for Beckett fans and lovers of literature.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
i love this book,
By
This review is from: How It Was: A Memoir of Samuel Beckett (Hardcover)
This book ( How it was) well,... it was amazing. I am so glad I bought it. I was in cafes with Beckett.... ( no other book can do that) I wondered for a long time whether I should buy it... I'm glad I did.. What a wonderful book! if you love Beckett
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
AFTER fifteen years of memorable conversations with Beckett, I realized that I could not depend on my memory. Read the first page Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Samuel Beckett, New York, Café Français, King Lear, Krapp's Last Tape, Trinity College, Billie Whitelaw, Happy Days, Jack Yeats, King James, Sam Beckett, Con Leventhal, Edith Fournier, Editions de Minuit, Jocelyn Herbert, Les Iles Marquises, Matthias Claudius, Nobel Prize, Sir Walter Scott New!
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Front Cover | Front Flap | First Pages | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
AFTER fifteen years of memorable conversations with Beckett, I realized that I could not depend on my memory. Read the first page Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Samuel Beckett, New York, Café Français, King Lear, Krapp's Last Tape, Trinity College, Billie Whitelaw, Happy Days, Jack Yeats, King James, Sam Beckett, Con Leventhal, Edith Fournier, Editions de Minuit, Jocelyn Herbert, Les Iles Marquises, Matthias Claudius, Nobel Prize, Sir Walter Scott New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Front Flap | First Pages | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 36
books:
See all 36 books this book cites
2
books
cite this book:
- Anna Livia Plurabelle - Finnegans Wake (Letras Universales) (Spanish Edition) by James Joyce on page 84, and page 85
- Damned to Fame: the Life of Samuel Beckett Hb by James Knowlson on page 18, and page 49
- The Penguin Book of Hebrew Verse (Penguin Classics) by Various on page 108
- Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management (Oxford World's Classics) by Isabella Beeton on page 121
- Esther Waters (Oxford World's Classics) by George Moore on page 78
See all 36 books this book cites
- Drawing on Beckett: Portraits, Performances, and Cultural Contexts by Linda Ben-Zvi in Front Matter
- La souffrance portée au langage dans la prose de Samuel Beckett (Faux Titre 266) by Diane Lüscher-Morata in Back Matter
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