Dear Mr. Beckett : the Samuel Beckett file / Barney Rosset ; foreword by Edward Beckett, preface by Paul Auster, edited by Lois Oppenheim, curated by Astrid Myers Rosset.
Foreword / Edward Beckett -- Preface / Paul Auster -- Introduction / Lois Oppenheim -- Editor's notes -- Dramatis Personae -- Prologue. Act One: The Early Letters. Selected letters 1953-1964 -- Contracts between Grove Press and Les Edition de Minuit -- Howard Fertig in Village Voice -- Kenneth Rexroth in The Nation. Entr'acte. Interview with Barney Rosset and John Calder -- Interview with Barney Rosset on his beginnings at Grove. Act Two: The French Connection. Interview with Jérôme Lindon -- Interview with Alain Robbe-Grillet -- Interview with Eugène Ionesco -- Pataphysics Award to Barney Rosset -- "Publishing the French 'new novel'" by Barney Rosset. Entr'act. Letters from Judith Schmidt to Samuel Beckett -- Village Voice on Happy Days Obie Award. Act Three: From Word to Image. 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'act. 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 70's. Act Four: The 'Plays' the thing. 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 Five: Après (Barney's) Grove. 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 -- Waiting for Godot in Sarajevo -- Susan Sontag production notes -- Letter from Rosset to Susan Sontag -- Susan Sontag excerpts from "Waiting for Godot in Sarajevo". Epilogue -- Waiting for Godot at San Quentin -- Rosset Publications of Beckett.
Summary:
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, shifting and turning the tide of literature in America. Barney Rosset, more than any other publisher, fiercely advocated for the most daring and influential writers of the 20th century. Through his Grove imprint, whole generations have embraced some of the greatest playwrights of our time, including Genet, Pinter, Mamet, Ionesco, D.H. Lawrence, and of course Samuel Beckett. Scholars, students, and fans of literary letters will find this volume beguiling reading--Publisher.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.