From an inauspicious beginning at the tiny Left Bank Théâtre de Babylone in 1953, followed by bewilderment among American and British audiences,
Waiting for Godot
has become one of the most important and enigmatic plays of the past fifty years and a cornerstone of twentieth-century drama.
As Clive Barnes wrote, “Time catches up with genius. . . .
is one of the masterpieces of the century.”
Beckett wrote the play in French and then translated it into English himself. In doing so he chose to revise and eliminate various passages. With side-by-side text, the reader can experience the mastery of Beckett’s language and explore its nuances. Upon being asked who Godot is, Samuel Beckett told director Alan Schneider, “If I knew, I would have said so in the play.” Although we may never know who we are waiting for, in this special edition we can rediscover one of the most poignant and humorous allegories of our time.