Cook, Michael Evenden, Steve Everett, William Gruber, Josue Harari, David Hesla,
Geraldine
Higgins, Peter H6yng, Dalia Judovitz, Judith Miller, Clark V.
Samuel Beckett
When grammatical or spelling variants interfere with sense, these are edito rially expanded or corrected within square brackets in the text.
Beckett often uses words or phrases from other languages when writing in English or French, but he seldom underscores such words or phrases. If Beckett's shifts from one language to another produce what appears to be a variant spelling in the dominant language of the letter, this is marked or explained in a note.
Beckett frequently spells a name incorrectly, most often when he has only heard the name and not met the person or read the name. When a person's name, a title, or another reference is misspelled in the text ofa letter, the corrected spelling is given in the notes and the index; if the misspelled name is likely to confuse, its first use is corrected within square brackets in the text: e. g. "Stevens [for Stephens]. " When, as in a joke or pun made with a name, a misspell ing is judged to be deliberate, it stands as written; correct spelling is given in the notes and the index.
In Volume I, there are two exceptions to this rule, and both are noted at their first occurrence. Thomas McGreevy changed the spell ing ofhis family name toward the end of1941 to MacGreevy. Since all of the letters through 1940 are addressed to McGreevy, that spelling is retained through the present volume; in subsequent volumes his name will be spelled MacGreevy. During the period covered by Volume I, Beckett almost always spelled the name of Gwynedd Reavey as "Gwynned"; this is noted at the first occurrence and then silently emended. When Beckett does spell her name correctly, this change is also noted.
Beckett presents ellipses with spaced dots; however, these are variously two dots or three dots. Beckett occasionally punctuates with a dash instead of a period at the end of a sentence.
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Editorial procedures
Authorial emendation The results of Beckett's cancelations, inser tions, and inversions are presented as a clear text. When a reading of an emendation by Beckett is uncertain, it is given within square brackets in the text, preceded by a question mark.
Beckett often overwrites or overtypes to self-correct; when typ ing, he sometimes cancels a word or phrase if it does not fit the space on the page, and then rewrites it on the next line or page. Beckett changes his mind as he writes: sometimes omitting or inserting a word, phrase, or sentence; inverting word order; extending a thought in the margins. Typed letters contain both typed and handwritten corrections. Drafts of letters show many more changes.
When Beckett's changes are substantive - that is, not merely corrections of spelling or typos or false starts - these are presented in the notes: e. g. , SB wrote" <the Aldingtons> Richard and Bridget. " Scholars interested in the patterns of Beckett's changes will wish to consult the original manuscripts.
Editorialemendation Editorialemendationstothetextaresupplied only when necessary to understanding. Other than obvious typo graphical errors (overtypes, space slips, extra spacing, false starts), and other than what is stated above, there are no silent emendations.
Placement and indentation of date, address, closing and signature lines are regularized. Paragraph indentations are standardized. Line ends are marked only in poetry. Postscripts are presented following the signature; if their original placement differs, this is described in a note.
Editorial ellipses in letters and other unpublished manuscripts are shown by three unspaced dots within square brackets; editorial ellipses in published materials are shown with three spaced dots.
filegibility Illegibility is noted in square brackets [illeg]. If a reading is uncertain, it is given within square brackets and preceded by a question mark. Damage to the original manuscript that obscures or obliterates the text is described in the bibliographical note and is indicated in the text as illegibility.
Signature The closing and signature lines are regularized. An auto graph signature or initial can be assumed for an autograph letter; in a typed letter, the notation "sf" indicates a handwritten signature or initial. A typed letter may have both an autograph and a typed
signature. When these are not identical, both are shown. When these are identical, rather than present the signature twice, the existence of an autograph signature is indicated only by "sf" and the typed signature is presented in the line that follows:
With best wishes
sf
Samuel Beckett
An unsigned carbon copy presents only the typed signature, but spacing allows for an autograph signature in the original:
With best wishes Samuel Beckett
Bibliographical note Following each letter is a bibliographical note which gives a description of the letter (e. g. ALS, autograph letter signed) followed by the number of leaves and sides (2 leaves, 4 sides). Description of the physical document may include its letter head (if SB replaces or alters it), the image on a postcard, and enclo sures. This note also includes the address on a postcard or envelope, the postmark, and any additional notation on the envelope, whether written by Beckett or in another hand (e. g. forwarding address, postal directives, or other notations). Postmarks are described by city (not by post office) and date. Editorial markers are given in italics: e. g. env to George Reavey; pm 16-5-35, Paris. The ownership of the physical property is given with the designated library abbre viation, collection name and accession information; private owner ship is indicated according to the owner's preference, by name or simply as "private collection. " Previous publication is noted when the letter has been published in full or in a substantial portion (more than halt); facsimile reproductions are indicated in this note.
Notations used in the bibliographical description indicate whether the letter is handwritten or typed; whether a letter, postcard, tele gram, or pneumatique; it indicates the number of leaves and sides, and whether it is signed, initialed, or unsigned. A leaf is a physical piece of paper; a side is a page written on, whether recto or verso. A postcard may bear an address on the recto (1 leaf, 1 side) or on the verso (1 leaf, 2 sides). Beckett sometimes folded a single piece of
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Editorial procedures
Editorial procedures
paper so that it had four sides (1 leaf, 4 sides). All editorial notations
are detailed under "Abbreviations. "
Discussionofdating Whenthedateofaletteriscorrectedorderived
from internal or external evidence, the rationale for the assigned date or date-range is given following the bibliographical note. Undated or partially dated letters are not unusual. Beckett may not date a letter when it is part of a frequent exchange or when it follows or anticipates a personal meeting; he often misdates letters at the beginning of a new year. If envelopes are clearly affiliated with the letter in question, the postmark may be helpful in dating. Some correspondence received by publishers and other businesses was routinely date stamped; this is noted in the bibliographical note and may inform incomplete dating. While Beckett occasionally delivers a note personally, it is also the case that some stamped letters are sent without cancellation. Telegrams are often difficult to date precisely and may bear only the date of receipt.
Translation Letters written entirely in a language other than English are translated immediately following the transcription of the original and its bibliographical note. Translators' initials are given when other than George Craig for French and Viola Westbrook for German. In the first volume, when published translations were not available, Adolf von Baden-Wurttemberg and George Craig have translated from Latin and Greek; Dan Gunn has translated from Italian.
Translations of words or phrases are provided in the notes to the letter. Translations are given with the following formulation: "Bon travail & bon sommeil" (work well & sleep well). The language of the original is not indicated in the translation unless there may be ambiguity; if required, these abbreviations are used: colloq. , collo· quial; Fr. , French; Ger. , German; Gk. , Greek; Ir. , Irish; It. , Italian; Lat. , Latin; Sp. , Spanish. Published translations are used for literary quo tations, if available, and are so noted (see below).
Beckett may write the name ofa German city with German, French, or English spelling; however, translations and editorial material present the English spelling of city and place names. Translations do not repeat Beckett's mistakes (slips of the pen, misremembering or misspelling of proper names, and the occasional incoherence inevitable in unrevised writings). In the rare cases when spelling norms have changed (in the 1930s Beckett wrote "to-day" and
Iii
"to-morrow"), current practice is followed. Although Beckett prac· ticed English-style capitalization when writing the titles of books in other languages, translations and notes use the capitalization prac· tice of the language in which the book was written. In the translation of letters, all titles of books are indicated by italics.
ANNOTATIONS
In the notes, Samuel Beckett is referred to as "SB. " Translations follow British spelling and punctuation practice; all other editorial materials follow American English spelling and punctuation. Although all letters are presented as written, in line with standard French practice the edition does not put accents on initial capitals in editorial matter. All other accents are displayed, even where, as in editorial headers, the material is represented in small capitals. This affects only editorial matter in French; other languages have other conventions.
Identifications of persons The first reference gives a person's full name (including birth name, and/or acquired appellations including pseudonyms and nicknames), years of birth and death, and a brief statement of identification. Additional statements of identification may be given over the course of a volume, or over the four volumes, when a person's primary occupation, affiliation, or relationship to Samuel Beckett changes. Identifications are not given for well· known figures such as William Shakespeare, Rene Descartes, Dante Alighieri.
Names Namesarenotnecessarilyconstantovertime. ThomasMcGreevy chose to change the spelling of his family name; after World War II, Georges Pelorson changed his name to Georges Belmont. Some women assume their husband's surname when they marry: Mary Manning became Mary Manning Howe and then Mary Manning Howe Adams, but she used her maiden name professionally. Editorial practice is to follow Beckett's spelling of the name at the time of writing (with the exception of misspelling), but also to refer to writers by the name given on the title page of their books.
Painters are often given a name that includes their parentage, their city of origin, or their association with a school of painting. Beckett's practice varies, so identifications in the annotations follow
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Editorial procedures
Editorial procedures
those given by The Grove Dictionary ofArt, with variant names and spellings given only where confusion might otherwise arise.
Some persons become known by their initials, some by their nick names, and some by both. Abraham Jacob Leventhal generally indi cates his name in publications as A. J. Leventhal, but he is most often referred to in Beckett's letters by his nickname, "Con. " Beckett's cousin Morris Sinclair may also be addressed as "Maurice," or by his family nickname "Sunny" which in German becomes "Sonny" (indeed he was the only son in the Sinclair family).
After first reference, editorial practice is to use the name that Beckett uses. When a name changes, a note will signal this change. Both/all names will be entered as one heading in the Index.
Dates Approximate dates are preceded by c. (circa), fl. (flourished), or a question mark; when dates are approximated as a range, the earliest birth year and the latest death year are given, preceded by c. to indicate approximation. If only the birth year or death year is known, it is given as, for example, (b. 1935) or (1852-? ) or (d. 1956). Rarely, the only date known is a marriage date; this will be given as (m. 1933). When a date is unknown, it is indicated as (n. d. ).
Titles In editorial material (translations, annotations, appendices), titles are presented with the capitalization and spelling conventions of the original language. The title of a work of art is presented in English since the language of the artist may not be the same as the language of the museum or collections that have owned it. Generally, a catalogue raisonne gives titles in several languages. Titles of musical works are often in the language of the composer and remain untranslated; however, lines from songs, recitatives, and arias are translated. Titles of books that are referred to in the text appear in the notes in their original language, followed by date of first publication and title in English if there is a published trans lation, e. g. Voyage au bout de la nuit (1932;Journey to the End ofthe Night); if the English title is given in roman font, e. g. Die notwendige Reise (1932; The Necessary Journey), this indicates that an English trans lation has not been published and that the translated title has been supplied by the editors.
Sources for names, titles, and dates To arbitrate varying names, spellings of names, and dates, editorial practice has relied upon The Grove Dictionary of Music; The Grove Dictionary of Art; The Cambridge
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Editorial procedures
Biographical Encyclopedia, second edition; the catalogues of the Bibliotheque Nationale, the British Library, the National Library of Ireland, the Library of Congress, as well as other national libraries; and The Oxford Dictionary for Writers and Editors.
Glosses Unusual or archaic English words or foreign-language terms that have entered common English usage are not glossed if they can be found in the second electronic edition of The Oxford English Dictionary.
References References to unpublished materials give the archive and manuscript identification of the documents. References to pub lished materials give a full bibliographical citation at the first mention, and a short-title reference thereafter. The Bibliography includes all published materials that are cited. Titles that are iden tified in the text but not cited do not appear in the Bibliography, but they are indexed.
Cross-reference Cross-reference that refers back to specific material within the edition is given by indicating the date of the letter and the number of the pertinent note, e. g. 9 January 1936, n. 5. References are rarely given forward. It is presumed that most readers will read sequentially; those who wish to pursue a single figure will be able to do so by use of the Index.
Choiceofeditions Althoughitisnecessarytoselectstandardeditions for editorial reference, these choices are not governed by a single rule. For example, most often the Bibliotheque de la Pleiade edition of French text is used, or the more recent of these where two editions exist, because these editions take into account earlier edi tions. Exceptions have been made when a reference requires a first edition or an edition that Beckett refers to in a letter, or one he is known to have read, or the only one he could have read. The choice of standard editions is explained at the point of first reference. Volumes II, III, and IV of The Letters may present other issues in this respect. Where there is no standard edition, editions are selected for their accessibility, for example the Riverside edition of Shakespeare's works. Biblical references are taken from the King James Version. Although the publication information is given for all first and subsequent editions of Beckett's texts when this infor mation is germane to the context of a letter, quotations are gener ally taken from the Grove Press editions.
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Editorial procedures
Choice of translations English literary translations are provided for Beckett's foreign-language citations. Beckett nearly always read in the original language, and so choice of a translation is seldom direc ted by his reading.
Chronologies Chronologies precede each year of the letters to present an overview of the events mentioned by Beckett's letters; these include significant world events.
Profiles Biographicalprofilesofpersonswhohaveacontinuingrolein the narrative of The Letters of Samuel Beckett appear in the Appendix. Those who have a profile are indicated with an asterisk following their first reference. A profile presents a narrative of a person's life and work, with regard particularly to his or her association with Beckett. Profiles appear in the first volume of the letters in which the person becomes a figure of significance. The profiles cover the historical range of a person's association with Beckett because they will not be reprinted in subsequent volumes of the edition. Profiles are also given for certain institutions, publications, and organizations.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The family of Samuel Beckett has been welcoming as well as generous in sharing memories and documents. The editors warmly thank Edward and Felicity Beckett, Caroline and Patrick Murphy, Diana Zambonelli, Jill Babcock, and remember with gratitude Ann Beckett (d. ), John Beckett (d. ), Sheila Page (d. ), and Morris Sinclair (d. ).
FUNDING AND CONTRIBUTIONS
The Graduate School ofEmory University has generously supported the research for The Letters ofSamuel Beckett since 1990. The editing project at Emory, known as "The Correspondence of Samuel Beckett," is a labo ratory for humanities research in which graduate students in several disciplines of the humanities are engaged. Faculty and staff colleagues at Emory have unfailingly supported the edition with their knowledge and resources.
The extensive process ofgathering, organizing, and preparing docu ments and oral histories fundamental to such an edition was facilitated by major support from The National Endowment for the Humanities from 1991 to 1997. The Graduate School of Emory University contrib uted both the overhead and cost-sharing for these grants.
The research for this edition is international and cross-cultural. The Florence Gould Foundation supported the French and American part nership of this research from 1995 through 2003. The Graduate School of Emory University and The American University of Paris contributed cost-sharing. The support of the Gould Foundation helped to establish a Paris center for the research at The American University of Paris, direc ted by Associate Editor Dan Gunn; students there served as interns, conducting research in French collections.
The Mellon Foundation supported research at the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center of The University of Texas at Austin
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Acknowledgments
(1993-1994); the Huntington Library / British Academy Exchange Fellowship (1994-1995) supported research at the Huntington Library; the Helm Fellowship supported research at the Lilly Library, Indiana University (1997-1998, 2002-2003). The Rockefeller Foundation enabled the editorial team to meet at its Bellagio Study Center, Italy (2004-2005), to work together on the first two of the edition's four volumes.
The Cultural Division of the Department of European Affairs of Ireland has undertaken the distribution of copies of each of the four volumes of The Letters ofSamuel Beckett to universities and public libraries overseas and those operated through the Irish Diplomatic Missions abroad. We appreciate the support of Noel Treacy TD, former Minister for European Affairs, for making possible this tribute to Samuel Beckett's Irish legacy.
Without the continuing and substantial contributions of Emory Professors Alice N. Benston and George J. Benston (d. ), the project to edit The Letters of Samuel Beckett would not have gone forward. Their belief in the centrality of literature and the arts in an educated life, their intellectual mentorship and, especially, their personal encourage ment and friendship have been an immeasurable gift.
We are grateful for the efforts ofJoseph Beck of Kilpatrick Stockton LLP, who has been a steadfast adviser providing pro bono assistance to the edition in the area of copyright law. His thoroughness, expertise, and capacious understanding guided the editors; his personal support has been unbounded. We also thank Pam Mallari of Kilpatrick Stockton LLP for her pro bono services.
The editors greatly appreciate the generous in-kind contributions of the following persons: Mimi Bean, Brenda Bynum, R. Cary Bynum, Carainn Childers, Maydelle and Sam Fason, Neil Garvin, Barbara Gruninger, David Hesla, Jacob Hovind, Nori Howard-Butot, Alexandra Mettler, Breon Mitchell, Maria Chan Morgan, James Overbeck, Eduardo Paguaga, Lynn Todd-Crawford, Colette and Denis Weaire, and Gerald Weales.
The edition has been the beneficiary of gifts from individual donors, all of whom have additionally enriched this endeavor with their con tinuing interest: Laura Barlament, Jean B. Bergmark, Brenda and R. Cary Bynum, Claydean Cameron, Hilary Pyle Carey, Brian Cliff, Mary Evans Comstock, Judith Schmidt Douw, Jennifer Jeffers, Louis LeBroquy and
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Acknowledgments
Ann Madden, Victoria R. Orlowski, and Frances L. Padgett in honor of Brenda Bynum.
EMORY UNIVERSITY
The vision and support of the Deans of the Graduate School have
brought the edition to fruition; the editors especially thank George Jones, Alice N. Benston, and Eleanor Main(d. ), who made the edition's affiliation with Emory possible, and subsequent Deans Donald G. Stein, Robert Paul, and Lisa Tedesco, who continued this support. The editors also thank Vice Provost of International Affairs Holli Semetko for con
tributions to the international research for the edition.
The Advisory Board at Emory University includes Alice N. Benston, Ronald Schuchard, Maximilian Aue, Geoffrey Bennington, and Sandra Still. The editors wish to recognize them and the contributions of other Emory faculty colleagues: Matthew Bernstein, Philippe Bonnefis, Thomas Burns, Brenda Bynum, David A.
Cook, Michael Evenden, Steve Everett, William Gruber, Josue Harari, David Hesla, Geraldine Higgins, Peter H6yng, Dalia Judovitz, Judith Miller, Clark V. Poling,
Donald Verene, andJ. HarveyYoung(d. ).
Emory University Libraries have been at the heart of the research for
the edition: The Woodruff Library - Directors Joan Gotwals, Linda Matthews, and Richard Luce, and Librarians Rachel Borchardt, Lloyd Busch,Joyce Clinkscales, Margaret Ellingson, Erika Farr, Kristin Gager, Marie Hansen, Erin Mooney, Anne Nicolson, Eric Nitschke, Marie Nitschke, Elizabeth Patterson, Chuck Spornick, Sandra Still, Ann Vidor, Elaine Wagner, Sarah Ward, Erik Wendt, and Gayle Williams; The Manuscript and Rare Book Library(MARBL) - Director Stephen Enniss, Teresa Burk, Ginger Cain, David Faulds, Naomi Nelson, Ellen Nemhauser, Elizabeth Russey, Kathy Shoemaker, and Donna Bradley; the staff of The ECIT center; The Michael C. Carlos Museum - Catherine Howett Smith; Woodruff Health Sciences Center Library - Director Carol Burns, Barbara Abu-Leid, and Erin Busch.
The dedicated support team in the Beckett Project office over the years has managed the varied demands ofthe edition superbly: Amanda R. Baker, Daphne Demetry, Julia Getman, Courtney King, Suzanne Powell, Molly Stevens, and especially Lynn Todd-Crawford. The editors appreciate the assistance of Rosemary Hynes and Geri Thomas in the
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Acknowledgments
Graduate School, as well as the services of members of the Emory technical support staff: Adolf von Baden-Wiirttemberg, Mahbuba Ferdousi, Wei Ming Lu, and Laura Pokalsky.
Emory University Graduate Fellows have served the research of the project with diligence and creativity: Adrienne Angelo, Levin Arnsperger, Jeffrey Baggett, Laura Barlament, Jenny Davis Barnett, Andre BenhalIIl, Patrick Bixby, Karen Brown-Wheeler, Brooke Campbell, Lauren Cardon, Miriam Chirico, Brian Cliff, Curtis Cordell, Kathryn Crowther, Brian Croxall, Anthony J. Cuda, Anna Engle, John Fitzgerald, Christian Paul Holland, Jacob Hovind, Jennifer Jeffers, Michael Johnson, Jason Jones, Margaret Koehler, Paul Linden, Dominic Mastroianni, Martha Henn McCormick, Michelle Miles, Jennifer Poulos Nesbitt, Eduardo Paguaga, John Peck, Ralph Schoolcraft, Petra Schweitzer, Jennifer Svienty, Melissa Thurmond, Derval Tubridy, Kerry Higgins Wendt, Patrick Wheeler, and Julia McElhattan Williams.
Emory University Undergraduate Assistants have been effective and energetic in their work with the project: Margaret Anello, Amanda Barnett, Maiben Beard, Jonah Bea-Taylor, Shanta! Chan-Friday, Rebecca Conner, Daphne Demetry, Kirsten Dorsche, Natasha Farquharson, Neil Garvin, Jessica Gearing, Julia Hendricks, Lisa Hutchinson, Erin Igney, Danielle Kuczkowski, Josh Millard, Toure Neblett, Alina Opreanu, Victoria Orlowski, Sarah Osier, Jason Rayles, Amanda Robinson, Brian Serafin, Danielle Sered, Emily Shin, Hannah Shin, John Southnard, Shannon Weary, Amanda Wilburn, and Ashley Woo.
THE AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF PARIS
Initiated with the award of a grant from the Florence Gould Foundation, the edition's partnership with The American University of Paris has included faculty, staff, and students. The editors appreciate the assis tance and support of Presidents Lee Huebner, Michael Simpson, and Gerardo della Paolera; Deans William Cipolla, Andrea Leskes, Michael Vincent, and Celeste Schenck; faculty - Christine Baltay, Geoffrey Gilbert, Richard Pevear, Roy Rosenstein, and University Librarians Toby Stone and Jorge Sosa Ortega, as well as the assistance of William Gatsby, Beatrice Laplante, Brenda Tomey, and Karen Wagner.
AUP student interns: Amy Christine Allen, Lauren Anderson, Isolde Barker-Mill, Maranda Barnes, Susan Bell, Mischa Benoit-Lavelle, David
Ix
Bornstein, Brian Brazeau, Chrislaine Brito-Medina, Zachary Brown, Sarah Champa, Christina Chua, Laura Cook, Alessandra Cortez, Lisa Damon, Lindsay Franta, Natalie Frederick, Mia Genoni, Delphine Henri, Eric Hess, Laura Kaiserman, Alkmini Karakosta, Jennifer Kerns, Anthony Kraus, Caroline Laurent, Jennifer Laurent, Eugene Manning, Caroline Markunas, Ivy Mills, Candace Montout, Disa Ohlsson, Caleb Pagliasotti, Marta Lee Perriard, David Pollack, Jennifer Scanlon, Pamela Schleimer, Nils Schott, Jonathan Scott, Avra Spector, Jan Steyn, Alix Strickland, Leigh Thomas, Geoffrey Thompson, Gina Tory, Ulrike Trux, Todd Tyree, Christian West, Eugenia Wilbrenninck, Alison M. Williams, and April Wuensch.
ADVISORY TEAM
A number of colleagues have served the edition in an informal but important advisory capacity. The editors convey warm appreciation for their scholarship, counsel, and wisdom: Walter Asmus, Alice N. Benston, George J. Benston (d. ) Brenda Bynum, Ruby Cohn, David Hesla, James Knowlson, Gerard Lawless, Breon Mitchell, Mark Nixon, Catherine Putman, Hilary Pyle, Roswitha Quadflieg, Ann Saddlemyer, Susan Schreibman, Ronald Schuchard, Carolyn Swift (d. ), James White (d. ), Katherine Worth, and Barbara Wright.
For their insight and assistance with the research for Volume I of The Letters ofSamuel Beckett, the editors wish to thank the following persons: H. Porter Abbott, Mary Manning Howe Adams (d. ), Klaus Albrecht, Avigdor Arikha, Anne Atik, Gunter Aust. Ellie Balson, Iain Banks, William H. Baskin, Marcus Beale, Jean-Paul Beau, Georges Belmont, Helmut Berthald, Mrs. Wilfred Ruprecht Bion, Therese Birkenhauer (d. ), Uli Bohnen, Gerard Bourke SJ, Nicola Gordon Bowe, Patricia Boylan, Enoch Brater, Barbara Bray, Robert I. Brown (d. ), Terence Brown, Christopher Buckland-Wright, G. H. Burrows (d. ) Gottfried Buttner, Marie Renate Buttner. John Calder, William Camfield, David E. Cartwright, Mary Ann Caws, John Charlton (d. ), Carainn Childers, Louise Cleveland, Lisa Bernadette Coen, Brian Coffey (d. ), Bridget Coffey (d. ), John Coffey, Ann Colcord, Sally Hone Cooke-Smith (d. ), Anne Corbett, John Corcoran, Liam Costello, Jean Coulomb (d. ), Nick Coulson, Thomas Cousinau, Sharon Cowling, Gareth Cox, Ann Cremin, Anthony Cronin, William Cunningham (d. ).
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Acknowledgments
Acknowledgments
Norris Davidson, Gerald Davis, Maria Davis-Obolensky, Emile Delavenay (d. ), Morgan Dockrell, Philippe and Michelle Douay, Gerry Dukes. Valerie Eliot, Maude Ellmann, Richard Ellmann (d. ). Margaret Farrington, Raymond Federman, Sally Fitzgerald (d. ), John Fletcher, M. R. D. Foot, Pierre Fourcaud, Wallace Fowlie (d. ), Patricia Frere Reeves (d. ), Erika Friedman, Everett Frost. Bridget Ganly (d. ), Padraic Gilligan, Gilles Glacet, Stanley Gontarski, Michael Gorman, John Graham, Greene's Book Shop, Nicholas Grene, Margaret Grimm, William E. Groves, Barbara Gruninger, James H. Guilford (d. ).
Michael Haerdter, Anthony Harding, Clive Hart, Lawrence Harvey (d. ), Ada Haylor (d. ), Odile Helier, Jocelyn Herbert (d. ), Phillip Herring, John Herrington, Michael Hertslet, Ian Higgins, Arthur Hillis (d. ), David Hone, Oliver Hone, Fanny Howe, Susan Howe, Tina Howe, Werner Huber, Alice Hudgens, John Michael Hudtwalcker, Liza Hutchinson. Randall Ivy. Brendon Jacobs (d. ), Michael Jacobs, Thomas Jenkins, Robert Joesting, Harry Johnson, Ann and Jeremy Johnston, Tina Johnston, Bettina Jonie, Stephen Joyce. Marek Kedzierski, Ernest Keegan (d. ), Eileen Kelly, John Kelly, Ben Kiely, Naum Kleiman, Margret Klinge, Elizabeth Knowlson, Charles Krance. Nigel Leask, Pierre Leber, Alex Leon, Roger Little, Mark Littman, Carla Locatelli, Herbert Lottman, Cyril Lucas, John Luce, Vanda and Jeremy Lucke, Bridget Lunn.
Bill McBride, Brian McGing, Barry McGovern, Dougald McMillan (d. ), Franz Michael Maier, Alain Malraux, John Manning (d. ), James Mays, Daniel Medin, Winrich Meiszies, Vivian Mercier (d. ), Gunter Metken (d. ), Anna-Louise Milne, Ruth Morse, Dame Iris Murdoch (d. ). Maurice Nadeau, Robert Nicholson, Robert Niklaus, Kevin Nolan, Ian Norrie, Marian von Nostitz. Fergus O'Donoghue SJ, Patrick O'Dwyer, Annick O'Meara, Christine O'Neil, Cathal O'Shannon, Prince Alexis N. Obolensky (d. ), Serge S. Obolensky, Hugh Oram. Marjorie Perloff, Alexis Peron, Michel Peron, Lino Pertile, Alastair Pringle. Jean-Michel Rabate, Lord Rathdonnell, Claude Rawson, Yvonne Redmond, Christopher Ricks, Bob Ritchie, Philip Roberts, Rachel Roberts, Anthony Rota, Elizabeth Ryan (d. ), Robert Ryan.
Claude and Zoubeida Salzman, Elliseva Sayers, Pierre Schneider, Natalie Sheehan, Andree Sheehy-Skeffington (d. ), Philip Shields, Marc Silver, Anne Simonin, Seymour Slive, Colin Smythe, Michael Solomons, G. P. Solomos, Elizabeth Curran Solterer (d. ), Helen Solterer, Sandra Spanier, Dame Natasha Spender, Arvid Sponberg, Emily Stanton, Lady
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Staples, James Steffen, Diana Childers Stewart, Gerald Pakenham Stewart (d. ), Marion Stocking, Elisabeth Stockton (d. ), John Stone III, Claire Stoullig, Francis Stuart (d. ). Sheila Harvey Tanzer, Dan Thompson, Deborah Thompson, Jeremy Thompson, Piers Thompson, Toby Thompson, Ursula Thompson (d. ), Erika Tophoven, C. H. Trench (d. ), MichaelJay Tucker. Helen Vendler,John Vice, Srdjan Vujic. Joachim
Heusinger von Waldegg, Mervyn Wall (d. ), David Wheatley, Thomas Whitehead, Clara Wisdom, Anne Leventhal Woolfson (d. ). Anne Yeats (d. ), Michael Yeats (d. ).
Contributions that pertain primarily to later volumes of the edition are accordingly acknowledged there.
LIBRARIES AND ARCHIVES
Scholars, librarians, and archivists have developed valuable collections and have broadened our access to them with electronic catalogues, on line finding aids, databases, and textbases. In particular, we wish to thank James Knowlson for his vision in establishing the Beckett International Foundation at Reading University, a central archive of the papers of Samuel Beckett, and for fostering collaboration among Beckett scholars internationally; we also thank Mary Bryden, Ronan McDonald, Anna McMullan, Mark Nixon, John Pilling, and Julian Garforth for their valued collegial assistance.
The editors acknowledge with gratitude the knowledgeable col leagues in libraries, archives, museums, and other offices of record who have assisted them with queries.
Aargauer Kunsthaus: Corinne Sotzek. The Admiralty, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, London: Gervaise Cowell (d. ). Akademie der Bildenden Kunste Munchen, Archiv und Sammlungen: Birgit Joos. American Library Association: Renee Prestegard. Archives of American Art: Susan Marcott, Judy Throm. Art Gallery of Ontario, E. P. Taylor Research Library and Archives: Kathleen McLean. Art Institute of Chicago Library: Susan Goldweski, Mary K. Woolever.
Bank of Ireland: Eamon MacThomas. Eduard-Bargheer-Haus, Hamburg: Dirk Justus, Peter Zilze. Barnard College Archives: Donald Glassman. Bayerische Staatsgemiildesamm! ungen, Munich: Helge Siefert. BBC Sound Archives: Gosta Johansson. BBC Written Archives: John Jordan, Jacqueline Kavanagh, Erin O'Neill, Julie Snelling, Tracy Weston. Bibliotheque
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Acknowledgments
Acknowledgments
Publique d'Information Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris. Bibliotheque Polonaise, Paris. Bibliotheque Sainte-Genevieve, Paris. La Biennale Di Venezia Archive: Daniela Ducceschi. Boston College, John J. Burns Library of Rare Books and Special Collections Library: Director Robert O'Neill, John Atteberry, Shelley Barber, Amy Braitsch, David E. Horn, Susan Rainville. Boston University, Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center: Director Howard Gotlieb, Margaret Goostray, Christopher Noble, Sean Noel, Alexander Rankin, Kim Sulik. British Film Institute: Janet Moat, Wilf Stevenson. British Institute of Florence, Harold Acton Library: Alyson Price. British Library: Nicholas Barker, John Barr, Sally Brown, Christopher Fletcher, Andrew Levett, Alice Prochaska, Rupert Ridgewell; Newspapers, Colindale- Stewart Gilles; Oriental and India Office Collections, APAC - Dorian Leveque. The British Museum: Christopher Denvir. Galerie Jeanne-Bucher, Paris.
Cambridge University: University Library - Peter M. Meadows; Trinity College Library- Diana Chardin. Campbell College, Belfast: Keith Haines. Columbia University, Butler Library, Rare Books and Manuscripts: Director Jean Ashton, Director Bernard Crystal, Tara C. Craig, Jennifer Lee. Cornell University: John M. Olin Library, Department of Rare Books- David R. Block; Fiske Collections, Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections - Patrick J. Stevens. Courtauld Institute of Art: Julia Blanks, Barbara Hilton-Smith, Sue Price, Ernst Vegelin.
Dartmouth College, Rauner Special Collections Library: Director Philip Cronenwett, Director Jay Satterfield, Joshua Berger, Stephanie Gibbs, Sarah I. Hartwell. Department of Foreign Affairs, Dublin: Bernadette Chambers. DePau! University, Richardson Library: Joan M. Mitchanis. Deutsches Literatur Archiv, Schiller National Museum, Marbach: Ute Doster, Gunther Nickel, Jutta Reusch. The Dictionary of Irish Biography: James McGuire. Dresden Kunsthalle: Martin Roth. Dublin City Archives: Mary Clark Dublin City Gallery The Hugh Lane: Director Barbara Dawson, Patrick Casey, Liz Forster, Joanna Shepard. Dublin Writers Museum: Esther O'Hanlon.
Eastman School ofMusic, Sibley Music Library: Jim Farrington. Feis Ceoil, Dublin: Ita Beausang, Maeve Madden. Fondation Maeght, St. Paul de-Vence: Annette Pond. Ford Foundation: Alan Divack, Jonathan Green.
Association Les Amis de Jeanne et Otto Freundlich: Edda Maillet. Frick Museum Library: Lydia Dufore, Sue Massen.
Georgetown University Libraries: Nicholas B. Sheetz. Germanisches Nationalmuseum Numberg: lflrike Heinrichs-Schreiber. Global Village:
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Acknowledgments
John Reilly. The Goethe Institut (now Goethe-Zentrnm), Atlanta: Michael Nentwich, Gusti Stewart. Grolier Club Library: J. Fernando Peiia. The Peggy Guggenheim Museum, Florence: Phillip Rylands.
Hamburg University: Hans Wilhelm Eckardt, Eckart Krause. Hamburger Kunsthalle: Director Helmut R. Leppien (d. ), Ute Haug, Ulrich Luckhardt, Matthias Miihling, Uwe M. Schneed, Annemarie Stefes. Handel-Haus Library, Halle: Gotz Traxdorf. Harvard University: Countaway Library of Medicine - Julia Whelan; Fogg Art Museum - Lizzy Bamhorst, Sarah Kianovsky; Harvard Theatre Collection - Annette Fern, Fredric Woodbridge Wilson; Houghton Library - Michael Dumas, Elizabeth Falsey, Susan Halpert. Hiroshima Museum of Art: Y. Furutani. The Huntington Library: Sara S. Hodson. Leonard Hutton Galleries: Shary Grossman.
Illustrated London News: Richard Pitkin. Indiana University, The Lilly Library: Director Lisa Browar, Director Breon Mitchell, William Cagle, Saundra Taylor. Institut memoires de ! 'edition contemporaine (IMEC), Paris Caen: Director Olivier Corpet, Andre Derval, Albert Dichy, Nathalie Leger, Martine Ollion. Internationales Musikinstitut Darmstadt: Wilhelm Schluter. Inverclyde Libraries, James Watt Library, Greenock, Scotland: Betty Hendry, Rebecca McKellar. Irish Copyright Licensing Agency: Jorid Lindberg. Irish Jewish Genealogical Society and Family History Centre of the Irish Jewish Museum, Dublin: Stuart Rosenblatt.
Kent State University Libraries: Kathleen Martin, Stephanie Wachalec. Kingston University: Anne Rowe, Jane Ruddell. Kungliga Biblioteket, Stockholm: Anders Burius. Kunstmuseum Basel: Christian Selz.
Beckett often uses words or phrases from other languages when writing in English or French, but he seldom underscores such words or phrases. If Beckett's shifts from one language to another produce what appears to be a variant spelling in the dominant language of the letter, this is marked or explained in a note.
Beckett frequently spells a name incorrectly, most often when he has only heard the name and not met the person or read the name. When a person's name, a title, or another reference is misspelled in the text ofa letter, the corrected spelling is given in the notes and the index; if the misspelled name is likely to confuse, its first use is corrected within square brackets in the text: e. g. "Stevens [for Stephens]. " When, as in a joke or pun made with a name, a misspell ing is judged to be deliberate, it stands as written; correct spelling is given in the notes and the index.
In Volume I, there are two exceptions to this rule, and both are noted at their first occurrence. Thomas McGreevy changed the spell ing ofhis family name toward the end of1941 to MacGreevy. Since all of the letters through 1940 are addressed to McGreevy, that spelling is retained through the present volume; in subsequent volumes his name will be spelled MacGreevy. During the period covered by Volume I, Beckett almost always spelled the name of Gwynedd Reavey as "Gwynned"; this is noted at the first occurrence and then silently emended. When Beckett does spell her name correctly, this change is also noted.
Beckett presents ellipses with spaced dots; however, these are variously two dots or three dots. Beckett occasionally punctuates with a dash instead of a period at the end of a sentence.
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Editorial procedures
Authorial emendation The results of Beckett's cancelations, inser tions, and inversions are presented as a clear text. When a reading of an emendation by Beckett is uncertain, it is given within square brackets in the text, preceded by a question mark.
Beckett often overwrites or overtypes to self-correct; when typ ing, he sometimes cancels a word or phrase if it does not fit the space on the page, and then rewrites it on the next line or page. Beckett changes his mind as he writes: sometimes omitting or inserting a word, phrase, or sentence; inverting word order; extending a thought in the margins. Typed letters contain both typed and handwritten corrections. Drafts of letters show many more changes.
When Beckett's changes are substantive - that is, not merely corrections of spelling or typos or false starts - these are presented in the notes: e. g. , SB wrote" <the Aldingtons> Richard and Bridget. " Scholars interested in the patterns of Beckett's changes will wish to consult the original manuscripts.
Editorialemendation Editorialemendationstothetextaresupplied only when necessary to understanding. Other than obvious typo graphical errors (overtypes, space slips, extra spacing, false starts), and other than what is stated above, there are no silent emendations.
Placement and indentation of date, address, closing and signature lines are regularized. Paragraph indentations are standardized. Line ends are marked only in poetry. Postscripts are presented following the signature; if their original placement differs, this is described in a note.
Editorial ellipses in letters and other unpublished manuscripts are shown by three unspaced dots within square brackets; editorial ellipses in published materials are shown with three spaced dots.
filegibility Illegibility is noted in square brackets [illeg]. If a reading is uncertain, it is given within square brackets and preceded by a question mark. Damage to the original manuscript that obscures or obliterates the text is described in the bibliographical note and is indicated in the text as illegibility.
Signature The closing and signature lines are regularized. An auto graph signature or initial can be assumed for an autograph letter; in a typed letter, the notation "sf" indicates a handwritten signature or initial. A typed letter may have both an autograph and a typed
signature. When these are not identical, both are shown. When these are identical, rather than present the signature twice, the existence of an autograph signature is indicated only by "sf" and the typed signature is presented in the line that follows:
With best wishes
sf
Samuel Beckett
An unsigned carbon copy presents only the typed signature, but spacing allows for an autograph signature in the original:
With best wishes Samuel Beckett
Bibliographical note Following each letter is a bibliographical note which gives a description of the letter (e. g. ALS, autograph letter signed) followed by the number of leaves and sides (2 leaves, 4 sides). Description of the physical document may include its letter head (if SB replaces or alters it), the image on a postcard, and enclo sures. This note also includes the address on a postcard or envelope, the postmark, and any additional notation on the envelope, whether written by Beckett or in another hand (e. g. forwarding address, postal directives, or other notations). Postmarks are described by city (not by post office) and date. Editorial markers are given in italics: e. g. env to George Reavey; pm 16-5-35, Paris. The ownership of the physical property is given with the designated library abbre viation, collection name and accession information; private owner ship is indicated according to the owner's preference, by name or simply as "private collection. " Previous publication is noted when the letter has been published in full or in a substantial portion (more than halt); facsimile reproductions are indicated in this note.
Notations used in the bibliographical description indicate whether the letter is handwritten or typed; whether a letter, postcard, tele gram, or pneumatique; it indicates the number of leaves and sides, and whether it is signed, initialed, or unsigned. A leaf is a physical piece of paper; a side is a page written on, whether recto or verso. A postcard may bear an address on the recto (1 leaf, 1 side) or on the verso (1 leaf, 2 sides). Beckett sometimes folded a single piece of
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Editorial procedures
Editorial procedures
paper so that it had four sides (1 leaf, 4 sides). All editorial notations
are detailed under "Abbreviations. "
Discussionofdating Whenthedateofaletteriscorrectedorderived
from internal or external evidence, the rationale for the assigned date or date-range is given following the bibliographical note. Undated or partially dated letters are not unusual. Beckett may not date a letter when it is part of a frequent exchange or when it follows or anticipates a personal meeting; he often misdates letters at the beginning of a new year. If envelopes are clearly affiliated with the letter in question, the postmark may be helpful in dating. Some correspondence received by publishers and other businesses was routinely date stamped; this is noted in the bibliographical note and may inform incomplete dating. While Beckett occasionally delivers a note personally, it is also the case that some stamped letters are sent without cancellation. Telegrams are often difficult to date precisely and may bear only the date of receipt.
Translation Letters written entirely in a language other than English are translated immediately following the transcription of the original and its bibliographical note. Translators' initials are given when other than George Craig for French and Viola Westbrook for German. In the first volume, when published translations were not available, Adolf von Baden-Wurttemberg and George Craig have translated from Latin and Greek; Dan Gunn has translated from Italian.
Translations of words or phrases are provided in the notes to the letter. Translations are given with the following formulation: "Bon travail & bon sommeil" (work well & sleep well). The language of the original is not indicated in the translation unless there may be ambiguity; if required, these abbreviations are used: colloq. , collo· quial; Fr. , French; Ger. , German; Gk. , Greek; Ir. , Irish; It. , Italian; Lat. , Latin; Sp. , Spanish. Published translations are used for literary quo tations, if available, and are so noted (see below).
Beckett may write the name ofa German city with German, French, or English spelling; however, translations and editorial material present the English spelling of city and place names. Translations do not repeat Beckett's mistakes (slips of the pen, misremembering or misspelling of proper names, and the occasional incoherence inevitable in unrevised writings). In the rare cases when spelling norms have changed (in the 1930s Beckett wrote "to-day" and
Iii
"to-morrow"), current practice is followed. Although Beckett prac· ticed English-style capitalization when writing the titles of books in other languages, translations and notes use the capitalization prac· tice of the language in which the book was written. In the translation of letters, all titles of books are indicated by italics.
ANNOTATIONS
In the notes, Samuel Beckett is referred to as "SB. " Translations follow British spelling and punctuation practice; all other editorial materials follow American English spelling and punctuation. Although all letters are presented as written, in line with standard French practice the edition does not put accents on initial capitals in editorial matter. All other accents are displayed, even where, as in editorial headers, the material is represented in small capitals. This affects only editorial matter in French; other languages have other conventions.
Identifications of persons The first reference gives a person's full name (including birth name, and/or acquired appellations including pseudonyms and nicknames), years of birth and death, and a brief statement of identification. Additional statements of identification may be given over the course of a volume, or over the four volumes, when a person's primary occupation, affiliation, or relationship to Samuel Beckett changes. Identifications are not given for well· known figures such as William Shakespeare, Rene Descartes, Dante Alighieri.
Names Namesarenotnecessarilyconstantovertime. ThomasMcGreevy chose to change the spelling of his family name; after World War II, Georges Pelorson changed his name to Georges Belmont. Some women assume their husband's surname when they marry: Mary Manning became Mary Manning Howe and then Mary Manning Howe Adams, but she used her maiden name professionally. Editorial practice is to follow Beckett's spelling of the name at the time of writing (with the exception of misspelling), but also to refer to writers by the name given on the title page of their books.
Painters are often given a name that includes their parentage, their city of origin, or their association with a school of painting. Beckett's practice varies, so identifications in the annotations follow
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Editorial procedures
Editorial procedures
those given by The Grove Dictionary ofArt, with variant names and spellings given only where confusion might otherwise arise.
Some persons become known by their initials, some by their nick names, and some by both. Abraham Jacob Leventhal generally indi cates his name in publications as A. J. Leventhal, but he is most often referred to in Beckett's letters by his nickname, "Con. " Beckett's cousin Morris Sinclair may also be addressed as "Maurice," or by his family nickname "Sunny" which in German becomes "Sonny" (indeed he was the only son in the Sinclair family).
After first reference, editorial practice is to use the name that Beckett uses. When a name changes, a note will signal this change. Both/all names will be entered as one heading in the Index.
Dates Approximate dates are preceded by c. (circa), fl. (flourished), or a question mark; when dates are approximated as a range, the earliest birth year and the latest death year are given, preceded by c. to indicate approximation. If only the birth year or death year is known, it is given as, for example, (b. 1935) or (1852-? ) or (d. 1956). Rarely, the only date known is a marriage date; this will be given as (m. 1933). When a date is unknown, it is indicated as (n. d. ).
Titles In editorial material (translations, annotations, appendices), titles are presented with the capitalization and spelling conventions of the original language. The title of a work of art is presented in English since the language of the artist may not be the same as the language of the museum or collections that have owned it. Generally, a catalogue raisonne gives titles in several languages. Titles of musical works are often in the language of the composer and remain untranslated; however, lines from songs, recitatives, and arias are translated. Titles of books that are referred to in the text appear in the notes in their original language, followed by date of first publication and title in English if there is a published trans lation, e. g. Voyage au bout de la nuit (1932;Journey to the End ofthe Night); if the English title is given in roman font, e. g. Die notwendige Reise (1932; The Necessary Journey), this indicates that an English trans lation has not been published and that the translated title has been supplied by the editors.
Sources for names, titles, and dates To arbitrate varying names, spellings of names, and dates, editorial practice has relied upon The Grove Dictionary of Music; The Grove Dictionary of Art; The Cambridge
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Editorial procedures
Biographical Encyclopedia, second edition; the catalogues of the Bibliotheque Nationale, the British Library, the National Library of Ireland, the Library of Congress, as well as other national libraries; and The Oxford Dictionary for Writers and Editors.
Glosses Unusual or archaic English words or foreign-language terms that have entered common English usage are not glossed if they can be found in the second electronic edition of The Oxford English Dictionary.
References References to unpublished materials give the archive and manuscript identification of the documents. References to pub lished materials give a full bibliographical citation at the first mention, and a short-title reference thereafter. The Bibliography includes all published materials that are cited. Titles that are iden tified in the text but not cited do not appear in the Bibliography, but they are indexed.
Cross-reference Cross-reference that refers back to specific material within the edition is given by indicating the date of the letter and the number of the pertinent note, e. g. 9 January 1936, n. 5. References are rarely given forward. It is presumed that most readers will read sequentially; those who wish to pursue a single figure will be able to do so by use of the Index.
Choiceofeditions Althoughitisnecessarytoselectstandardeditions for editorial reference, these choices are not governed by a single rule. For example, most often the Bibliotheque de la Pleiade edition of French text is used, or the more recent of these where two editions exist, because these editions take into account earlier edi tions. Exceptions have been made when a reference requires a first edition or an edition that Beckett refers to in a letter, or one he is known to have read, or the only one he could have read. The choice of standard editions is explained at the point of first reference. Volumes II, III, and IV of The Letters may present other issues in this respect. Where there is no standard edition, editions are selected for their accessibility, for example the Riverside edition of Shakespeare's works. Biblical references are taken from the King James Version. Although the publication information is given for all first and subsequent editions of Beckett's texts when this infor mation is germane to the context of a letter, quotations are gener ally taken from the Grove Press editions.
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Editorial procedures
Choice of translations English literary translations are provided for Beckett's foreign-language citations. Beckett nearly always read in the original language, and so choice of a translation is seldom direc ted by his reading.
Chronologies Chronologies precede each year of the letters to present an overview of the events mentioned by Beckett's letters; these include significant world events.
Profiles Biographicalprofilesofpersonswhohaveacontinuingrolein the narrative of The Letters of Samuel Beckett appear in the Appendix. Those who have a profile are indicated with an asterisk following their first reference. A profile presents a narrative of a person's life and work, with regard particularly to his or her association with Beckett. Profiles appear in the first volume of the letters in which the person becomes a figure of significance. The profiles cover the historical range of a person's association with Beckett because they will not be reprinted in subsequent volumes of the edition. Profiles are also given for certain institutions, publications, and organizations.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The family of Samuel Beckett has been welcoming as well as generous in sharing memories and documents. The editors warmly thank Edward and Felicity Beckett, Caroline and Patrick Murphy, Diana Zambonelli, Jill Babcock, and remember with gratitude Ann Beckett (d. ), John Beckett (d. ), Sheila Page (d. ), and Morris Sinclair (d. ).
FUNDING AND CONTRIBUTIONS
The Graduate School ofEmory University has generously supported the research for The Letters ofSamuel Beckett since 1990. The editing project at Emory, known as "The Correspondence of Samuel Beckett," is a labo ratory for humanities research in which graduate students in several disciplines of the humanities are engaged. Faculty and staff colleagues at Emory have unfailingly supported the edition with their knowledge and resources.
The extensive process ofgathering, organizing, and preparing docu ments and oral histories fundamental to such an edition was facilitated by major support from The National Endowment for the Humanities from 1991 to 1997. The Graduate School of Emory University contrib uted both the overhead and cost-sharing for these grants.
The research for this edition is international and cross-cultural. The Florence Gould Foundation supported the French and American part nership of this research from 1995 through 2003. The Graduate School of Emory University and The American University of Paris contributed cost-sharing. The support of the Gould Foundation helped to establish a Paris center for the research at The American University of Paris, direc ted by Associate Editor Dan Gunn; students there served as interns, conducting research in French collections.
The Mellon Foundation supported research at the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center of The University of Texas at Austin
! vii
Acknowledgments
(1993-1994); the Huntington Library / British Academy Exchange Fellowship (1994-1995) supported research at the Huntington Library; the Helm Fellowship supported research at the Lilly Library, Indiana University (1997-1998, 2002-2003). The Rockefeller Foundation enabled the editorial team to meet at its Bellagio Study Center, Italy (2004-2005), to work together on the first two of the edition's four volumes.
The Cultural Division of the Department of European Affairs of Ireland has undertaken the distribution of copies of each of the four volumes of The Letters ofSamuel Beckett to universities and public libraries overseas and those operated through the Irish Diplomatic Missions abroad. We appreciate the support of Noel Treacy TD, former Minister for European Affairs, for making possible this tribute to Samuel Beckett's Irish legacy.
Without the continuing and substantial contributions of Emory Professors Alice N. Benston and George J. Benston (d. ), the project to edit The Letters of Samuel Beckett would not have gone forward. Their belief in the centrality of literature and the arts in an educated life, their intellectual mentorship and, especially, their personal encourage ment and friendship have been an immeasurable gift.
We are grateful for the efforts ofJoseph Beck of Kilpatrick Stockton LLP, who has been a steadfast adviser providing pro bono assistance to the edition in the area of copyright law. His thoroughness, expertise, and capacious understanding guided the editors; his personal support has been unbounded. We also thank Pam Mallari of Kilpatrick Stockton LLP for her pro bono services.
The editors greatly appreciate the generous in-kind contributions of the following persons: Mimi Bean, Brenda Bynum, R. Cary Bynum, Carainn Childers, Maydelle and Sam Fason, Neil Garvin, Barbara Gruninger, David Hesla, Jacob Hovind, Nori Howard-Butot, Alexandra Mettler, Breon Mitchell, Maria Chan Morgan, James Overbeck, Eduardo Paguaga, Lynn Todd-Crawford, Colette and Denis Weaire, and Gerald Weales.
The edition has been the beneficiary of gifts from individual donors, all of whom have additionally enriched this endeavor with their con tinuing interest: Laura Barlament, Jean B. Bergmark, Brenda and R. Cary Bynum, Claydean Cameron, Hilary Pyle Carey, Brian Cliff, Mary Evans Comstock, Judith Schmidt Douw, Jennifer Jeffers, Louis LeBroquy and
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Acknowledgments
Ann Madden, Victoria R. Orlowski, and Frances L. Padgett in honor of Brenda Bynum.
EMORY UNIVERSITY
The vision and support of the Deans of the Graduate School have
brought the edition to fruition; the editors especially thank George Jones, Alice N. Benston, and Eleanor Main(d. ), who made the edition's affiliation with Emory possible, and subsequent Deans Donald G. Stein, Robert Paul, and Lisa Tedesco, who continued this support. The editors also thank Vice Provost of International Affairs Holli Semetko for con
tributions to the international research for the edition.
The Advisory Board at Emory University includes Alice N. Benston, Ronald Schuchard, Maximilian Aue, Geoffrey Bennington, and Sandra Still. The editors wish to recognize them and the contributions of other Emory faculty colleagues: Matthew Bernstein, Philippe Bonnefis, Thomas Burns, Brenda Bynum, David A.
Cook, Michael Evenden, Steve Everett, William Gruber, Josue Harari, David Hesla, Geraldine Higgins, Peter H6yng, Dalia Judovitz, Judith Miller, Clark V. Poling,
Donald Verene, andJ. HarveyYoung(d. ).
Emory University Libraries have been at the heart of the research for
the edition: The Woodruff Library - Directors Joan Gotwals, Linda Matthews, and Richard Luce, and Librarians Rachel Borchardt, Lloyd Busch,Joyce Clinkscales, Margaret Ellingson, Erika Farr, Kristin Gager, Marie Hansen, Erin Mooney, Anne Nicolson, Eric Nitschke, Marie Nitschke, Elizabeth Patterson, Chuck Spornick, Sandra Still, Ann Vidor, Elaine Wagner, Sarah Ward, Erik Wendt, and Gayle Williams; The Manuscript and Rare Book Library(MARBL) - Director Stephen Enniss, Teresa Burk, Ginger Cain, David Faulds, Naomi Nelson, Ellen Nemhauser, Elizabeth Russey, Kathy Shoemaker, and Donna Bradley; the staff of The ECIT center; The Michael C. Carlos Museum - Catherine Howett Smith; Woodruff Health Sciences Center Library - Director Carol Burns, Barbara Abu-Leid, and Erin Busch.
The dedicated support team in the Beckett Project office over the years has managed the varied demands ofthe edition superbly: Amanda R. Baker, Daphne Demetry, Julia Getman, Courtney King, Suzanne Powell, Molly Stevens, and especially Lynn Todd-Crawford. The editors appreciate the assistance of Rosemary Hynes and Geri Thomas in the
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Acknowledgments
Graduate School, as well as the services of members of the Emory technical support staff: Adolf von Baden-Wiirttemberg, Mahbuba Ferdousi, Wei Ming Lu, and Laura Pokalsky.
Emory University Graduate Fellows have served the research of the project with diligence and creativity: Adrienne Angelo, Levin Arnsperger, Jeffrey Baggett, Laura Barlament, Jenny Davis Barnett, Andre BenhalIIl, Patrick Bixby, Karen Brown-Wheeler, Brooke Campbell, Lauren Cardon, Miriam Chirico, Brian Cliff, Curtis Cordell, Kathryn Crowther, Brian Croxall, Anthony J. Cuda, Anna Engle, John Fitzgerald, Christian Paul Holland, Jacob Hovind, Jennifer Jeffers, Michael Johnson, Jason Jones, Margaret Koehler, Paul Linden, Dominic Mastroianni, Martha Henn McCormick, Michelle Miles, Jennifer Poulos Nesbitt, Eduardo Paguaga, John Peck, Ralph Schoolcraft, Petra Schweitzer, Jennifer Svienty, Melissa Thurmond, Derval Tubridy, Kerry Higgins Wendt, Patrick Wheeler, and Julia McElhattan Williams.
Emory University Undergraduate Assistants have been effective and energetic in their work with the project: Margaret Anello, Amanda Barnett, Maiben Beard, Jonah Bea-Taylor, Shanta! Chan-Friday, Rebecca Conner, Daphne Demetry, Kirsten Dorsche, Natasha Farquharson, Neil Garvin, Jessica Gearing, Julia Hendricks, Lisa Hutchinson, Erin Igney, Danielle Kuczkowski, Josh Millard, Toure Neblett, Alina Opreanu, Victoria Orlowski, Sarah Osier, Jason Rayles, Amanda Robinson, Brian Serafin, Danielle Sered, Emily Shin, Hannah Shin, John Southnard, Shannon Weary, Amanda Wilburn, and Ashley Woo.
THE AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF PARIS
Initiated with the award of a grant from the Florence Gould Foundation, the edition's partnership with The American University of Paris has included faculty, staff, and students. The editors appreciate the assis tance and support of Presidents Lee Huebner, Michael Simpson, and Gerardo della Paolera; Deans William Cipolla, Andrea Leskes, Michael Vincent, and Celeste Schenck; faculty - Christine Baltay, Geoffrey Gilbert, Richard Pevear, Roy Rosenstein, and University Librarians Toby Stone and Jorge Sosa Ortega, as well as the assistance of William Gatsby, Beatrice Laplante, Brenda Tomey, and Karen Wagner.
AUP student interns: Amy Christine Allen, Lauren Anderson, Isolde Barker-Mill, Maranda Barnes, Susan Bell, Mischa Benoit-Lavelle, David
Ix
Bornstein, Brian Brazeau, Chrislaine Brito-Medina, Zachary Brown, Sarah Champa, Christina Chua, Laura Cook, Alessandra Cortez, Lisa Damon, Lindsay Franta, Natalie Frederick, Mia Genoni, Delphine Henri, Eric Hess, Laura Kaiserman, Alkmini Karakosta, Jennifer Kerns, Anthony Kraus, Caroline Laurent, Jennifer Laurent, Eugene Manning, Caroline Markunas, Ivy Mills, Candace Montout, Disa Ohlsson, Caleb Pagliasotti, Marta Lee Perriard, David Pollack, Jennifer Scanlon, Pamela Schleimer, Nils Schott, Jonathan Scott, Avra Spector, Jan Steyn, Alix Strickland, Leigh Thomas, Geoffrey Thompson, Gina Tory, Ulrike Trux, Todd Tyree, Christian West, Eugenia Wilbrenninck, Alison M. Williams, and April Wuensch.
ADVISORY TEAM
A number of colleagues have served the edition in an informal but important advisory capacity. The editors convey warm appreciation for their scholarship, counsel, and wisdom: Walter Asmus, Alice N. Benston, George J. Benston (d. ) Brenda Bynum, Ruby Cohn, David Hesla, James Knowlson, Gerard Lawless, Breon Mitchell, Mark Nixon, Catherine Putman, Hilary Pyle, Roswitha Quadflieg, Ann Saddlemyer, Susan Schreibman, Ronald Schuchard, Carolyn Swift (d. ), James White (d. ), Katherine Worth, and Barbara Wright.
For their insight and assistance with the research for Volume I of The Letters ofSamuel Beckett, the editors wish to thank the following persons: H. Porter Abbott, Mary Manning Howe Adams (d. ), Klaus Albrecht, Avigdor Arikha, Anne Atik, Gunter Aust. Ellie Balson, Iain Banks, William H. Baskin, Marcus Beale, Jean-Paul Beau, Georges Belmont, Helmut Berthald, Mrs. Wilfred Ruprecht Bion, Therese Birkenhauer (d. ), Uli Bohnen, Gerard Bourke SJ, Nicola Gordon Bowe, Patricia Boylan, Enoch Brater, Barbara Bray, Robert I. Brown (d. ), Terence Brown, Christopher Buckland-Wright, G. H. Burrows (d. ) Gottfried Buttner, Marie Renate Buttner. John Calder, William Camfield, David E. Cartwright, Mary Ann Caws, John Charlton (d. ), Carainn Childers, Louise Cleveland, Lisa Bernadette Coen, Brian Coffey (d. ), Bridget Coffey (d. ), John Coffey, Ann Colcord, Sally Hone Cooke-Smith (d. ), Anne Corbett, John Corcoran, Liam Costello, Jean Coulomb (d. ), Nick Coulson, Thomas Cousinau, Sharon Cowling, Gareth Cox, Ann Cremin, Anthony Cronin, William Cunningham (d. ).
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Acknowledgments
Acknowledgments
Norris Davidson, Gerald Davis, Maria Davis-Obolensky, Emile Delavenay (d. ), Morgan Dockrell, Philippe and Michelle Douay, Gerry Dukes. Valerie Eliot, Maude Ellmann, Richard Ellmann (d. ). Margaret Farrington, Raymond Federman, Sally Fitzgerald (d. ), John Fletcher, M. R. D. Foot, Pierre Fourcaud, Wallace Fowlie (d. ), Patricia Frere Reeves (d. ), Erika Friedman, Everett Frost. Bridget Ganly (d. ), Padraic Gilligan, Gilles Glacet, Stanley Gontarski, Michael Gorman, John Graham, Greene's Book Shop, Nicholas Grene, Margaret Grimm, William E. Groves, Barbara Gruninger, James H. Guilford (d. ).
Michael Haerdter, Anthony Harding, Clive Hart, Lawrence Harvey (d. ), Ada Haylor (d. ), Odile Helier, Jocelyn Herbert (d. ), Phillip Herring, John Herrington, Michael Hertslet, Ian Higgins, Arthur Hillis (d. ), David Hone, Oliver Hone, Fanny Howe, Susan Howe, Tina Howe, Werner Huber, Alice Hudgens, John Michael Hudtwalcker, Liza Hutchinson. Randall Ivy. Brendon Jacobs (d. ), Michael Jacobs, Thomas Jenkins, Robert Joesting, Harry Johnson, Ann and Jeremy Johnston, Tina Johnston, Bettina Jonie, Stephen Joyce. Marek Kedzierski, Ernest Keegan (d. ), Eileen Kelly, John Kelly, Ben Kiely, Naum Kleiman, Margret Klinge, Elizabeth Knowlson, Charles Krance. Nigel Leask, Pierre Leber, Alex Leon, Roger Little, Mark Littman, Carla Locatelli, Herbert Lottman, Cyril Lucas, John Luce, Vanda and Jeremy Lucke, Bridget Lunn.
Bill McBride, Brian McGing, Barry McGovern, Dougald McMillan (d. ), Franz Michael Maier, Alain Malraux, John Manning (d. ), James Mays, Daniel Medin, Winrich Meiszies, Vivian Mercier (d. ), Gunter Metken (d. ), Anna-Louise Milne, Ruth Morse, Dame Iris Murdoch (d. ). Maurice Nadeau, Robert Nicholson, Robert Niklaus, Kevin Nolan, Ian Norrie, Marian von Nostitz. Fergus O'Donoghue SJ, Patrick O'Dwyer, Annick O'Meara, Christine O'Neil, Cathal O'Shannon, Prince Alexis N. Obolensky (d. ), Serge S. Obolensky, Hugh Oram. Marjorie Perloff, Alexis Peron, Michel Peron, Lino Pertile, Alastair Pringle. Jean-Michel Rabate, Lord Rathdonnell, Claude Rawson, Yvonne Redmond, Christopher Ricks, Bob Ritchie, Philip Roberts, Rachel Roberts, Anthony Rota, Elizabeth Ryan (d. ), Robert Ryan.
Claude and Zoubeida Salzman, Elliseva Sayers, Pierre Schneider, Natalie Sheehan, Andree Sheehy-Skeffington (d. ), Philip Shields, Marc Silver, Anne Simonin, Seymour Slive, Colin Smythe, Michael Solomons, G. P. Solomos, Elizabeth Curran Solterer (d. ), Helen Solterer, Sandra Spanier, Dame Natasha Spender, Arvid Sponberg, Emily Stanton, Lady
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Staples, James Steffen, Diana Childers Stewart, Gerald Pakenham Stewart (d. ), Marion Stocking, Elisabeth Stockton (d. ), John Stone III, Claire Stoullig, Francis Stuart (d. ). Sheila Harvey Tanzer, Dan Thompson, Deborah Thompson, Jeremy Thompson, Piers Thompson, Toby Thompson, Ursula Thompson (d. ), Erika Tophoven, C. H. Trench (d. ), MichaelJay Tucker. Helen Vendler,John Vice, Srdjan Vujic. Joachim
Heusinger von Waldegg, Mervyn Wall (d. ), David Wheatley, Thomas Whitehead, Clara Wisdom, Anne Leventhal Woolfson (d. ). Anne Yeats (d. ), Michael Yeats (d. ).
Contributions that pertain primarily to later volumes of the edition are accordingly acknowledged there.
LIBRARIES AND ARCHIVES
Scholars, librarians, and archivists have developed valuable collections and have broadened our access to them with electronic catalogues, on line finding aids, databases, and textbases. In particular, we wish to thank James Knowlson for his vision in establishing the Beckett International Foundation at Reading University, a central archive of the papers of Samuel Beckett, and for fostering collaboration among Beckett scholars internationally; we also thank Mary Bryden, Ronan McDonald, Anna McMullan, Mark Nixon, John Pilling, and Julian Garforth for their valued collegial assistance.
The editors acknowledge with gratitude the knowledgeable col leagues in libraries, archives, museums, and other offices of record who have assisted them with queries.
Aargauer Kunsthaus: Corinne Sotzek. The Admiralty, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, London: Gervaise Cowell (d. ). Akademie der Bildenden Kunste Munchen, Archiv und Sammlungen: Birgit Joos. American Library Association: Renee Prestegard. Archives of American Art: Susan Marcott, Judy Throm. Art Gallery of Ontario, E. P. Taylor Research Library and Archives: Kathleen McLean. Art Institute of Chicago Library: Susan Goldweski, Mary K. Woolever.
Bank of Ireland: Eamon MacThomas. Eduard-Bargheer-Haus, Hamburg: Dirk Justus, Peter Zilze. Barnard College Archives: Donald Glassman. Bayerische Staatsgemiildesamm! ungen, Munich: Helge Siefert. BBC Sound Archives: Gosta Johansson. BBC Written Archives: John Jordan, Jacqueline Kavanagh, Erin O'Neill, Julie Snelling, Tracy Weston. Bibliotheque
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Acknowledgments
Acknowledgments
Publique d'Information Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris. Bibliotheque Polonaise, Paris. Bibliotheque Sainte-Genevieve, Paris. La Biennale Di Venezia Archive: Daniela Ducceschi. Boston College, John J. Burns Library of Rare Books and Special Collections Library: Director Robert O'Neill, John Atteberry, Shelley Barber, Amy Braitsch, David E. Horn, Susan Rainville. Boston University, Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center: Director Howard Gotlieb, Margaret Goostray, Christopher Noble, Sean Noel, Alexander Rankin, Kim Sulik. British Film Institute: Janet Moat, Wilf Stevenson. British Institute of Florence, Harold Acton Library: Alyson Price. British Library: Nicholas Barker, John Barr, Sally Brown, Christopher Fletcher, Andrew Levett, Alice Prochaska, Rupert Ridgewell; Newspapers, Colindale- Stewart Gilles; Oriental and India Office Collections, APAC - Dorian Leveque. The British Museum: Christopher Denvir. Galerie Jeanne-Bucher, Paris.
Cambridge University: University Library - Peter M. Meadows; Trinity College Library- Diana Chardin. Campbell College, Belfast: Keith Haines. Columbia University, Butler Library, Rare Books and Manuscripts: Director Jean Ashton, Director Bernard Crystal, Tara C. Craig, Jennifer Lee. Cornell University: John M. Olin Library, Department of Rare Books- David R. Block; Fiske Collections, Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections - Patrick J. Stevens. Courtauld Institute of Art: Julia Blanks, Barbara Hilton-Smith, Sue Price, Ernst Vegelin.
Dartmouth College, Rauner Special Collections Library: Director Philip Cronenwett, Director Jay Satterfield, Joshua Berger, Stephanie Gibbs, Sarah I. Hartwell. Department of Foreign Affairs, Dublin: Bernadette Chambers. DePau! University, Richardson Library: Joan M. Mitchanis. Deutsches Literatur Archiv, Schiller National Museum, Marbach: Ute Doster, Gunther Nickel, Jutta Reusch. The Dictionary of Irish Biography: James McGuire. Dresden Kunsthalle: Martin Roth. Dublin City Archives: Mary Clark Dublin City Gallery The Hugh Lane: Director Barbara Dawson, Patrick Casey, Liz Forster, Joanna Shepard. Dublin Writers Museum: Esther O'Hanlon.
Eastman School ofMusic, Sibley Music Library: Jim Farrington. Feis Ceoil, Dublin: Ita Beausang, Maeve Madden. Fondation Maeght, St. Paul de-Vence: Annette Pond. Ford Foundation: Alan Divack, Jonathan Green.
Association Les Amis de Jeanne et Otto Freundlich: Edda Maillet. Frick Museum Library: Lydia Dufore, Sue Massen.
Georgetown University Libraries: Nicholas B. Sheetz. Germanisches Nationalmuseum Numberg: lflrike Heinrichs-Schreiber. Global Village:
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Acknowledgments
John Reilly. The Goethe Institut (now Goethe-Zentrnm), Atlanta: Michael Nentwich, Gusti Stewart. Grolier Club Library: J. Fernando Peiia. The Peggy Guggenheim Museum, Florence: Phillip Rylands.
Hamburg University: Hans Wilhelm Eckardt, Eckart Krause. Hamburger Kunsthalle: Director Helmut R. Leppien (d. ), Ute Haug, Ulrich Luckhardt, Matthias Miihling, Uwe M. Schneed, Annemarie Stefes. Handel-Haus Library, Halle: Gotz Traxdorf. Harvard University: Countaway Library of Medicine - Julia Whelan; Fogg Art Museum - Lizzy Bamhorst, Sarah Kianovsky; Harvard Theatre Collection - Annette Fern, Fredric Woodbridge Wilson; Houghton Library - Michael Dumas, Elizabeth Falsey, Susan Halpert. Hiroshima Museum of Art: Y. Furutani. The Huntington Library: Sara S. Hodson. Leonard Hutton Galleries: Shary Grossman.
Illustrated London News: Richard Pitkin. Indiana University, The Lilly Library: Director Lisa Browar, Director Breon Mitchell, William Cagle, Saundra Taylor. Institut memoires de ! 'edition contemporaine (IMEC), Paris Caen: Director Olivier Corpet, Andre Derval, Albert Dichy, Nathalie Leger, Martine Ollion. Internationales Musikinstitut Darmstadt: Wilhelm Schluter. Inverclyde Libraries, James Watt Library, Greenock, Scotland: Betty Hendry, Rebecca McKellar. Irish Copyright Licensing Agency: Jorid Lindberg. Irish Jewish Genealogical Society and Family History Centre of the Irish Jewish Museum, Dublin: Stuart Rosenblatt.
Kent State University Libraries: Kathleen Martin, Stephanie Wachalec. Kingston University: Anne Rowe, Jane Ruddell. Kungliga Biblioteket, Stockholm: Anders Burius. Kunstmuseum Basel: Christian Selz.
