Preview
  • Beckett in 90 Minutes

  • By: Paul Strathern
  • Narrated by: Simon Vance
  • Length: 1 hr and 54 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (103 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Beckett in 90 Minutes

By: Paul Strathern
Narrated by: Simon Vance
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $7.76

Buy for $7.76

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

Samuel Beckett's work evokes passionate responses: readers and playgoers either revere it or consider it a load of pretentious nonsense. But his philosophy of pessimism will always find a new generation of young readers, for it bursts the rainbow soap bubbles of illusion, leaving us blinking with stinging eyes at unremitting reality. Beckett's defeatism was no soft choice: he had iron in his soul and the wry humor of those who withstand all misfortune, who never admit final defeat.

Beckett in 90 Minutes offers a concise, expert account of Beckett's life and ideas and explains their influence on literature and on man's struggle to understand his place in the world. The book also includes a list of Beckett's chief works, a chronology of his life and times, and recommended reading for those who wish to delve deeper.

©2005 Paul Strathern (P)2009 Blackstone Audio, Inc.
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Critic reviews

"A new-millenium version of Cliffs Notes...Breezy, chatty, and to the point." (ForeWord)
"The blend of biographical background and literary criticism....makes each an easily-digested introduction." (Bookwatch)
"It furnishes a quick way for general readers to familiarize themselves with writers they wish to read or re-read." (Tennessean)

What listeners say about Beckett in 90 Minutes

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    60
  • 4 Stars
    18
  • 3 Stars
    23
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    1
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    62
  • 4 Stars
    17
  • 3 Stars
    11
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    50
  • 4 Stars
    21
  • 3 Stars
    17
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Well done invaluableB


I came across Beckett’s, Endgame as a teenager. It didn’t make any sense to me at all. And I was fascinated. I started reading other works by Beckett with the same results, no idea what was going on but I was drawn in as a want to be writer, trying to understand how literature worked. Beckett.
led me to other French writers of that time, iAll of it was exotic and mysterious. it would’ve been so much easier to work through Beckett’s works then f I’d had this short introduction. And now, after not having read Beckett for 50 some yearsI’m inclined to go back and reread some of the works that left me baffled and excited when I was young. Maybe I’ll even understand it somewhat.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Perfectly captures His Life, Work, and Philosophy

I can’t say enough about how well this book and Simon Vance’s narration captures the essence of this Irish Genius. Waiting for Godot has been a touchstone of my Life for more than Fifty Years. Five Stars.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!