When I contracted to direct a production of "Waiting For Godot"over 25 years ago, I set out to read as much by him and about him as I could. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Absurdist, Surrealist, Minimalist, Modernist - he is all of these things and none of these things. His work is by turns obscure, cryptic, infuriating, and fascinating; he is also, in my humble opinion, extremely funny, in a way that shifts into pathos and out again with extreme rapidity. He is a great original and a great writer. Oh, and by the way, as someone who has studied, taught, and worked in the Theatre for almost 50 years, and who has directed the play, I believe unequivocally that "Waiting For Godot " is the greatest play of the 20th Century. ( The second greatest, for those who are dying to know, is "Our Town". Let the fireworks commence. )
Note: I have also included what I think are some of the best critical studies of Beckett, primarily to bring the list to an even 50.
