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Ends Ands Odds
Drama, Plays, Theatre, Literature, Reading, Learning
Paperback
First published October 28, 1976
7 people are currently reading
66 people want to read
About the author
Samuel Beckett
915 books6,548 followersNovels of Samuel Barclay Beckett, Irish writer, include
Murphy
in 1938 and
Malone Dies
in 1951; a wider audience know his absurdist plays, such as
Waiting for Godot
in 1952 and
Krapp's Last Tape
in 1959, and he won the Nobel Prize of 1969 for literature.
Samuel Barclay Beckett, an avant-garde theater director and poet, lived in France for most of his adult life. He used English and French. His work offers a bleak, tragicomic outlook on human nature, often coupled with black gallows humor.
People regard most influence of Samuel Barclay Beckett of the 20th century. James Augustine Aloysius Joyce strongly influenced him, whom people consider as one modernist. People sometimes consider him as an inspiration to many later first postmodernists. He is one of the key in what Martin Esslin called the "theater of the absurd". His later career worked with increasing minimalism.
People awarded Samuel Barclay Beckett "for his writing, which—in new forms for the novel and drama—in the destitution of modern man acquires its elevation".
In 1984, people elected Samuel Barclay Bennett as Saoi of Aosdána.
Samuel Barclay Beckett, an avant-garde theater director and poet, lived in France for most of his adult life. He used English and French. His work offers a bleak, tragicomic outlook on human nature, often coupled with black gallows humor.
People regard most influence of Samuel Barclay Beckett of the 20th century. James Augustine Aloysius Joyce strongly influenced him, whom people consider as one modernist. People sometimes consider him as an inspiration to many later first postmodernists. He is one of the key in what Martin Esslin called the "theater of the absurd". His later career worked with increasing minimalism.
People awarded Samuel Barclay Beckett "for his writing, which—in new forms for the novel and drama—in the destitution of modern man acquires its elevation".
In 1984, people elected Samuel Barclay Bennett as Saoi of Aosdána.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
February 14, 2024
"Ends and Odds" is a collection of 8 of Beckett's plays, some of which I love and others not so much. My favorite thing about the plays in this book is Beckett's curation of dialogue and sound. He utilizes silence, music, noise, and volume to create structure around abstracted text. In particular, I love the interplay of sound and dialogue in "Rough for Radio 1".
(With that being said these works are most effective in their staging so reading along with a recording is a must.)
In a De-Kooningesque fashion, Beckett alludes to some rather grotesque sexual themes that gave me a very difficult time while reading, particularly in "Radio 2". I do not have the stomach for that and have a hard time deriving anything else past it, most of the time.
I am in love with all of the techniques Beckett utilizes but not so much in love with Beckett himself,
At his best, he outlines humanity through innovative and engaging abstractions of theatrical and literary forms. At his worst, he is an in-cellular John Cage who never found Zen.
(With that being said these works are most effective in their staging so reading along with a recording is a must.)
In a De-Kooningesque fashion, Beckett alludes to some rather grotesque sexual themes that gave me a very difficult time while reading, particularly in "Radio 2". I do not have the stomach for that and have a hard time deriving anything else past it, most of the time.
I am in love with all of the techniques Beckett utilizes but not so much in love with Beckett himself,
At his best, he outlines humanity through innovative and engaging abstractions of theatrical and literary forms. At his worst, he is an in-cellular John Cage who never found Zen.
October 7, 2014
Samuel Beckett's work is always postmodern and strange. This book contains nine short pieces, two of which were radio programs rather than stage shows. I did find a video of "Not I" on youtube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4LDw...). I can only imagine what the audience felt seeing this performance when they didn't know what to expect. I also watched a production of "Rough for Theatre I" here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjPqu.... It's great to see performances of these pieces after having read them. Especially the performance of "Not I" really brings the words on the page to life and shows just how powerful this play is. I don't read many plays, but I'm really glad I found this collection of less-known short works. Very interesting stuff.
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May 21, 2019Beckett Sonnet
I have a book by Samuel Beckett
entitled Ends And Odds. It consists of
nine late plays, with names like “Not I” or “That
Time.” Here’s the beginning of “Ghost Trio”:
“Good evening. Mine is a faint voice. Kindly
tune accordingly.” It’s a television
play, first broadcast in the UK back in
1976. There are only
two characters, F & Boy – but neither
speaks. A female voice produces all the
dialogue. Her last words are “Stop. Repeat.”
F is trapped in a room – and never meets
Boy, who comes to the door, wearing a black
oilskin glistening with rain – then turns back.
February 12, 2011
This anthology consists of several of Beckett's later plays. Not I is awesome! I still discuss this play 30 years later. I find it interesting that Jessica Tandy starred in the opening of this.
Two characters: a mouth and a knee. The mouth does all the talking . . . obviously. But when the knee stops responding, the mouth is despondent. Wonderful! A must read. I can't imagine how this was actually staged, but I would welcome seeing it.
Two characters: a mouth and a knee. The mouth does all the talking . . . obviously. But when the knee stops responding, the mouth is despondent. Wonderful! A must read. I can't imagine how this was actually staged, but I would welcome seeing it.
November 30, 2010
I just read Rough For Theatre I and II. They were weird and perplexing and very postmodern-y. I'm not really a fan.
July 29, 2020
Of all the authors I have read, I find Beckett to be the most challenging by far. In much the same way as reading textbooks and scholarly works (meaning books meant to teach first and foremost and not to entertain or take one's mind off the day or transport you to another world/time/perspective), reading Beckett forces you to pay full attention to every single word. You can't skim Beckett, or if you do, then you are not reading Beckett at all, for by skipping or eliding or jumping ahead you miss the point. The words, the cadences, the repetitions, the minimalism, the circularity, the now-ness. Beckett demands your attention and immersion, or maybe he just expects it. Why else read? Why words? Why? I won't get into over-reviewing each specific text in any Beckett book as I find that defeatist, or maybe beyond my ken. Often it’s merely words on the page given meaning by how the reader interprets/intuits/internalizes them. I say Beckett is unequaled, unmatched, unsurpassed, but that is just one opinion. Still, I say read him, often, and again…
So, genius.
Beckett’s works for the stage are tiny portraits of his unequaled genius. I love his use of words and his odd sentence-fragment structure. His use of pauses, silence, and movement, all without accompanying speech is powerful. He manages to create an unsettling mood in much of the text, even with so few words. In “That Time” he brings to mind old, rusty ironworks, or maybe some mouldering farmhouse, overgrown and past use. His mastery of stagecraft is beautiful to behold. The exactness of his directives, his placement of objects and actors, his descriptive minutiae is beyond compare. Each of these pieces is singularly concise and efficient, simple and point-perfect. Seeing these performed must have been exhilarating and sobering.
Essential, as is anything Beckett.
So, genius.
Beckett’s works for the stage are tiny portraits of his unequaled genius. I love his use of words and his odd sentence-fragment structure. His use of pauses, silence, and movement, all without accompanying speech is powerful. He manages to create an unsettling mood in much of the text, even with so few words. In “That Time” he brings to mind old, rusty ironworks, or maybe some mouldering farmhouse, overgrown and past use. His mastery of stagecraft is beautiful to behold. The exactness of his directives, his placement of objects and actors, his descriptive minutiae is beyond compare. Each of these pieces is singularly concise and efficient, simple and point-perfect. Seeing these performed must have been exhilarating and sobering.
Essential, as is anything Beckett.
Read
July 31, 2024bit worried he started phoning it in at the end there, some feel more aesthetically Beckett than really thorough, thoughtful ideas. Still, as all things Beckett, always worthwhile, and Not I floors no matter what.
July 26, 2019
ENDS
Not I 5/5
That Time 4/5
Footfalls 3/5
Ghost Trio 4/5
...but the clouds... 3,5/5
ODDS
Roughs for Theatre and Radio:
Theatre I 4/5
Theatre II 4,5/5
Radio I 3/5
Radio II 3/5
Not I 5/5
That Time 4/5
Footfalls 3/5
Ghost Trio 4/5
...but the clouds... 3,5/5
ODDS
Roughs for Theatre and Radio:
Theatre I 4/5
Theatre II 4,5/5
Radio I 3/5
Radio II 3/5
September 20, 2025
Not my cup of tea but is a good example of the theater of the absurd and is a brilliant display of Beckett talent and inspiration.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews