Godot Arrives in America
BECKETT, Samuel. Waiting for Godot, a tragicomedy in two acts. New York: Grove Press. 1954.
8vo. Original black cloth, spine lettered in gilt and silver and in blind across boards and spine, red endpapers, in the dust-jacket priced $4.75 to upper edge of front flap; pp. [7], ff. 7–60, pp. [5]; 2 ff. photographic plates after p. iv; extremities of dust-jacket lightly rubbed, spine a little toned, small pink stain to lower edge of rear flap; a near-fine copy in a very good jacket.
A crisp, bright copy of the first printing in English of Beckett’s most famous work, preceding the expurgated UK issue by two years.
En attendant Godot was first published by Les Éditions de Minuit in 1952 and premiered on 5 January 1953 at the Théâtre de Babylone in Paris. Beckett’s English translation, completed later the same year, was first staged on 3 August 1955 at London’s Arts Theatre, directed by Peter Hall, the American premiere, directed by Alan Schneider, taking place on 3 January 1956 at the Coconut Grove Playhouse in Miami. The US edition of the translation, issued by Grove Press in September 1954, predates the UK edition, which was published by Faber and Faber in February 1956. The Faber edition included cuts to the text required by the Lord Chamberlain (the play described by censor C. W. Heriot as an ‘ugly little jet of marsh-gas’ and ‘two hours of angry boredom’); the cuts would remain unrestored in UK editions until 1965.
Federman & Fletcher 373.
SKU: 2124869