Samuel Beckett letters auction exceeds expectations

A collection of Samuel Beckett's personal correspondence , including letters and postcards signed in his spidery handwriting, has brought in the British equivalent of $476, 404 . The lot had been expected to reach the British equivalent of between $293,835-$391,780. Various early editions of some of his books and plays also sold at Sotheby's for more than $54,849 cumulative total.

The writings were sent to his friends, painters Henri and Josette Hayden, in which he writes in French about his health, family and works in progress. The correspondence, spanning over almost 40 years, are considered the most important series of letters by the author. Their envelopes and postcards bear postmarks from Paris, Dublin, London, Berlin, Stuttgart and Ussy-sur-Marne.

Beckett met the Haydens in 1943 while they were taking refuge from the Gestapo in the village of Roussillon d'Apt in Vichy France. After the Second World War, Beckett was awarded a croix de guerre medal for his work with the French Resistance.

Beckett was born in Dublin. His early education was at Portora in Enniskillen. He later attended Trinity College in his home city. He wrote in both English and French. In adulthood, he settled in Paris, where he died in 1989. Beckett is best known for his novel Waiting for Godot. Other works include Krapp's Last Tape and More Pricks Than Kicks. Early editions of these books were sold in Thursday's auction.

Interest in Beckett has been huge this year, the 100th anniversary of his birth, with major festivals celebrating his life and works staged here in the United States, UK, Ireland, Germany, France and Japan.
JWil Books