(1906-1989) Irish novelist and dramatist. He wrote in both French and English. His play En attendant Godot—first performed in Paris 1952, and then in his own translation as Waiting for Godot 1955 in London, and New York 1956 —is possibly the best-known example of Theatre of the Absurd, in which life is taken to be meaningless. This genre is taken to further extremes in Fin de Partie/Endgame 1957 and Happy Days 1961. Nobel Prize for Literature 1969. Originally a novelist and strongly influenced by James Joyce, Beckett also wrote successfully for radio in plays such as All That Fall 1957 and Embers 1959.

Unincorporated community in New Jersey (USA).