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Article: Samuel Beckett, RIP. (obituary)
- Article from:
- National Review
- Article date:
- January 22, 1990
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1990 National Review, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Samuel Beckett, RIP
A PURVEYOR of gloom he was not: no, companionable and of unfailing good cheer. His zest at the billiard table one night was something to watch. His opponent was the British publisher John Calder; the place, Calder's London club. Like Sam's prose, billiards is a game of angles and economies. And he stalked, appraised, sighted along the cue, exploded in glee when balls vanished as per calculation. After 25 years, I seem to remember him winning.
Then - typically - his scrupulousness overcame him. For I had had nothing to do but sit and watch! He was conscience-stricken. He must make amends. And that he did by setting up trick shots, ...