Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

Waiting for Godot


GR synopsis:
A seminal work of twentieth century drama, Waiting for Godot was Samuel Beckett's first professionally produced play. It opened in Paris in 1953 at the tiny Left Bank Theatre de Babylone, and has since become a cornerstone of twentieth-century theater. The story line revolves around two seemingly homeless men waiting for someone or something named Godot. Vladimir and Estragon wait near a tree on a barren stretch of road, inhabiting a drama spun from their own consciousness. The result is a comical wordplay of poetry, dreamscapes, and nonsense, which has been interpreted as a somber summation of mankind's inexhaustible search for meaning. Beckett's language pioneered an expressionistic minimalism that captured the existentialism of post-World War II Europe. His play remains one of the most magical and beautiful allegories of our time.

I read this for my 2016 Topic Discard Challenge, "a play". I enjoyed this so much more than I thought I would. It's kind of weird, but in a crazy old man, kind of way. I really liked that. I love that the play was pretty much about two old men waiting for another man. Literally. I kind of feel in love with these two men, as if they were my own grandfathers. I wanted to hear more of their stories and just listen to them bicker and pointless things.

4/5

I love this play! It's one of my favorite plays. I actually didn't get it right after reading it. It took me a day to think about what it meant, and after that, I was blown away.

I read this for ATY 19, # 38 (a book not written in a traditional novel format). It is an absolute classic, well deserving of all of its cultural capital. It isn't the first time I have read the play, or Beckett, and it won't be the last. Blown away (above) is an understatement. It is so insightful, while being silly, playful, and absurd. Brilliant!!!