Tuesday evening, Edward Albee and Salmon Rushdie read from the early letters of Samuel Beckett at Emory. Albee, who knew Beckett personally, said it was impossible to feel envious of Beckett's talent, but only gratitude that Beckett had written (a sentiment many feel about Albee). Rushdie confessed to being so enamoured with Beckett in his early years that he had to learn to stop writing like Beckett in order to learn to write."A good rule for friends and acquaintance," Albee said. "If they do not admire and deeply love the work of Samuel Beckett---get new friends."
The two, joined by Brenda Bynum and Robert Shaw-Smith, read excerpts letters from 1929-1940. It was surprising how contemporary the letters were- they didn't sound seventy plus years old---and how humorous, and how vulnerable. It was heartening to hear a literary giant confess that he "can't do the ****ing thing- I don't know where to start at the end or the beginning."
It was also intriguing to hear Beckett's embrace of sobriety, which dispelled the out of control artist myth--"Had my heart not put the fear of death in me--I'd still be boozing, swearing, and lolling around."
It was the perfect way to celebrate my thirty-fifth birthday. I loved every minute of it, from the beginning, when Mr. Albee clapped in response to the standing ovation given by the audience, to the end when he blew a kiss to Beckett's picture as he walked off stage.
Amazing evening---I wish I could live it all over again!
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