Beckett, Samuel, 1906-89, Anglo-French playwright and novelist, b. Dublin. Beckett studied and taught in Paris before settling there permanently in 1937. He wrote primarily in French, frequently translating his works into English himself. His first published novel, Murphy (1938), typifies his later works by eliminating the traditional elements of plot, character, and setting. Instead, he presents the experience of waiting and struggling with a pervading sense of futility. The anguish of persisting in a meaningless world is intensified in Beckett's subsequent novels including Watt (1942-44); the trilogy Molloy (1951), Malone Dies (1951), and The Unnamable (1953); How It Is (1961); and The Lost Ones (1972). In his theater of the absurd, Beckett combined poignant humor with an overwhelming sense of anguish and loss. Best known and most controversial of his dramas are Waiting for Godot (1952) and Endgame (1957), which have been performed throughout the world. Beckett was awarded the 1969 Nobel Prize in Literature.

Beckett's other works include a major study of Proust (1931); the plays Krapp's Last Tape (1959) and Happy Days (1961); a screenplay, Film (1969); short stories, Breath (1966) and Lessness (1970); collected shorter prose in Stories and Texts for Nothing (tr. 1967), No's Knife (1967), and The Complete Short Prose: 1929-1989 (1996, ed. by S. E. Gontarski); volumes of collected writings, More Pricks than Kicks (1970) and First Love and Other Shorts (1974); and Poems (1963). His Collected Works (16 vol.) was published in 1970 and a comprehensive centenary edition (5 vol.) was published in 2006. Beckett's first works of fiction and drama were both published posthumously, the novel Dream of Fair to Middling Women (1932) in 1992 and the play Eleuthéria (1947) in 1995.

(born April 13?, 1906, Foxrock, Co. Dublin, Ire.—died Dec. 22, 1989, Paris, France) Irish playwright. After studying in Ireland and traveling, he settled in Paris in 1937. During World War II he supported himself as a farmworker and joined the underground resistance. In the postwar years he wrote, in French, the narrative trilogy Molloy (1951), Malone Dies (1951), and The Unnamable (1953). His play Waiting for Godot (1952) was an immediate success in Paris and gained worldwide acclaim when he translated it into English. Marked by minimal plot and action, existentialist ideas, and humour, it typifies the Theatre of the Absurd. His later plays, also sparsely staged, abstract works that deal with the mystery and despair of human existence, include Endgame (1957), Krapp's Last Tape (1958), and Happy Days (1961). In 1969 he was awarded the Nobel Prize.

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(born April 13?, 1906, Foxrock, Co. Dublin, Ire.—died Dec. 22, 1989, Paris, France) Irish playwright. After studying in Ireland and traveling, he settled in Paris in 1937. During World War II he supported himself as a farmworker and joined the underground resistance. In the postwar years he wrote, in French, the narrative trilogy Molloy (1951), Malone Dies (1951), and The Unnamable (1953). His play Waiting for Godot (1952) was an immediate success in Paris and gained worldwide acclaim when he translated it into English. Marked by minimal plot and action, existentialist ideas, and humour, it typifies the Theatre of the Absurd. His later plays, also sparsely staged, abstract works that deal with the mystery and despair of human existence, include Endgame (1957), Krapp's Last Tape (1958), and Happy Days (1961). In 1969 he was awarded the Nobel Prize.

Learn more about Beckett, Samuel (Barclay) with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Beckett is a census-designated place and unincorporated area of Logan Township, in Gloucester County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the CDP population was 4,726.

Geography

Beckett is located at (39.755233, -75.356664).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 4.8 km² (1.8 mi²). 4.6 km² (1.8 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (4.35%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 4,726 people, 1,516 households, and 1,276 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 1,030.9/km² (2,674.8/mi²). There were 1,549 housing units at an average density of 337.9/km² (876.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 79.12% White, 15.85% African American, 0.08% Native American, 2.09% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.25% from other races, and 1.59% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.03% of the population.

There were 1,516 households out of which 53.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.3% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 15.8% were non-families. 12.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 2.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.12 and the average family size was 3.42.

In the CDP the population was spread out with 34.3% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 36.5% from 25 to 44, 20.0% from 45 to 64, and 3.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 96.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.4 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $72,156, and the median income for a family was $77,681. Males had a median income of $50,258 versus $36,863 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $24,754. About 2.8% of families and 3.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.7% of those under age 18 and 2.1% of those age 65 or over.

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