A first edition of Irish author and dramatist Samuel Beckett’s first published novel ‘Murphy’ turned up in an Oxfam charity shop and was auctioned off to raise an impressive $18,000.

From Tuesday, June 26 until Friday the 29th, you have a rare chance to catch one of Irish playwright Samuel Beckett’s most absorbing plays, Act Without Words II, performed nightly at 9 p.m. at Theatre Alley (between Nassau and Centre Street) in New York.

The Samuel Beckett Bridge, named in honor one of of Ireland's literary giants, was officially opened in Dublin on Thursday.

With the recent publication of the first volume of Beckett’s letters I started to recall the last time I met Beckett in Paris in 1988.  

For those who prefer listening to reading, an 18-disc set of "Samuel Beckett: Three Novels" has been released. Barry McGovern (who has performed a one-man show based on Beckett's work) reads "Molloy," "Malone" and "The Unnamable," all written in the 1940s. Beckett, of course, is best known for his plays, particularly "Waiting for Godot." But any list of the great novels of the 20th century also must include these three masterpieces. ($70 / RTE-Lannan)