Join Amazon Prime and get unlimited Free One-Day Delivery. Already a member? Sign in.

 

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
   
More Buying Choices
28 used & new from £2.98

Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
First Love and Other Novellas (Penguin Modern Classics)
 
 

First Love and Other Novellas (Penguin Modern Classics) (Paperback)

by Samuel Beckett (Author), Gerry Dukes (Introduction) "They clothed me and gave me money ..." (more)
4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
RRP: £7.99
Price: £5.99 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
You Save: £2.00 (25%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk. Gift-wrap available.

Only 5 left in stock--order soon (more on the way).

Want guaranteed delivery by Friday, July 17? Choose Express delivery at checkout. See Details
26 new from £2.98 2 used from £3.00
Other Editions: RRP: Our Price: Other Offers:
Hardcover (New Ed) £3.00 £3.00 10 used & new from £1.67
Paperback (New Ed) 9 used & new from £1.75

Frequently Bought Together

Customers buy this book with The Complete Dramatic Works of Samuel Beckett by Samuel Beckett

First Love and Other Novellas (Penguin Modern Classics) + The Complete Dramatic Works of Samuel Beckett
Price For Both: £14.48

Show availability and shipping details


Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

The Complete Dramatic Works of Samuel Beckett

The Complete Dramatic Works of Samuel Beckett

by Samuel Beckett
4.7 out of 5 stars (3)  £8.49
The Crying of Lot 49

The Crying of Lot 49

by Thomas Pynchon
4.0 out of 5 stars (12)  £5.19
The Last September (Vintage classics)

The Last September (Vintage classics)

by Elizabeth Bowen
4.4 out of 5 stars (5)  £5.99
More Pricks Than Kicks

More Pricks Than Kicks

by Samuel Beckett
5.0 out of 5 stars (2)  £7.19
Murphy

Murphy

by Samuel Beckett
4.5 out of 5 stars (2)  £6.29
Explore similar items

Product details

  • Paperback: 112 pages
  • Publisher: Penguin Classics (24 Feb 2000)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0141180153
  • ISBN-13: 978-0141180151
  • Product Dimensions: 19 x 12.8 x 1 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 24,545 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #5 in  Books > Fiction > 20th Century Classics > Beckett, Samuel

Product Description

Product Description
This new collection brings together First Love, The Calamative, The End and The Expelled; these four novellas are among the first major works of Beckett's decision to use French as his language of literary composition. Rich in verbal and situational humour, they offer a fascinating insight into many of the issues which preoccupied Beckett all his working life. As the first novella reveals, nobody writes with quite such cruel and unnervingly clever wit as Beckett...

From the Publisher
This is part of a series of twelve short volumes brought out ten years after the great writer's death, containing the best of the shorter writing, ranging from early work to his final writings. All have covers with the photographs of Samuel Beckett taken by the Irish photographer John Minihan, which, catching the author in different moods, have become classics on their own. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Product Description

Inside This Book (Learn More)
First Sentence
They clothed me and gave me money. Read the first page
Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Search inside this book:

Suggested Tags from Similar Products

 (What's this?)
Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
Check a corresponding box or enter your own tags in the field below
short fiction
samuel beckett
literature nobel prize winners
20th century european fiction

Your tags: Add your first tag
 

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

First Love and Other Novellas (Penguin Modern Classics)
76% buy the item featured on this page:
First Love and Other Novellas (Penguin Modern Classics) 4.0 out of 5 stars (3)
£5.99
The Complete Dramatic Works of Samuel Beckett
11% buy
The Complete Dramatic Works of Samuel Beckett 4.7 out of 5 stars (3)
£8.49
Three Novels: Molloy, Malone Dies, the Unnamable
6% buy
Three Novels: Molloy, Malone Dies, the Unnamable 3.8 out of 5 stars (6)
£8.75
Damned to Fame: Life of Samuel Beckett
4% buy
Damned to Fame: Life of Samuel Beckett 5.0 out of 5 stars (2)
£8.49

 

Customer Reviews

3 Reviews
5 star:
 (2)
4 star:    (0)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.0 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
10 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars great literature, 11 Oct 2002
The incandescent charm of Beckett's language had never been more apparent than in these small masterpieces, written under the shadow of the worst war in history. He brings to life a strange world of existentialist torment and aimless wandering with an almost incomprehensible ingenuity. The best of the stories is undoubtedly First Love where the apparent pointlessness of life shown in the other three novellas is thrown the challenge of what it is to be in love. The result is a compelling view of the humnan experience, regardless of the particular human beings being discussed. First Love has a subtlety and a tragic undertone which must have been particularly relevant to any post-war audience, but even today the power of these lost lives still evoke certain emotions that will make us all remember what life if really all about. These stories are at once cynically vulgar and beautifully elegiac. If Beckett had never written anything else, he would still have been one of the twentieth century's greatest writers.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant short, tightly written insights into Beckett's genius, 28 Nov 2006
By A reader (London, UK) - See all my reviews
These short stories are a great starting place for anyone interested in exploring Beckett's prose, 'First Love' itself being a particular gem. They represent the start of a new creative period for Beckett, when his move to composition in French helped him to escape the anxiety of Joyce's influence. The stories in this volume are Beckett's own translations (with the help of Richard Seaver) of his original French tales. Translation has not diminished them, even if they are inescapably slightly different from their French incarnations. Overall, highly recommended. I'm sure anyone who has read any Beckett prose is desperate for more; similarly those who are as yet familiar only with the drama have a literary world which is as rich, if not more rich, still to discover.

PS. MUST give it 5 stars, since the 2 star rating here accompanies a glowing review - probably a typo, but we wouldn't want this to damage Beckett's reputation!
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
4 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The Genius of despair spares us not., 27 Jul 2001
By A Customer
Readers of "Watt" will find the familiar cold comfort of isolation and despair that is unique to Beckett's view of the human condition. Abandon hope, all ye who would enter the world of these three novellas, the first Beckett wrote in French.

All three novellas cover the same single male animal condition; isolation, despair, hopelessness and curiosity as to why things are as such. It is the view that the corpse is superior to the living, and rotting flesh.

They provoke, they incite and they inspire. Could literature do more?

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Only search this product's reviews



Customer Discussions

 Beta (What's this?)
This product's forum (0 discussions)
  Discussion Replies Latest Post
  No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
  [Cancel]


   
Related forums


Listmania!


Look for similar items by category


Feedback


Health & Beauty at Amazon.co.uk

Elemis Resurface and Renew Skin Care Gift Set of 4 Products
From soap to shavers, massagers to mascara, stock up on your daily essentials or truly pamper yourself.

Discover Health & Beauty

 

More From Samuel Beckett

Waiting for Godot

Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett

'Nothing happens, nobody comes, nobody goes, it's awful.' This line... Read more
£9.99 £4.99

 

We've Got Converse

Converse
Stock up on your favourite styles with great deals on Converse shoes.

Shop Converse

 

Treat Someone

Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificates--available in any amount from £5 to £500 With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is).

Learn more about Gift Certificates

 
Ad

Where's My Stuff?

Delivery and Returns

Need Help?

Your Recent History

  (What's this?)
You have no recently viewed items or searches.

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.

Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session.

Continue Shopping: Top Sellers

amazon.co.uk Amazon Home
International Sites:  United States  |  Germany  |  France  |  Japan  |  Canada  |  China
Business Programs: Sell on Amazon  |  Fulfilment by Amazon  |  Join Associates  |  Join Advantage
Customer Service  |  Help  |  View Basket  |  Your Account
About Amazon.co.uk  |  Careers at Amazon
Conditions of Use & Sale |  Privacy Notice  © 1996-2009, Amazon.com, Inc. and its affiliates