Beckett centenary plans to be unveiled

Events to mark the forthcoming centenary of the birth of Nobel-winning writer Samuel Beckett will be announced today.

The playwright, novelist and poet was born in Foxrock, Co Dublin on April 13, 1906.

In the late 1930s he settled permanently in Paris where his most famous work, Waiting for Godot was later performed in 1953.

Arts Minister John O’Donoghue will today officially launch the programme for the Beckett Centenary Festival at the Office of Public Works in Dublin.

Last month, the Department invited applications for state funding from groups and individuals who plan to hold events like plays, exhibitions, readings and musical performances.

Beckett, who wrote most of his major work in French, received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1969.

The Gate Theatre, which holds exclusive performance rights for the playwright’s work in Ireland and Britain, is planning several productions in Ireland and abroad.