Beckett Collection: Manuscripts

The collection includes over 600 manuscripts and typescripts including manuscript drafts, annotated and corrected copies. The manuscripts are arranged by form of work: Poetry, Drama, Prose, and a series of Notebooks. There are over 22 works of poetry represented, including ‘Mirlitonnades’; over 34 dramatic works including ‘Eh Joe’, ‘En attendant Godot’ and ‘Nacht und Träume’; and over 38 pieces of prose including ‘Worstward Ho’, ‘Stirings Still’, ‘The North’, and ‘Pour finir encore’.  The notebooks, chiefly dating from the 1930s, include the drafts of Beckett’s first novel, ‘Murphy’ and work for ‘Sam Francis’, ‘Dream’ and ‘Whoroscope’.

Please note that a surrogate copy of any Beckett manuscript will normally be made available in the reading room. Please contact Special Collections for more information on accessing the original item.

The copying of any of Beckett’s handwriting and sketches, or any unpublished letters, typescripts, manuscripts or draft versions of his work that differ from the final published version is not permitted.

Please contact us if you need more information.

More Information

• A full description of the Beckett Collection is available via our online database.
• Handlists: Poetry; Drama; Prose; Notebooks.
• The manuscript and typescript items are also described in Beckett at Reading: catalogue of the Beckett manuscript collection at the University of Reading, [compiled by] Mary Bryden, Julian Garforth, Peter Mills (Whiteknights Press and the Beckett International Foundation, 1998).
• See also an Introduction to the Beckett Collection for information on our other Beckett related collections.