Description

***First edition of the author's first separately published work. The twenty-four year old Beckett wrote this poem about Descartes within the space of a few hours in 15 June 1930. Only that afternoon Tom MacGreevy had suggested he enter a poetry contest on the subject of Time, sponsored by Richard Aldington and Nancy Cunard. The deadline for entries was at midnight. In a letter to Nancy Cunard of 26 January 1959, Beckett recalled how he had written the 'first half before dinner, had a guzzle of salad and Chambertin at the Cochon de Lait, went back to the École and finished it about three in the morning. Then walked down to the rue Guénégaud and put it in your box. That's how it was and them were the days'. Beckett won the prize of ten pounds, and the poem was published later that summer..