The Sam Book

In 1963, renowned Franco-American author Raymond Federman – then a young academic, just fresh from defending his PhD – met Samuel Beckett in Paris. The meeting was to change his life. ‘Sam’ became both a great friend and a great source of inspiration to Federman throughout his writing career. Intensely moving and intensely funny by turns, this unique book is both a memoir of a friendship, and a typically Federman-esque tribute to Beckett and his work. The Sam Book brings together memories, anecdotes, extracts from articles and talks, and other pieces of writing that derive their inspiration directly from Beckett’s work.

About Federman

Raymond Federman was born in France, and went to the United States soon after World War II. At the age of 14, Federman was hastily thrust into the small upstairs closet of their Paris apartment by his mother just before she, his father and two sisters were taken to Auschwitz, where they were killed. Federman’s work focuses on the attempt to find a language appropriate for the enormity of the Holocaust and his part in its legacy; ultimately he espouses the concept of laughterature – laughter as a means of survival. Federman is considered internationally to be one of the most influential representatives of postmodern literature. As well as novels, his work encompasses books of poetry, essays, criticism and translations, it has been translated into a dozen languages, been adapted for stage and screen, and has received numerous awards – including the American Book Award (1986). Federman now lives in San Diego, California.

Two Ravens Press published the fourth edition of Double or Nothing with, for the first time, a Preface by the author, in March 2008.

For a selection of paintings based on Federman's work, see the following website: http://www.terrikatzkasimov.com/?select=gallery&data=federman

See Federman's blog at http://raymondfederman.blogspot.com/

An extract from The Sam Book

In 1973, Sam took my wife and me to the dress rehearsal of the revival of En Attendant Godot, exactly twenty years after the original production in Paris. Roger Blin was again the director, and except for the actor who played Lucky (he had another commitment), the same actors who had created the roles of Gogo, Didi, and Pozzo were there too, but of course all of them now twenty years older. I thought it was a curious performance. Blin had deliberately slowed down the movements of the actors and the delivery of their lines, which made for a kind of slow motion effect, and sometimes the actors would freeze in place for a moment. As a result the subtle symbolism of the play became too evident. Later, in a restaurant with the cast, Roger Blin and Sam, I asked him what he thought of this new production. It’s good, it’s good. Unusual, Sam said. Then he hesitated a moment and added, quickly and softly: I only wish they would stop making me say more than I said.