Samuel Beckett

:For other things named Beckett, see Beckett (disambiguation)

World War II

Following the 1940 occupation by Germany, Beckett joined the French Resistance, working as a courier. During the next two years, on several occasions he was almost caught by the Gestapo. In August 1942 his unit was betrayed by a former Catholic priest. He and Suzanne fled south on foot to the safety of a small village in Roussillon, in the Vaucluse département in the Provence Alpes Cote d'Azur region, where he was still actively assisting the French Resistance by storing armaments in the back yard of his home.

Related Topics:
1940 - French Resistance - Gestapo - 1942 - Roussillon - Vaucluse - Département - Provence Alpes Cote d'Azur

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Although Samuel Beckett rarely if ever spoke about his wartime activities, during the two years he stayed in Roussillon, he helped the Maquis sabotage the German army in the Vaucluse mountains. While in hiding, he continued work on the novel Watt, started in 1941, completed in 1945, but not published until 1953. For his efforts in fighting the German occupation, he was awarded the Croix de Guerre and the Médaille de la Résistance by the French government. Even to the end of his life, Beckett would refer to his laborous efforts for the French Resistance as "boy scout stuff".

Related Topics:
Wartime - Maquis - Vaucluse - 1941 - 1945 - 1953 - Croix de Guerre - Médaille de la Résistance - French Resistance

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