In this fascinating new exploration of Samuel Becketts work, Pascale Casanova argues that Becketts reputation rests on a pervasive misreading of his oeuvre, which neglects entirely the literary revolution he instigated. Reintroducing the historical into the heart of this body of work, Casanova provides an arresting portrait of Beckett as radically subversivedoing for writing what Kandinsky did for artand in the process presents the key to some of the most profound enigmas of Becketts writing.