Samuel Beckett, 1973. An iconic portrait of the Irish dramatist by photographer John Haynes. © John Haynes/ Lebrecht Music And Arts

Reading is preparing itself for a major celebration of the life and work of Irish dramatist Samuel Beckett starting on Saturday March 25 2006.

2006 is the centenary of the birth of the Nobel Prize-winning writer and the town of Reading is to play host to exhibitions, plays and talks exploring and commemorating his work.

The main exhibition, ‘Samuel Beckett – The Irish European’, will be held at Reading Museum between March 25 and June 25, 2006. Telling the story of Beckett’s experiences and achievements, the exhibtion moves chronologically from his birth in Dublin at the beginning of the twentieth century to his death in Paris in 1989. It covers his life as a celebrated writer and dramatist, as well as exploring his wartime existence as a member of the French Resistance.

Beckett received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1969. He was described by exhibition curator Dr Julian Garforth as “the figure who, perhaps more than any other writer or intellectual in mid-twentieth century Europe, articulated the sense of civilization in crisis in the post-war era.” His powerful experimental play Waiting for Godot is widely considered to have changed the nature of drama.

The exhibition makes use of treasures from the University of Reading’s Beckett Collection, the world’s largest archive solely dedicated to Beckett’s work. Many of these items have never been on display before. The show features unpublished notebooks and personal items, as well as the only official recording of Beckett reading in existence.

The tape has been donated to the collection by a producer at the BBC and this is the first time it has been played in public.

Detail of a manuscipt. The exhibition features unpublished notebooks written in Beckett's distinctive hand. Copyright the Estate of Samuel Beckett, image courtesy of the Beckett International Foundation.

The show is visually powerful. The central installation is a 15-foot high scaffolding platform featuring striking props and stage images from the many productions of Beckett’s plays, including the famous bins from Endgame.

As Garforth explains: “We’re trying to kill the myth of Beckett as difficult, mysterious and intellectual. Our hope is that people of any age and level can come to the exhibition and find something that speaks to them.”

The Beckett International Foundation, which co-ordinates the Beckett Collection, is holding a series of events to coincide with the exhibition, including a conference at the university, film showings, a lecture series and talks by 2005 Booker prize-winner John Banville and director Sir Peter Hall.

On April 2, Oscar-winning film director Anthony Minghella is hosting a Gala Evening at Reading Town Hall, featuring readings and performances of Beckett’s work. The world premiere staging of the novella First Love will also be held in the town on March 29, 31 2006.

The University is hosting a related exhibition of work by photographer John Haynes at the Museum of Rural Life. Haynes was photographer at the Royal Court Theatre and became the Annenberg-Beckett fellow in 1998.

His work features images of Beckett’s plays in production as well as iconic portraits of the writer. The exhibition coincides with the inauguration of Haynes as the patron of the Beckett International Foundation.

For further information about the events of Beckett at Reading 2006, view the Beckett Foundation website on www.beckettfoundation.org.uk

Special thanks to John Haynes for permission to use his portrait of Samuel Beckett. To see more visit his website at www.johnhaynesphotography.com

Olivia Laing is the 24 Hour Museum Renaissance Student Writer in the South East region. Renaissance is the groundbreaking initiative to transform England's regional museums, led by MLA, the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council.