Murphy

The novel Murphy (1938) was Samuel Beckett's third work of prose fiction. It was written in English, unlike much of Beckett's later writing, which he composed in French. After 42 rejections, it was published by Routledge on the recommendation of Beckett's painter friend Jack Yeats. The plot of Murphy follows an eponymous "seedy solipsist" who, urged to find a job by his lover Celia Kelly, begins work as a male nurse at the Magdalen Mental Mercyseat, and finds the insanity of the patients an appealing alternative to conscious existence. Murphy is an important example of Beckett's fascination with the artistic and metaphor possibilities of chess. Near the novel's end, Murphy plays a game of chess with Mr. Endon, a patient who is "the most biddable little gaga in the entire institution". But Murphy cannot replicate his opponent's symmetrical and cyclical play, just as he is unable to will himself into a state of catatonic bliss. He resigns "with fool's mate in his soul", and dies... full article at wikipedia