▁as ▁" a ▁short ▁pro se ▁piece , ▁written ▁about ▁ 1 9 5 4 - 5 5 , ▁a ▁step ▁towards ▁a ▁novel ▁soon ▁abandoned " ▁and ▁Beck ett ' s ▁" first ▁text ▁written ▁in ▁English ▁since ▁W att ." ▁Though ▁initially ▁published ▁as ▁a ▁the ater ▁piece ▁by ▁the ▁British ▁publish er ▁Fab er ▁and ▁Fab er ▁following ▁its ▁performance ▁on ▁the ▁BBC , ▁it ▁is ▁now ▁" gener ally ▁anth olog ized ▁with ▁Beck ett ' s ▁short ▁fiction ". ▁ ▁Trans l ated ▁into ▁French ▁by ▁Beck ett ▁with ▁Lud ov ic ▁and ▁Ag n ès ▁Jan vier , ▁it ▁was ▁published ▁as ▁" D ' un ▁ouv rage ▁ab and onn é " ▁by ▁Les ▁Éditions ▁de ▁Min uit ▁in ▁ 1 9 6 7 ▁and ▁included ▁in ▁T êtes - mort es , ▁a ▁collection ▁of ▁short ▁stories . ▁ ▁Syn opsis ▁The ▁first ▁person ▁narr ative ▁revol ves ▁around ▁three ▁days ▁in ▁the ▁early ▁life ▁of ▁a ▁ne uro t ic ▁old ▁man . ▁" None ▁of ▁the ▁days ▁is ▁described ▁clearly ▁or ▁coh er ently ▁and ▁few ▁details ▁are ▁given ▁for ▁the ▁second ▁and ▁third ▁days ." ▁It ▁is ▁unlikely ▁that ▁the ▁days ▁are ▁actually ▁chron olog ically ▁cont igu ous ▁although ▁the ▁general ▁framework ▁does ▁tend ▁to ▁be , ▁dig ress ions ▁aside . ▁ ▁The ▁story ▁begins ▁with ▁the ▁old ▁man ▁remember ing ▁back ▁to ▁when ▁he ▁was ▁young , ▁probably ▁a ▁young ▁man ▁rather ▁than ▁a ▁child ▁per ▁se ▁( based