Soon after Beckett married his long-time companion, Suzanne, their relationship became strained by her jealousy of his growing fame. One day in 1969, Suzanne answered the telephone, listened for a moment, spoke briefly to the caller, hung up, turned to Beckett, and whispered: "Quel catastrophe..."

Who had called? The Swedish Academy -- to announce its intention to award Becket the Nobel Prize for literature.