Edinburgh festival hands acknowledge the wisdom of Samuel Beckett

Edinburgh in August must seem like heaven on earth for aficionados of the late Samuel Beckett, who are flocking to the nine-day festival-within-a-festival devoted to his work, beginning tomorrow, comprising five stage works and 19 films. But old Edinburgh festival hands acknowledge the wisdom of this useful doggerel.

“Some talk of Samuel Beckett/some talk of Harold Pinter/They say this town is culture’s crown/ But have you been here in the winter?”