Beckett’s voices are heard diversely: described as elements of characters’ existence in Molloy, they structure the narration of How It Is, and acquire an increased degree of reality in the author’s encounter with technology. The radio was of crucial importance in this respect during the period extending from 1956 (All That Fall) to around 1963 (Esquisse radiophonique). It is recognized that the elaboration Beckett undertook influenced other works written at this time – such as How It Is and Krapp’s Last Tape – as well as those that came later.

The radio voice is striking in its evacuation of any visual reference, since any verbal images that it engenders are fundamentally evanescent.