"It is upon this one comedy that Balzac can lay any claims as a dramatic artist." -The New York Times Originally presented under the title "Mercadet or The Good Businessman," this play in three acts was perhaps the inspiration for Samuel Beckett's Theatre of the Absurd classic. Yet 102 years before WAITING FOR GODOT rocked the stage, this comedy opened at the Theatre du Gymnase-Dramatique and featured a character named "Godeau" who never appears.A bizarre coincidence? Or just one of life's little absurdities? Now you can decide for yourself.This edition includes an unpublished letter by Samuel Beckett to the translator.