Nineteen-hundred fifty-three was a transformative year for theatrical and literary arts the world over; it was also a year which saw an important shift in the dynamics of The Cold War following the death of Soviet dictator, Joseph Stalin. On Broadway, amidst an ugly atmosphere of McCarthyism, Arthur Miller’s The Crucible had its premier—despite mixed reviews, it would win a Tony Award for Best Play later that year.  In France, Irish novelist and playwright, Samuel Beckett, debuted his century-defining play, En Attendant Godot; while in the United States, Saul Bellow published his seminal novel, The Adventures of Augie March. Legendary publishing house-bookstore, City Lights, was founded in San Francisco by Beat Generation poet, Lawrence Ferlinghetti; and in November, Greenwich Village saw the untimely passing of rollicking and transcendent Welsh poet, Dylan Thomas.