The Odd Dangers of Writers as Readers

Here is T.S. Eliot reading “The Love Song for J. Alfred Prufrock”:
In undergrad, I read Samuel Beckett’s play Krapp’s Last Tape and loved it. Then, near the end of that same semester, I had a chance to see the play performed by a man Beckett had personally chosen to play Krapp. It was like seeing the piece performed in Beckett’s own mind — I was thrilled.
Until I saw the play.