Hello Out There…

The first telephone call celebrates its 140th anniversary this month. New York Public Library book experts name stories that would have gone drastically differently if the characters had been able to use phones.

The first work that comes to mind is Romeo and Juliet! If only Juliet could have texted Romeo her whole plan, then maybe they both could have lived! —Rebecca Kluberdanz, Kingsbridge

It’s safe to say that Samuel Beckett’s absurdist masterpiece Waiting for Godot would have been an entirely different play if there were telephones. Vladimir and Estragon would probably be waiting by a pay phone instead of a tree, making daily calls to (the still-elusive) Godot’s secretary instead of receiving visits from the young messenger. —Suzanne Lipkin, Library for the Performing Arts

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