PublishedinFrenchin1961,andinEnglishin1964,HowItIsisanovelinthreeparts,writteninshortparagraphs,whichtell(abruptly,cajolingly,bleakly)ofanarratorlyinginthedark,inthemud,repeatinghislifeashehearsituttered-orremembered-byanothervoice.Toldfromwithin,fromthedark,thestoryistirelesslyandintimatelyexplicitaboutthefeelingsthatpervadehisworld,butfragmentaryandvagueaboutallelsethereinorbeyond.TogetherwithMolloy,HowItIscountsformanyreadersasBeckett'sgreatestaccomplishmentinthenovelform.Itisalsohismostchallengingnarrative,bothstylisticallyandforthepessimismofitsvision,whichcontinuesthethemesofreducedcircumstance,ofanotherlifebeforethepresent,andtheself-appraisingsearchforanessentialself,whichwereinauguratedinthegreatprosenarrativesofhisearliertrilogy.