About The Book

Harold Pinter is one of our most profound poets and playwrights, with work ranging from his plays The Caretaker, The Homecoming, and Betrayal to such poems as “The Bombs” and “Death.” A writer known for his searing exploration of power, Pinter gives us an electrifying look into the often uncomfortable relationships between people—whether family members or political opponents. The Essential Pinter, which includes key plays, poetry, essays, and screenplays, is an indispensable companion for anyone wishing to delve into the astonishingly dazzling and frequently ominous world of Harold Pinter. In voyaging in, we not only come to fully appreciate the breadth of a body of work spanning over fifty years, but acquire a better understanding of human interaction.

Praise

“One of the most essential artists produced by the twentieth century. Pinter’s work gets under our skin more than that of any living playwright.” —The New York Times

“Harold Pinter is generally seen as the foremost representative of British drama in the second half of the twentieth century. That he occupies a position as a modern classic is illustrated by his name entering the language as an adjective used to describe a particular atmosphere and environment in drama: ‘Pinteresque.’ . . . Pinter restored theater to its basic elements: an enclosed space and unpredictable dialogue, where people are at the mercy of each other and pretense crumbles. With a minimum of plot, drama emerges from the power struggle and hide-and-seek of interlocution. Pinter’s drama is perceived as a variation of absurd theater, but has later more aptly been characterized as ‘comedy of menace,’ a genre where the writer allows us to eavesdrop on the play of domination and submission hidden in the most mundane conversations.” —The Swedish Academy

Awards

Winner of the 2005 Nobel Prize for Literature