Harold Pinter

Harold Pinter (born the October 10th 1930) is a writer, Dramaturge and Director English. Its first works are often associated with the kind known as of the Theater of the absurd. He wrote for the Théâtre, the radio, the Télévision and for the Cinéma. He is Commandeur of the Ordre of the British Empire and member about the Companions of the Honor. He receives the Nobel Prize of literature in 2005.

Youth

Pinter was born in a Russian family of origin and Jewish religion from the suburb from Hackney with London. His/her father is a ladies' tailor.

He begins his studies with the Hackney Downs Grammar school then briefly passes to the royal Académie of Dramatic art . Young man, it launches out in the Poésie.

Career

He begins a career with the theater as an actor, under the name of David Baron. He writes his first part, The Room (" Pièce") interpreted in 1957 by the students of the University of Bristol-board.

The Birthday Party (" the Festival of anniversaire") in 1958 does not interest the general public, in spite of a good criticism published in the Sunday Times by Harold Hobson. But after the success of The Caretaker in 1960, the part is rejouée and receives this time a favorable reception. Its parts and other works of this period, such as The Homecoming in 1964, are sometimes labelled like putting in scene a “comedy of the threat”. They often take for departure a situation of alleviating appearance which becomes quickly threatening and absurd by the means of the actors whose actions seem unexplainable with the eyes of the public and other characters of the part. The work of Pinter as of the beginning was marked by the influence of Samuel Beckett. Thereafter, the two men became friendly.

Recent course

In the years 1970, Pinter is interested more and more in the setting in scene and becomes associated director of the National Theater in 1973. Its recent parts tend to being shorter. They also carry on subjects more Politique S and are often allegories of oppression.

During the same time, Pinter starts to take party on political problems, being posted distinctly on the left. It carries out a continuous combat to make available of the public the violations of the Human rights and repression. Its mails are often published in the British newspapers, like The Guardian or The Independent .

In 1985, Pinter travels in Turkey in company of the American playwright Arthur Miller and meets many victims of political oppression. At the time of a reception to the embassy of the the United States given in the honor of Miller, Pinter, instead of joking, told stories of people tortured with electric current applied to their genitals, and was returned reception (Miller followed it by solidarity). The experiment of Pinter on repression in Turkey and the suppression of the Kurdish language inspires its play of 1988 to him entitled Mountain Language .

In 1999, Pinter criticizes openly the bombardment of the Kosovo by NATO. It gives an opinion against the Embargo declared by the United States against Cuba. He is also opposed to the invasion by the United States of America of the Afghanistan, like with that of the Iraq in 2003. In 2005, it announces that it will not write any more plays but will be devoted to the policy.

Pinter named Commandeur of the order of the British empire in 1996 becomes a member of the Companions of the Honor in 2002, having previously refused the title of knight. He is sympathizer of the British left-wing political party RESPECT .

In October 2005 the Swedish Académie announces that Pinter is indicated like Nobel Prize of literature 2005, because “in its works, he discovers the abyss under chatterings and forces a passage in the closed parts of oppression.”

At the beginning of December 2005, it records a declaration for the handing-over of its Nobel Prize, not being able to go there and to do it in person because its cancer prevents some. It relates to much more the policy that the literature. It declares there:

“the invasion of Iraq was a criminal act, an terrorist act of obvious State, the proof of an absolute contempt for the international law. ”
“How much people is necessary it to kill before deserving to be described like a massacror and a war criminal? Hundred thousand? ”
“We brought torture, the cluster bombs, depleted uranium, of innumerable randomly made assassinations, misery, degradation and death with the Iraqi people, and one invites that 'to bring freedom and the democracy in the Middle East”
It gives there an opinion against the United States of America, which “exerted a very clinical handling of the capacity in the whole world, while being made pass for a force preaching the universal good. It is a gesture of brilliant hypnotism, even full with spirit, and very successful.”

Catalog of films

The first scenario of Pinter, The Serving , is written in 1962 according to the novel of Robin Maugham. Later, he also writes for the Messenger ( The Go-Between ), of Joseph Losey, and the Woman of the French lieutenant ( The French Lieutenant' S Woman ), according to the novel of John Fowles, inter alia. He also publishes, at the request of Luchino Visconti, a script based on the novel of Marcel Proust, With the research of time lost , which was never carried to the screen. Several of the parts of Pinter were also adapted for the cinema: The Being used as Joseph Losey (1963), The Caretaker (1963), The Birthday Party (1968), The Homecoming (1973) and Betrayal (1983).

Private life

In 1977, Harold Pinter caused a public scandal by leaving his wife, the actress Vivien Merchant, with whom he had married in 1956, for Lady Antonia Fraser, that he married in 1980 after his divorce. Its part Betrayal (1978) with the reputation to be a description of this connection, but in fact is based on a long love affair which Pinter with the presenter of television Joan Bakewell had.

Pinter had also a public argument with the director Peter Hall bearing on his description in the Hall' S Diaries published in 1983, where it was depicts like misusing alcohol. Nevertheless, the two men reconciled themselves thereafter.

Works

Parts

Prose

Poetry

War (2003)

External bonds

Official site of Harold Pinter
Bibliography on the site of the Nobel Prize

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