Harold Pinter was one of the most renowned dramatists of the 20th century, esteemed for his inventiveness, originality, and formal innovation. His work is so influential that his name has been used to explain certain settings or situations--the "Pinter Pause" concerns relying on things not said to convey characters' motivations or personalities, and "Pinteresque" refers to an inconclusive end to a comedy of subtle menace and absurdity. His work was influenced by Samuel Beckett, whom scholar Harold Bloom identified as Pinter's "ego ideal."
Pinter was born in East London in 1930 to a Jewish tailor. His was a working-class upbringing. Pinter's experiences during WWII, such as the Blitz and...
