Harold Pinter

Harold Pinter, © Dan Wooller

Harold Pinter was a seminal British playwright, screenwriter, and actor, renowned for his influential contributions to modern theatre.

He was born on October 10, 1930, in Hackney, East London, to Jewish parents of Eastern European descent. Pinter grew up in a working-class neighbourhood, and his early experiences during World War II, including being evacuated from London, profoundly influenced his worldview and later works. He attended Hackney Downs School, where he developed a passion for literature and drama, excelling in both. Pinter also briefly studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and the Central School of Speech and Drama but left to pursue a career in acting and writing.

Pinter’s works are celebrated for their unique blend of realism, menace, and sharp dialogue, exemplified in plays such as The Birthday Party, Betrayal, No Man’s Land and The Homecoming.

His style, often termed “Pinteresque,” highlights pauses and silences, reflecting underlying tensions and ambiguities. Pinter also earned acclaim as a screenwriter and director, and his impact on theatre and film is profound. Awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2005, Pinter’s legacy endures through the continuous performance and study of his groundbreaking works.

1. The Room (1957)
2. The Birthday Party (1957)
3. The Dumb Waiter (1957)
4. A Slight Ache (1958)
5. The Hothouse (1958)
6. The Caretaker (1959)
7. A Night Out (1959)
8. Night School (1960)
9. The Dwarfs (1960)
10. The Collection (1961)
11. The Lover (1962)
12. Tea Party (1964)
13. The Homecoming (1964)
14. The Basement (1966)
15. Landscape (1967)
16. Silence (1968)
17. Night (1969)
18. Old Times (1970)
19. Monologue (1972)
20. No Man’s Land (1974)
21. Betrayal (1978)
22. Family Voices (1981)
23. A Kind of Alaska (1982)
24. Victoria Station (1982)
25. One for the Road (1984)
26. Mountain Language (1988)
27. The New World Order (1991)
28. Party Time (1991)
29. Moonlight (1993)
30. Ashes to Ashes (1996)
31. Celebration (2000)
32. Remembrance of Things Past (2000, adaptation)
33. Press Conference (2002)

Pinter also wrote a variety of sketches, radio plays, and television plays.