Cambridge University Press 0521651239 - The Cambridge Companion to Harold Pinter Edited by Peter Raby Frontmatter More information The Cambridge Companion to Harold Pinter The Cambridge Companion to Harold Pinter provides an introduction to one of the world’s leading and most controversial writers, whose output in many genres and roles continues to grow. Harold Pinter has written for the theatre, radio, television and screen, in addition to being a highly successful director and actor. This volume examines the wide range of Pinter’s work (including his recent play Celebration). The first section of essays places his writing within the critical and theatrical context of his time, and its reception worldwide. The Companion moves on to explore issues of performance, with essays by practi- tioners and writers. The third section addresses wider themes, including Pinter as celebrity, the playwright and his critics, and the political dimensions of his work. The volume offers photographs from key productions, a chronology and bibliography. © Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 0521651239 - The Cambridge Companion to Harold Pinter Edited by Peter Raby Frontmatter More information CAMBRIDGE COMPANIONS TO LITERATURE The Cambridge Companion to Greek Tragedy The Cambridge Companion to the French edited by P. E. Easterling Novel: from 1800 to the Present The Cambridge Companion to Old English edited by Timothy Unwin Literature The Cambridge Companion to Modernism edited by Malcolm Godden and Michael edited by Michael Levenson Lapidge The Cambridge Companion to Australian The Cambridge Companion to Medieval Literature Romance edited by Elizabeth Webby edited by Roberta L. 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West © Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 0521651239 - The Cambridge Companion to Harold Pinter Edited by Peter Raby Frontmatter More information THE CAMBRIDGE COMPANION TO HAROLD PINTER EDITED BY PETER RABY Homerton College, Cambridge © Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 0521651239 - The Cambridge Companion to Harold Pinter Edited by Peter Raby Frontmatter More information published by the press syndicate of the university of cambridge The Pitt Building, Trumpington Street, Cambridge, United Kingdom cambridge university press The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge cb2 2ru, UK 40 West 20th Street, New York, ny 10011-4211, USA 10 Stamford Road, Oakleigh, vic 3166, Australia Ruiz de Alarcón 13, 28014 Madrid, Spain Dock House, The Waterfront, Cape Town 8001, South Africa http://www.cambridge.org © Cambridge University Press 2001 This book is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press. First published 2001 Typeface Adobe Sabon 10/13pt System QuarkXpress® [se] A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloguing in Publication data The Cambridge companion to Harold Pinter / edited by Peter Raby. p. cm. – (Cambridge companions to literature) Includes bibliographical references and index. isbn 0 521 65123 9 – isbn 0 521 65842 x (pbk.) 1. Pinter, Harold, 1930– Criticism and interpretation – Handbooks, manuals, etc. i. Title: Companion to Harold Pinter. ii. Raby, Peter. iii. Series. pr6066.I53 Z6255 2001 822Ј.914–dc21 2001022302 isbn 0 521 65123 9 hardback isbn 0 521 65842 x paperback Transferred to digital printing 2003 © Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 0521651239 - The Cambridge Companion to Harold Pinter Edited by Peter Raby Frontmatter More information CONTENTS List of illustrations page ix Notes on contributors x Chronology xiii Note on the text xix Introduction 1 peter raby Part 1: Text and context 1 Pinter, politics and postmodernism (1) 7 austin quigley 2 Pinter and the 1950s 28 john stokes 3 The sacred joke: comedy and politics in Pinter’s early plays 44 francesca coppa 4 Tales of the city: some places and voices in Pinter’s plays 57 peter raby 5 Pinter and twentieth-century drama 73 ronald knowles 6 Harold Pinter, screenwriter: an overview 87 steven h. gale vii © Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 0521651239 - The Cambridge Companion to Harold Pinter Edited by Peter Raby Frontmatter More information list of contents Part 2: Pinter and performance 7 Body language in Pinter’s plays 107 richard allen cave 8 Harold Pinter as director 130 michael pennington 9 Directing the plays of Harold Pinter 145 peter hall 10 Pinter in Russia 155 charles evans 11 Pinter and Ireland 175 anthony roche Part 3: Reactions to Pinter 12 Pinter’s sexual politics 195 drew milne 13 Pinter and the critics 212 yael zarhy-levo 14 Pinter as celebrity