Harold Pinter and the New British Theatre [Hardcover]

Harold Pinter is universally described as Britain's leading dramatist. This book evaluates the justification for this appellation. It examines his work in relation to changes taking place in the New British Theatre after the so-called theatrical revolution of 1956, and draws attention to those autobiographical experiences that have been transmuted into his art. Beginning with a look at the nature of British theatre prior to 1956, Peacock then describes Pinter's early life in the East End of London, his career as an actor, and his early writing. The discussion follows Pinter's life and work from ^IThe Room^R in 1957 to his most recent play,Ashes to Ashesin 1996. The author argues that although Pinter has not instigated an aesthetic revolution, he has, more significantly, through his representation of human behavior, provoked a new way of viewing the world.D. KEITH PEACOCK is Senior Lecturer in Drama at the University of Hull. He is author ofRadical Stages: Alternative History in Modern British Drama(Greenwood, 1991). He teaches courses in directing and improvisation and has directed plays in Britain and the United States.

Series Foreword by Josh Beer, Christopher Innes and Simon Williams
Preface
A Theatre Hermetically Sealed
Harold Pinter, Poet, Novelist, and Actor
Harold Pinter, Dramatist
Comedies of Menace and the Pinteresque
Caught in the Past: The Memory Plays and After
Pinter and Politics
Past and Future
Appendix: Pinter on Radio, Television, and Film
Chronology
Bibliography
Index