Must You Go? My Life With Harold Pinter (2010) - Plot & Excerpts
This is a beautiful and loving memoir. Using mostly her own diary entries, Antonia Fraser recounts her relationship with Harold Pinter. At first the minimal nature of the narration explaining the people and events frustrated me (there are a lot of first names sprinkled about, some of them turning out to be attached to famous last names!), but the book doesn't pretend to be a biography, but is a memoir, so the details become secondary to the story of these two artists, deeply devoted to each other throughout their lives. I had no idea the scope of Harold Pinter's accomplishments not only as a prolific playwright, but also a poet, actor, director, and activist for liberal causes. The last section of the book describes his battle with cancer and ends abruptly with his death in 2008, shortly after he won the Nobel Prize. I picked this up on the remainder table at Barnes and Noble. It is a bit like reading the thinking person's "People Magazine" -- or issues from the UK in the years 1975-2008. Perhaps I am saying that this book was a bit of a guilty pleasure. Writer Antonia Fraser was married, Catholic, and the mother of six children when she met playwright Harold Pinter, also married, culturally Jewish, the father of one son. Their mutual attraction initially led to scandal and eventually became marriage and a long, rewarding relationship, including friendships with many British actors and playwrights. Because both "main characters" are writers, their notes and observations are keen and witty. Their political activities and social interactions provide very entertaining and, at times, inspiring commentaries on the day. This was fun to read and made me want to look into Pinter's plays.
What do You think about Must You Go? My Life With Harold Pinter (2010)?
a charming, touching, brilliant insight of two amazing writers with their own incredible story.
—blondiee1229
no refelection on author but didn't finish. busy few months.
—xocherry369xo
