In honour of reading Old Times again
I posted this a while ago on another blog, but thanks to my classwork it's popped back into my head.
In 2005 Harold Pinter, one of the world's most distinguished modern playwrights, won the Nobel Prize for Literature. Pinter's plays usually deal with severely aggressive relationships, and if you ever have a chance to see plays like The Homecoming or The Caretaker I would suggest you do so. The level of tension he engenders in his plays is quite incredible.
Pinter, who I think is somewhere in his 70s now, has been a very vocal critic of apartheid, nuclear weapons stockpiles, and generally of global conflicts that are fueled by imperialist sentiment. I have, over the years, read many letters he has written to British newspapers and have always been impressed by both his eloquence and his bluntness, which are also fundamental characteristics of his work as a playwright.
But this is really special. He was given time to make an acceptance speech in 2005 when he won the Nobel Prize, to talk about his work in literature. Due to health concerns he recorded the speech, but this was played to all the Nobel Laureates at the ceremony. Here is the link to the video on the Nobel website. It not only gives great insight into his work and process, but also eloquently and unrelentingly exposes the nature of global conflict and the role played by the United States and Britain in it. It's quite long, and I urge you to find some time to watch/listen all the way through: This is one of the best speeches I have ever heard.
In 2005 Harold Pinter, one of the world's most distinguished modern playwrights, won the Nobel Prize for Literature. Pinter's plays usually deal with severely aggressive relationships, and if you ever have a chance to see plays like The Homecoming or The Caretaker I would suggest you do so. The level of tension he engenders in his plays is quite incredible.
Pinter, who I think is somewhere in his 70s now, has been a very vocal critic of apartheid, nuclear weapons stockpiles, and generally of global conflicts that are fueled by imperialist sentiment. I have, over the years, read many letters he has written to British newspapers and have always been impressed by both his eloquence and his bluntness, which are also fundamental characteristics of his work as a playwright.
But this is really special. He was given time to make an acceptance speech in 2005 when he won the Nobel Prize, to talk about his work in literature. Due to health concerns he recorded the speech, but this was played to all the Nobel Laureates at the ceremony. Here is the link to the video on the Nobel website. It not only gives great insight into his work and process, but also eloquently and unrelentingly exposes the nature of global conflict and the role played by the United States and Britain in it. It's quite long, and I urge you to find some time to watch/listen all the way through: This is one of the best speeches I have ever heard.
posted by Mike at 4:18 PM
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