Harold Pinter – playwright, poet, actor, director, political activist – died on 24 December 2008, aged 78
Here are a few of the obituaries and commentaries released by the international press and online theatre community. Page compiled by Mark Taylor-Batty
Some key links:
8 January – New Statesman - ‘‘You want to free the world from oppression? “, Ariel Dorfman
4 January – St Petersburg Times - Fond memories of late playwright Harold Pinter, a friend, Frank Gillen
1 January – Guardian - Goodnight, sweet prince: Shakespearean farewell to Pinter, Michael Billington
31 December – BBC News - Friends bid Pinter final farewell
31 December – BBC News - Broadway dims lights for Pinter
29 December – The Stage - Obituary: Harold Pinter, Ned Chaillet
29 December – San Fransisco Chronicle - Harold Pinter knew better than to expain, Carey Perloff
28 December – BBC Today programme - Gambon pays tribute to Pinter
28 December – The Observer - A fair cricketer, a good actor and a playwright of rare power and originality, Sir Richard Eyre
27 December – BBC News - West End pays tribute to Pinter
27 December – The Financial Times - British dramatist leaves a gap far greater than all of his famous pauses, Alastair Macaulay
27 December – Irish Times - A writer whose dream of a political theatre found a home here, Fintan O’Toole
25 December – BBC World Service - Pinter’s legacy
25 December – BBC News - Obituary: Harold Pinter
25 December – The Times - Obituary: Harold Pinter
25 December – Washington Post - In Words and Silences, A Writer of Rare Power
25 December – The Guardian - Obituary, Michael Billington
Full list:
17-30 January – The Frontline (India) - Disturbing Talent, Uma Mahadevan-Dasgupta
16 January – Encore! (Canada) - Pinter’s influence on theatre is undeniable, Sukumar Nayar
14 January – Daily Star (Bangladesh) - Pinter, Huntington and gaps in the drawing rooms, Syed Badrul Ahsan
11 January – Times - Yo, Grandpa Pinter, big respect, Margarette Driscoll
11 January – The Journal, Harold Pinter: A look back, Anna Fenton and Lucy Jackson
11 January – Workers’ World - Harold Pinter unravelled the ‘Tapestry of Lies’, Heather Cottin
10 January – New York Times - Master of the Pause Had an Unmistakable Sense of Rhythm, Alastair Macaulay
10 Janaury – Independent - Harold Pinter didn’t get my joke, and I didn’t get him – until it was too late, Howard Jacobson
9 January – Times - Last Word: How Pinteresque!, Ben Macintyre
9 January – Helsinki Times - Harold Pinter – an ignoble footnote, Leslie Hyde
9 January – Yorkshire Post - Pinter’s tragic death a poignant reminder of true meaning of celebrity, Nick Ahad
8 January – New Statesman - ‘‘You want to free the world from oppression? “, Ariel Dorfman
7 January – Times Literary Supplement - Harold Pinter: Exit a master, Peter Stothard
6 January, Expresso (Portugal) - Harold Pinter (1930-2008), José Cutileiro
6 January – New York Observer - Harold Pinter enters the silence of the long pause, John Heipern
6 January – Village Voice - Harold Pinter (1930–2008) and Eartha Kitt (1927–2008), Michael Feingold
5 January – The Stage - Pinter’s passing and other West End notes…, Mark Shenton
5 January – Guardian - Why The Servant is one of the best memorials to Pinter, Peter Bradshaw
5 January – Guardian - The playwrights under Pinter’s influence, Josie Rourke
5 January – National Post (Canada) - Pinter helped lead the troops into battle, Robert Cushman
5 January – World Socialist Web Site - Harold Pinter: Independent and critical to the last, Paul Bond
4 January – St Petersburg Times - Fond memories of late playwright Harold Pinter, a friend, Frank Gillen
4 January – Analítica (Venezuela) - Harold Pinter (1930-2008), Francisco Arias Solis
4 January – El Espectador (Venezeuala) - La muerte de Pinter, Manuel Drezner
4 January – The Stamford Times - Harold Pinter found meaning in silence, Chris Jones
4 January – Irish Independent - Comfort from the good ghosts
4 January – The Independent - Pinter’s funeral – more final reckoning than reconciliation, Sarah Sands
2 January – Official London Theatre Guide - Lights dimmed for Pinter
2 January – Ham & High - Hampstead Theatre leads tribute to playwright Pinter
2 January – Socialist Worker - Speaking truth about power, Anthony Arnove
2 January Del Teatro - Harold Pinter (1930-2008), Maria Grazia Gregori
2 January – Broadway World - Pinter’s Funeral A Well Directed Memorial
1 January – Telegraph - Harold Pinter was dedicated to helping persecuted writers, Carole Seymour Jones
1 January – New York Times - Pinter’s Funeral is Held in London
1 January – Press Association - Pinter’s funeral held
1 January – Guardian - Goodnight, sweet prince: Shakespearean farewell to Pinter, Michael Billington
1 January – Daily Mail - Pinter ends it all with a double plot
December 2008 – Red Pepper - In words and silences, Hilary Wainwright
December 2008 – Red Pepper - Thank you Harold, Hilary Wainwright
31 December – New York Times - Pinter’s funeral is held in London, Dave Itzoff
31 December – Telegraph - Harold Pinter directs his own funeral, Stephen Adams
31 December – Time - Harold Pinter, Richard Zoglin
31 December – The Villager - A pause to remember Pinter — Rest without peace, Jerry Tallmer
31 December – El Mundo (Spain) - El dramaturgo y Premio Nobel Harold Pinter recibe sepultura en una ceremonia familiar
31 December – Nouvel Observateur - Harold Pinter inhumané à Londres
31 December – BBC News - Friends bid Pinter final farewell
31 December – Associated Press - Playwright Harold Pinter buried in London
31 December – The Sun - Final farewell for top playwright
31 December – Press Association - Funeral held for playwright Pinter
31 December – Totally Jewish – Playwright Pinter Mourned, Zeddy Lawrence
31 December – Geelong Advertiser (Australia) - The Harold Pinter I knew, Stephen Quinn
31 December – Guardian – ‘Harold was a joy’, Shomit Dutta
31 December – Press Association - Broadway lights tribute for Pinter
31 December – Het Belang van Limburg (Belgium) - Nobelprijswinnaar Harold Pinter (78) overlijdt
31 December – Ham & High - Playwright Pinter first made his mark at Hampstead Theatre, Susanna Wilkey
31 December – Bexley Times - The Caretaker, the cricket and those poems…, Jules Cooper
31 December – BBC News - Broadway dims lights for Pinter
31 December – Evening Standard - The Funeral, written, cast and directed by Harold Pinter, Louise Jury
30 December – The Economist - Harold Pinter
30 December – Reuters - Broadway to dim lights for Harold Pinter, Michelle Nichols
30 December – Cyberpresse (Canada) - Broadway éteint ses lumières en hommage à Harold Pinter
30 December – MRzine – Harold Pinter - Friend of the Kurds, Citizen of the World, Amir Hassanpour
30 December – Show and Stay - Pinter: Tribute to a Genius
30 December – Le Magazine Littéraire - Harold Pinter s’est éteint
30 December – Themen der Zeit - Zum Tod von Harold Pinter
30 December – Guardian, Pinter’s poetry got under the skin
30 December – Miami Herald - The world Pinter unlocked, Ariel Dorfman
29 December – Swans Commentary - Harold Pinter: 1930-2008, Charles Marowitz
29 December – Spectator - Pinter told Me His Favourite Line From Literature, Michael Henderson
29 December – Entertainment Weekly - Remembering Harold Pinter, Thom Geier
29 December – The Stage - A Pinteresque pause…. Mark Shenton
29 December – Irish Independent - Pinter’s voice will be missed, David Marlborough
29 December – Daily Times (Pakistan) - Pinteresque and Huntingtonian, Ejaz Haider
29 December – San Fransisco Chronicle - Harold Pinter knew better than to expain, Carey Perloff
29 December – The Stage - Obituary: Harold Pinter, Ned Chaillet
29 December – Globe and Mail (canada) - Ode to a master
29 December – Guardian - We’ll miss Pinter who fought oppression with words, Lucy Popescu
29 December – Times Literary Supplement - Harold Pinter 1930–2008 Great playwright, Nobel laureate and TLS cricketer
29 December – London Theatre Guide - Tributes paid to Harold Pinter
29 December – Torreveija - Harold Pinter: Un rebelde con muchas causas, Manuel P. Garcia
29 December – Junge Welt - Zum Tod von Harold Pinter, Karin Lembke
28 December – BBC Today programme - Gambon pays tribute to Pinter
28 December – Irish Independent - Pinter’s Irish sojourns marked by his poetry and Colgan’s tribute, Jerome Reilly
28 December – Irish Independent - Unflagging in his principles and unrivalled in his genius, Emer O’Kelly
28 December – Independent on Sunday - Pinter, a man of passion, peace… and pauses, Janie Dee
28 December – The Observer - A fair cricketer, a good actor and a playwright of rare power and originality, Sir Richard Eyre
28 December – The Observer - Pinter was powerful and passionate, but often misguided, Nick Cohen
28 December – Sunday Times - A non-conformist who knew when to stand up and be counted, Gus Van Sant
28 December – Sunday Times - Harold Pinter: in the shadow of a giant, Dominic Dromgoole
28 December – Citta’ Della Spezia - Il Cielo sopra La Spezia-Goodbye Harold, messaggero di Pace, Marco Ursano
28 December – La Opinón - Harold Pinter pierde su última batalla
28 December – Synday Zaman, Turkey - Pinter and Silence, A Finkel
28 December – El Univerdal, Venezuela - Harold Pinter eterno
28 December – The Argus - Harold Pinter could be honoured in Sussex, Paul Holden
28 December – Sunday Herald - A magician of theatre passes, Mark Brown
28 December – Sunday Times - Harold Pinter: a difficult but …lovely man who knew how to apologise, John Peter
28 December – Scotland on Sunday - Silence may be golden, but so was Pinter’s right to speak out, Michael Gove
27 December – BBC News - West End pays tribute to Pinter
27 December – Charter 97, Belarus - Our Friend Harold Pinter
27 December – Guardian - The finest dramatist of his generation and a man with a great heart, Michael Billington
27 December – Guardian - Playwright Harold Pinter’s last interview, Andy Bull
27 December – Come Don Chisciotte - Harold Pinter, 1930-2008
27 December – Guardian - Theatrical world applauds life and art of our greatest modern playwright, Esther Addley
27 December – The Financial Times - British dramatist leaves a gap far greater than all of his famous pauses, Alastair Macaulay
27 December – The Daily Telegraph - The last time I saw Harold Pinter, Charles Spencer
27 December – The Telegraph - Harold Pinter – and George Orwell; two of a kind, Dominic Cavendish
27 December – The Independent - For Pinter, the outsider came first, Jonathan Heawood
27 December – Village Voice, NY - The Ultimate Silence: Harold Pinter (1930-2008), Michael Feingold
27 December – Globe and Mail (Canada) - Remembering the ‘sum of so many reflections’, J Kelly Nestruck
27 December – Svenska Dagbladet - Pausens mästare är borta, Theresa Benér
27 December – The Toronto Star - Playwright spoke truth to power
27 December – The Independent - Harold Pinter: True star of the screen, Geoffrey MacNab
27 December – Welt Online - Nobel-winning playwright Harold Pinter dead at 78
27 December – The Guardian - Dear editor: Pinter’s missives to the Guardian
27 December – Irish Times - A writer whose dream of a political theatre found a home here, Fintan O’Toole
27 December – Hurriyet - Pinter remembered for work on Kurdish rights in Turkey
27 December – Mediapart - Goodbye Harold Pinter, ou le courage de le dire
27 December – Sueddeutsche - Der Fremde hinter der T ür, Christopher Schmidt
27 December – Der Westen - Harold Pinter: Die Welt auf die Bühne gebracht, Frank Dietschreit
27 December – The Nation, NY - Pinter: Bare-Knuckled Citizen Playwright, Margarate Spillane
27 December – The Washington Post - The World that Pinter Unlocked, Ariel Dorfman
27 December – Cyberpresse - Les acteurs du théâtre québécois saluent Harold Pinter, Martin Croteau
27 December – Khaleej Times - Conscience Keeper of Our Age
27 December – denik.cz - Zemřel britský dramatik Harold Pinter
27 December – AFP - Dario Fo pays tribute to fellow playwright Harold Pinter
27 December – The Hindu - Tributes pour in for Harold Pinter
26 December – France Diplomatie - Décès de Harold Pinter : disparition d’une grande conscience européenne, Bruno Le Maire
26 December – Il Sole 24 Ore - Addio a Harold Pinter, drammaturgo nobel e uomo d’impegno
26 December – Radio France - Nobel-winning playwright Harold Pinter dies, Sarkozy salutes “a great dramatist”
26 December – Chicago Tribune - Harold Pinter: An appreciation, Chris Jones
26 December – Sydney Morning Herald - Festival rocked by Pinter’s death, Clare Morgan
26 December – Socialist Worker - Harold Pinter 1930-2008, Mark Brown
26 December – BBC News - Stars mourning playwright Pinter
26 December – The Australian - Harold Pinter, master of artful pauses
26 December – Sysvenskan - “Hans temperament var fighterns”, Eva Ström
26 December – La Jornada - Murió Harold Pinter, feroz crítico del establishment
26 December – Correio da Manha - José Saramago reage à morte de Harold Pinter
26 December – Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg - Berliner Akademie trauert um Harold Pinter
26 December – BBC News - Papers mark the passing of Pinter
26 December – AFP - Tributes for playwright Pinter
26 December – The New York Times - Harold Pinter, Playwright of the Pause, Dies at 78, Mel Gussow and Ben Brantley
26 December – LA Times - Harold Pinter, influential playwright and Nobel winner, dies at 78, Mary Rourke
26 December – Herald Sun - Former Czech president and playwright Vaclav Havel honours Harold Pinter
26 December – Le Monde - Harold Pinter, le dramaturge engagé
26 December – L’Express - Harold Pinter a quitté la scène
26 December – Sunday Mirror - Carol Ann Duffy on literary titan Harold Pinter
26 December – The Times - A sad last meeting with Harold Pinter, Benedict Nightingale
26 December – The Times - British theatre will never be the same without Harold Pinter, Dominic Maxwell
25 December – BBC World Service - Pinter’s legacy
25 December – Al Jazeera - British playwright Pinter dies
25 December – Le Figaro - Mort de Harold Pinter
25 December – First Post - Harold Pinter 1930-2008, Michael Coveney
25 December – The Daily Mail - Theatreland in mourning as Nobel Prize-winning playwright Harold Pinter dies aged 78, Sam Greenhill
25 December – BBC News - Obituary: Harold Pinter
25 December – Algemeen Dagblad - Toneelschrijver Pinter heeft taalgebruik beïnvloed
25 December – ABC.es - Adiós a Harold Pinter, el autor airado, Juan Ignacio García Garzón
25 December – Dagens Nyheter - Harold Pinter är död, Clas Svahn
25 December – The Times - Obituary: Harold Pinter
25 December – Washington Post - In Words and Silences, A Writer of Rare Power
25 December – Associated press - Wife says Nobel Laureate Harold Pinter dies at 78, Paisley Dodds
25 December – The Telegraph - ‘World’s leading playwright’ Harold Pinter dies, Murray Wardrop
25 December – The Guardian - Obituary, Michael Billington
