Complete Works: Volume 4

Complete Works #4

by Harold Pinter

Dramatist, scriptwriter, short story writer, novelist, poet, director, and actor, Harold Pinter has earned universal praise for his distinctive style and imagination. In this, the most recent of four volumes, Pinter’s work echoes many of his earlier themes and techniques—struggles for power and an ambience of menace—while finding fresh subject matter and means to express his changing dramatic vision. This volume contains three of Pinter’s most famous plays, including Old Times, which Clive Barnes called “a joyous, wonderful play that people will talk about as long as we have theater”; a television play, Monologue; and a radio piece, Family Voices.

Genres: Plays, Drama, Theatre, British Literature, 20th Century, Short Stories, Literature

384 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1981

About the author

Harold Pinter was a British playwright, screenwriter, director and actor. A Nobel Prize winner, Pinter was one of the most influential modern British dramatists with a writing career that spanned more than 50 years. His best-known plays include The Birthday Party (1957), The Homecoming (1964) and Betrayal (1978), each of which he adapted for the screen. His screenplay adaptations of others' works include The Servant (1963), The Go-Between (1971), The French Lieutenant's Woman (1981), The Trial (1993) and Sleuth (2007). He also directed or acted in radio, stage, television and film productions of his own and others' works.

Reviews

[William2]

Read “Old Times”

Read "No Man's Land" — Stream with Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart on National Theatre at Home.

[Cymru Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ahhh, the times when someone like Pinter could be a cultural player. When his "Monologue"s could air on the BBC and actually (one would imagine) get views. Pinter seems to come from a time when being a "writer" was an actual "occupation", it was a job, and probably the best job.

I don't think Pinter could be who he was today and get away with it (or in other words get paid for it, let alone handsomely). That doesn't necessarily mean his plays are no longer of worth, however. He has a cool style, even if it relies probably too much on Beckett. It's an accessible Beckett, which in a way is pretty awesome, and at his furthest from Beckett he reminds me of Ibsen set in the 70s of England, and that's not so bad either.

It could be a bit of a copout to call someone's work "ethereal." Reading Pinter is enjoyable and easy, it's quick, but it can be a common thing for me to wonder what in the eff this is actually "about." I found his intro––taken from a speech of his after getting an award, which strikes me as another anachronism––to be helpful: he said that he doesn't know what his plays are about either. He's moved to write them a certain way and he must analyze them like anyone else, albeit from a particular and exclusive position. Fair enough. I feel too like I know what his plays are about, even if I can't put a concrete, satisfactory summary of a particular play into words. Who would want to?

[Kaethe · Rating 2 out of 5]

My problem with Pinter is that there isn't anything in the text. This makes them a dull read, to me, unlike, say Stoppard, whom I adore.

Well, 40 years later, I know that I have no visual imagination to speak of, and I am much worse than most people and understanding what someone else is feeling. And while a gifted actor can bring the characters to life, with subtext and emotion, two different acting schools agreed I was never anything but a very poor actor. Crushing to the ego, but not wrong.


Personal copy, donated to Friends of the Library book sale 2025

[Kali · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not sure I should really be rating this because I don't read a lot of plays. Obvs it's stellar, because Pinter won the Nobel Prize for Literature, yo.

A friend recommended that I read Betrayal, so that was why I picked this up, and I did really enjoy Betrayal and also Old Times. I was really captivated and intrigued by Old Times and wish I knew more about the interpretations that were out there.

Other plays in here definitely went over my head, I felt like I had such a hard time understanding No Man's Land that I thought there was absolutely no plot/concept and had to look it up afterwards--I was sort of horrified there was so much going on that I had missed. Yikes.

I read a ton of books, where there isn't as much quiet room around the dialogue, and reading some plays has been an enjoyable switch up.

[Allie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like Harold Pinter's plays. That is my latest discovery! Interesting, often incomprehensible, with beginnings set in media res and endings that make no sense; I delighted in whatever plot I could follow and thoroughly enjoyed the nonsense I could not. This will not be the last time I dabble in Pinter!

[Mar Beveridge · Rating 3 out of 5]

Harold Pinter is a genius. I cannot describe how immersed I get when I read his plays. I never thought I would enjoy reading plays but this has definitely proved me wrong. Although I didn't love all the plays, I did like them all.

[Stuart Estell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading these has made me want to explore much more of Pinter's works...

[Pace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the way Pinter uses swear words, like they are everyday, normal, acceptable, funny words.

[Stephanie]

All I seem to be able to reliably finish lately are plays. Anyway, read this because I'm woefully ignorant of Pinter's work, especially given his status and influence, and was actually pleased and surprised by the plays. Don't know exactly what I was expecting, but something different.

Of these, Betrayal was my favorite, and I liked but definitely did not get No Man's Land. Still not rating collections of plays, though (and perhaps not plays generally, haven't decided yet).

[Mike · Rating 2 out of 5]

Like the British reticence, minimalist dialogue.

notes/quotes
No Mans Land:
--drink order: As it is? (neat, ice-free)(that overheard term inspired the play)
--given a drink: Terribly kind of you
--raised empty glass: Who's the kindest among you?
109..bugger off
Betrayal:
222..Emma,after being quizzed about letter: we're lovers
....Robert: Ah. Yes. I thought it might be something like that, something along those lines.

[Cheyanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

still reading

[Charlie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like Old Times the best.

[Sam Ruddick · Rating 5 out of 5]

"betrayal" and "no man's land" are excellent, of course, but "old times" is astonishing.

[Heather Boaz ( mlleboaz.bibliophile) · Rating 4 out of 5]

For myself: need to read more Pinter.