Introduction

Project Timeline

Techniques and Styles in The Caretaker

Who is the Caretaker?

Born 10 October 1930, in Hackney, in London's East End to Jack and Frances Pinter. His father was a tailor of Eastern European Jewish ancestry and a strong disciplinarian. Pinter had a comfortable upbringing but would have been aware of the political tensions of 1930's London - born to Jewish parents he would have known about the British Fascist marches led by Sir Oswald Mosley that took place near to where he and his parents lived.

At the age of fourteen Pinter was evacuated to Cornwall where he lived with twenty six boys in a castle on the coast. It was a tramumatic time for Pinter who found it difficult to be separated from his parents.

Pinter attended Hackney Downs Grammer School where he often acted in school productions. He played the role of Macbeth in a school production, reviewed in the News Chronicle.

After leaving school in 1947 Pinter attended The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) for two terms until he was called up to do National Service. Pinter refused to take part in National Service as he was a concientious objector - he was fined by magistrates in 1949, his father paying the fine.

In 1950 Pinter published poems in Poetry while working as a bit part actor for the BBC Radio programme Focus on Football Pools. During this period he also attended the Central School fof Speech and Drama, leaving to pursue his acting career under the name of David Baron.

Pinter toured Ireland in 1951 and 1952 with a Shakespearean and classical theatre group. He then appeared in the 1953's Donald Wolfit's season at the the King's Theatre Hammersmith. He continued to work in repertory theatre for another four years.

In 1957 he wrote The Room for Bristol University completing it within four days. Pinter went on to write his first radio play Slight Ache in 1959 and his full length play The Birthday Party in 1958. Pinter has written 29 plays including The Caretaker. He is also a poet, actor, director and has written a number of plays for film and television.

Since the overthrow of Chile's President Allende in 1973 Pinter has been an active human rights advocate. He has recently campaigned against American and British involvement in the Iraq war.

Pinter announced his retirement from playwriting in 2005 to focus on politics and poetry.