The Economist's blog, More Intelligent Life features a gorgeous essay by theatre critic Irving Wardle on his decades-long (and sometimes strained) friendship with Harold Pinter. Here's just one juicy excerpt:
By this time I was subbing on the Observer. Harold wanted to come in and see Ken Tynan’s notice of the play on the day before publication. I took him down to the stone, where the pages were made up, and introduced him to Mr Lucas, a tortoise-like compositor who seldom spoke. Harold promptly engaged him in conversation. “You must have had a few critics through your hands.” Amazingly, Lukie opened his mouth. “Yes,” he said, “the best was J.C. Trewin. What clean copy that man had! He once gave me a book he’d written, about Cornwall. Very good. Boring. But good.” Not only had Harold got him talking, he had conjured him into delivering a Pinter speech.
To read the whole piece. [Thanks to E.C. reader, Leora Tec, for pointing this out!]
