Along with Samuel Beckett and Eugéne Ionesco, Harold Pinter holds an
undisputed place in the front ranks of contemporary dramatists. In
volume two of his collected works, the plays and revue sketches mark a
period of transition, as Pinter's characters and settings become more
recognizably realistic, in contrast to the absurdist atmosphere of his
earlier work. The Caretaker, which first brought him fame on both
sides of the Atlantic, was called "a play of strangely compelling beauty
and passion" by Howard Taubman of The New York Times. An essay by
Pinter, "Writing for Myself," introduces this collection.