Antonia Fraser - MUST YOU GO ?

review by Corinna Christopher on show 2nd June

This is a touching and enduring account of the lives of two people. Antonia Fraser was a celebrated historian and biographer when in 1975 she met Harold Pinter, one of this country’s finest playwrights. On meeting at a social occasion when Antonia was about to go’ he fixed her with his amazing eyes and said “Must you go ?” They talked most of the night and this was the start of an intimate portrait of Harold.

Antonia was reasonably happily married with six children and this extraordinary relationship seemed always to have been pre-determined. Harold was 44 and Antonia 42, the media made much ot their different backgrounds, the working –class Jewish boy from the East End and the Catholic aristocrat with a title.

Their relationship was a source of delight and inspiration to them both until Pinter’s death on Christmas Eve 2008. Fraser uses her diaries and her own recollections to tell a touching love story. In the course of the book we come across the names of many well-known celebraties with whom they mixed in their varied literary, political and theatrical fields. They were both supportive of the other and Antonia enabled Harold to embark on a huge productive period of plays which were performed around the world. Harold was very much involved with Human rights and became quite a political expounder in various venues, they both felt very strongly about the ills of Chile and General Pinochet’s place in history.

Harold was diagnosed with cancer of the oesophagus in 2001 and for the next seven years he fought a brave battle. During this time he was awarded the Noble Prize for his contribution to the Arts. Antonia records the ups and downs of this period with great insight and love. Many of the tender love poems that Harold wrote are intersperced throughout the book and make for moving reading.

This is a lovely book which leaves you with a feeling of hope and gratitude for a great modern playwright and unique person.

review by Corinna