Must You Go?

Fraser (The Wives of Henry VIII) is known as a historian and biographer of note and as the author of the Jemima Shore mysteries. Her husband, Harold Pinter, winner of the 2005 Nobel Prize in Literature, was widely recognized for his plays (e.g., Betrayal) and his screenplay adaptations (e.g., Sleuth). In this very personal book, Fraser offers insights into her own life and work, the life and work of Pinter, who died in 2008, and the literary/theatrical milieu in which they lived. This is also a lovely, intimate portrayal of a marriage filled with joy and illness (plus a touch of scandal, since Fraser and Pinter fell in love while married to others, although she clarifies that those marriages were already troubled). Based on the diaries Fraser kept, the book, which she wrote in the 26 days following his death, is a tribute to Pinter and a celebration of their life together covering over 30 years.