Along with Samuel Beckett and Eugene 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.