Violent Men

I've just finished "Must You Go?" by Antonia Fraser about her life with Harold Pinter and I had to draw a deep breath at the end. It's amazing how something written diary style, skipping back and forth between the years, could form, not only such a coherent, but a compelling narrative. It was funny, thought-provoking and tender by turns, heart-wrenching when it came to his illness and how he soldiered on. She left a lot of it out, so you get a few broad strokes, drumming down to the inevitable end.

But here is an entry from before he was given the death sentence that made me laugh out loud. Some things to remember: Antonia is married to Harold but she has six children from her first marriage to Sir Hugh Fraser. Damian is one of them and he is married to a Mexican girl.

1 February 1994

Palacio del Artes, Mexico City. Vast Art Deco building. Harold gave a poetry reading. Contrary to all our expectations, and their general rule, the Mexicans were all totally punctual. We learned later that there was a simple explanation for this. Damian had announced beforehand to all his friends: 'My stepfather is a very violent man and we must respect that.' The Mexicans all nodded sagely. While peaceful themselves, they understood violent men. 'And what makes him violent,' Damian went on, 'is people who come late to his speeches or poetry readings. Very violent,' he emphasized. So the Mexicans were all on time. Nor did the press bulbs flash unduly, since that was apparently another phenomenon calculated to provoke violence...