Book In
Book In is a podcast in which brothers Rupert and Charlie Fordham discuss all things English Literature. From Chaucer to the present day, covering drama, novels and poetry, they cover all the classics and much more, from the UK, Ireland, the US, Europe and the rest of the world. Informative but lighthearted, Book In is suitable for all readers, and will be helpful for students doing GCSE, A-Level and university English degrees as well.
Both Rupert and Charlie have been keen readers all their lives and both studied English at university. For many years Charlie taught English at GCSE and A-level.
Book In
The Caretaker - Harold Pinter
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Two brothers live in a squalid bedsit in west London. The room is crammed with junk. They befriend Davies, who is homeless and a tramp. He moves in with them, and they offer him a job as a caretaker for the property. But the job falls through, because Davies can’t get his papers, which are in Sidcup. Harold Pinter’s brilliant play tells the story of these three lost men, and how power shifts between them over time. They are hopeless and damaged, but they variously have dreams of getting a job, refurbishing and letting out the property and engaging with life in a normal manner. Pinter explores issues of homelessness, mental health, dealing with trauma and male relationships in a way which was groundbreaking for its time and resonates strongly today. He was a remarkable man - he came from a humble Jewish background to win the Nobel Prize for Literature, and his marriage to Lady Antonia Fraser propelled him into the highest echelons of British society. He loved cricket and parties, and mixed freely with the establishment of the time, but nonetheless remained resolutely attached to left wing causes and campaigned against what he saw as American imperialism throughout his life.
Join Charlie and Rupert as they discuss this fascinating man and his early masterpiece, The Caretaker.