A Kind of Alaska
Encyclopedia
A Kind of Alaska is a one-act play written in 1982 by Harold Pinter
(1930–2008), the 2005 Nobel Laureate in Literature
.
. It'll be my birthday soon. I think I have the matter in proportion" (40).
, by the renowned neurologist
Oliver Sacks
(3).
A Kind of Alaska was first performed in the Cottesloe Theatre
, in London
, on 14 October 1982, as part of a trilogy of Pinter's plays entitled Other Places. The original cast included Judi Dench
as Deborah, Paul Rogers
as Hornby, and Anna Massey
as Pauline.
. Other Places: Four Plays. New York: Dramatists Play Service
, 1984. ISBN 0-8222-0866-0 (10). ISBN 978-0-8222-0866-2. Print. [Also includes One for the Road, along with A Kind of Alaska, Victoria Station, and Family Voices.]
–––. Other Places: Three Plays (A Kind of Alaska, Victoria Station, and Family Voices). New York: Grove Press
(An Evergreen Book), 1983. Hardback ed.: ISBN 0-394-62449-1 (10). Paperback ed.: ISBN 0-8021-5189-2 (10). ISBN 978-0-8021-5189-6 (13). Print. (Page references to the paperback edition appear within parentheses above.) [A Kind of Alaska appears on 1–40.]
Harold Pinter
Harold Pinter, CH, CBE was a Nobel Prize–winning English playwright and screenwriter. One of the most influential modern British dramatists, his writing career spanned more than 50 years. His best-known plays include The Birthday Party , The Homecoming , and Betrayal , each of which he adapted to...
(1930–2008), the 2005 Nobel Laureate in Literature
Nobel Prize in Literature
Since 1901, the Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded annually to an author from any country who has, in the words from the will of Alfred Nobel, produced "in the field of literature the most outstanding work in an ideal direction"...
.
Summary
A middle-aged woman named Deborah, who has been in a comatose state for thirty years as a result of contracting sleeping sickness, awakes with a mind still that of a sixteen-year-old. She must confront a body which seems to have aged without her prior knowledge or consent. Her sister Pauline and Pauline's husband, Hornby, who has been Deborah's devoted doctor over these 3 decades and who may have fallen in love with her, attempt gently to ease her back to her current reality, while withholding some of the more jarring information. Deborah reawakens to a changed world, attempting to take what appear to her to be rather shocking revelations in graceful stride, but ends the play with the ironic observation about her sister and brother-in-law that can only go so far towards accepting the realities that they have allowed her to know. Speaking of Pauline, Deborah states, bluntly: "She is a widow. She doesn't go to her ballet classes any more. Mummy and Daddy and Estelle [who are actually dead] are on a world cruise. They've stopped off in BangkokBangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
. It'll be my birthday soon. I think I have the matter in proportion" (40).
Production history
According to his note in the published text, Pinter's idea for the play was inspired by his reading of AwakeningsAwakenings (book)
Awakenings is a 1973 non-fiction book by Oliver Sacks. It recounts the life histories of those who had been victims of the 1920s encephalitis lethargica epidemic. Sacks chronicles his efforts in the late 1960s to help these patients at the Beth Abraham Hospital in the Bronx, New York. The...
, by the renowned neurologist
Neurology
Neurology is a medical specialty dealing with disorders of the nervous system. Specifically, it deals with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of disease involving the central, peripheral, and autonomic nervous systems, including their coverings, blood vessels, and all effector tissue,...
Oliver Sacks
Oliver Sacks
Oliver Wolf Sacks, CBE , is a British neurologist and psychologist residing in New York City. He is a professor of neurology and psychiatry at Columbia University, where he also holds the position of Columbia Artist...
(3).
A Kind of Alaska was first performed in the Cottesloe Theatre
Royal National Theatre
The Royal National Theatre in London is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company...
, in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, on 14 October 1982, as part of a trilogy of Pinter's plays entitled Other Places. The original cast included Judi Dench
Judi Dench
Dame Judith Olivia "Judi" Dench, CH, DBE, FRSA is an English film, stage and television actress.Dench made her professional debut in 1957 with the Old Vic Company. Over the following few years she played in several of William Shakespeare's plays in such roles as Ophelia in Hamlet, Juliet in Romeo...
as Deborah, Paul Rogers
Paul Rogers (actor)
Paul Rogers is an English actor of film, stage and television.Rogers was born in Plympton, Devon, England, and later trained at the Michael Chekhov Theatre Studio at Dartington Hall and made his film debut in 1932...
as Hornby, and Anna Massey
Anna Massey
Anna Raymond Massey, CBE was an English actress. She won a BAFTA Award for the role of Edith Hope in the 1986 TV adaptation of Anita Brookner’s novel Hotel du Lac.-Early life:...
as Pauline.
Works cited
Pinter, HaroldHarold Pinter
Harold Pinter, CH, CBE was a Nobel Prize–winning English playwright and screenwriter. One of the most influential modern British dramatists, his writing career spanned more than 50 years. His best-known plays include The Birthday Party , The Homecoming , and Betrayal , each of which he adapted to...
. Other Places: Four Plays. New York: Dramatists Play Service
Dramatists Play Service
Established in 1936 by members of the Dramatists Guild and the Society for Authors' Representatives, Dramatists Play Service, Inc. is a theatrical publishing and licensing house...
, 1984. ISBN 0-8222-0866-0 (10). ISBN 978-0-8222-0866-2. Print. [Also includes One for the Road, along with A Kind of Alaska, Victoria Station, and Family Voices.]
–––. Other Places: Three Plays (A Kind of Alaska, Victoria Station, and Family Voices). New York: Grove Press
Grove Press
Grove Press is an American publishing imprint that was founded in 1951. Imprints include: Black Cat, Evergreen, Venus Library, Zebra. Barney Rosset purchased the company in 1951 and turned it into an alternative book press in the United States. The Atlantic Monthly Press, under the aegis of its...
(An Evergreen Book), 1983. Hardback ed.: ISBN 0-394-62449-1 (10). Paperback ed.: ISBN 0-8021-5189-2 (10). ISBN 978-0-8021-5189-6 (13). Print. (Page references to the paperback edition appear within parentheses above.) [A Kind of Alaska appears on 1–40.]
External links
- A Kind of Alaska – In the "Plays" section of haroldpinter.org, Pinter's official website.
- Other Places – In the "Plays" section of haroldpinter.org. [Includes photo of the programme cover of Other Places, details of the London première, and the text of a production review by Alan Jenkins, entitled "The Withering of Love", originally published in TLSThe Times Literary SupplementThe Times Literary Supplement is a weekly literary review published in London by News International, a subsidiary of News Corporation.-History:...
and reproduced with permission.] - Other Places: Four Plays by Harold Pinter (Dramatists Play ServiceDramatists Play ServiceEstablished in 1936 by members of the Dramatists Guild and the Society for Authors' Representatives, Dramatists Play Service, Inc. is a theatrical publishing and licensing house...
) – Google Books limited preview.