Man, oh man, has 2008 seen the passing of some extraordinary people. I blogged here about my sadness in seeing both Paul Newman and David Foster Wallace go. Of course, with Paul Newman it was merely the sad realization that I can’t share all of my living favorites with Simon, whereas with David Foster Wallace we all lost a huge talent way, way, way before his time in the saddest of all ways. Sigh.
Late last night I learned that another hero has gone. Poet, Playwright, Screenplay writer, and political activist Harold Pinter died on Christmas Eve. I remember reading his work in college, recognizing the genius immediately, and then being stunned to discover that he was still alive and working. At 78, his passing isn’t a tragedy, but there was still a lot of good material left and the world of letters is certainly poorer for his passing.