Leading British playwright Harold Pinter won the 2005 Nobel Prize in literature Thursday (Oct 14th), the Swedish Academy announced.

The Swedish Academy said the 75-year-old Pinter, "who in his plays uncovers the precipice under everyday prattle and forces entry into oppression's closed rooms", is the foremost representative of drama in post-war Britain.

The laureate "restored theater to its basic elements: an enclosed space and unpredictable dialogue where people are at the mercy of each other and pretense crumbles," said the Academy.

He is even credited with an adjective, Pinteresque, which is used to describe a particular atmosphere and environment in drama, according to the jury.

Pinter made his playwriting debut in 1957, with "The Room". His conclusive breakthrough came with "The Caretaker" in 1959, followed by "The Homecoming" in 1964.

An accomplished actor and director, Pinter is also known for screenplays for film and television, such as the 1981 movie "The French Lieutenant's Woman," based on John Fowles' novel.

Pinter was born in the London borough of Hackney, the son of a Jewish dressmaker. During his youth he experienced anti-Semitism, which he said had been important in his decision to become a dramatist.

One of the most influential British playwrights of his generation, Pinter in recent years has turned his acerbic eye on the United States and the war in Iraq. He has been an outspoken critic of British Prime Minister Tony Blair and vehemently opposed Britain's involvement in the war.

The Swedish academy, founded in 1786 by King Gustav III to advance the Swedish language and its literature, has handed out the literature prize since 1901. To date 102 men and women have received the prize.

Pinter will receive the Nobel Prize, which consists of the prize sum of 10 million Swedish kronor (1.3 million US dollars), agold medal and a diploma, from Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf at a formal ceremony in Stockholm on December 10, the anniversary of the death of Alfred Nobel, the founder of the Nobel prizes in 1896.

The Literature Prize was the last of the six coveted awards to be handed out this month.

Last week, the Nobel Medicine Prize went to Australian researchduo Barry Marshall and Robin Warren for their breakthrough research on how to treat stomach ulcers with antibiotics.

The Physics Prize went to US nationals Roy Glauber and John Hall, and Theodor Haensch of Germany for groundbreaking work on understanding light.

The Chemistry Prize honoured Yves Chauvin of France and US nationals Robert Grubbs and Richard Schrock for a breakthrough in carbon chemistry that opens the way to smarter drugs and environmentally-friendlier plastics.

The Economics Prize was awarded to Robert Aumann, an Israeli-UScitizen, and Thomas Schelling of the United States for using game theory to explain conflict resolution.

Finally, the Peace Prize went to the UN nuclear watchdog IAEA and its Egyptian director general Mohamed ElBaradei for their efforts to halt the spread of nuclear weapons.

Editor: Wing