YOKO ONO, artist and widow of John Lennon

During the Second World War, I was in Japan listening to a radio programme on which kamikaze pilots, before leaving, were allowed to say something to their parents or family. And they all said, "Mummy, I'm going now and I wish you a long life". It was just the most horrific thing that I've heard, and I'll never forget that. I'll never forget that. What an incredibly cruel thing to do to any human being. I think that changed my whole idea about war. I was a young girl so I really didn't know what war was, except that it's very frightening. And every night I had to go into a shelter when the B-52s came overhead. There was nothing noble about the war. I mean, there was propaganda in both countries, I'm sure, saying, "It's a noble war, we have to do it". But when you get down to those pilots, then you know it's cruel and totally wasteful.

 
HAROLD PINTER, playwright

My first full-length play, in 1958, was a total disaster. It was destroyed by the critics, it ran for six days in London, and at the Thursday matinée there were six people in the audience. So that was not a very encouraging beginning. It was called The Birthday Party. It has since been done all over the world many, many times, and in London many, many times. But the change in my life came with my next play, about two years later, The Caretaker. That was a big success, and, in a sense, I haven't looked back since - I just kept writing away. I enjoy it, and it's also very important to me, particularly in the political structure of the world at the moment. It's very important for the writer to speak up about the total degradation of our world, inspired by the United States of America, which I think is a disastrous force - an extremely dangerous force. I believe that they might blow the whole world up if we don't watch our step.