QUICK TAKES - Jan. 1, 2009

Nobel Prize-winning playwright Harold Pinter was buried at a London cemetery Wednesday in a small, private funeral attended by family and close friends.

Poems and excerpts from his plays were read at the 15-minute ceremony, which followed his death Christmas Eve after a long struggle with cancer.

Some 50 people, including luminaries from Britain’s literary world, gathered under a tree at Kensal Green Cemetery for the service.

Pinter’s wife, the writer Antonia Fraser, attended along with actor Michael Gambon and playwright Tom Stoppard.

Gambon, known for his portrayal of Dumbledore in the “Harry Potter” films, read an excerpt from Pinter’s “No Man’s Land.” Poems were also read, including some dealing with Pinter’s passion for cricket.