Borstal Boy

Infobox Book
name = Borstal Boy
title_orig =


image_caption =
author = Brendan Behan
country = Ireland
language = English
subject =
genre = Drama
publisher = Hutchinson
pub_date = 1958
media_type = Print Hardcover
pages = 342 pp "(first edition)"
oclc = 185635608

"Borstal Boy" (1958) is an autobiographical novel by Irish nationalist Brendan Behan, recounting his imprisonment at Hollesley Bay for carrying explosives into the United Kingdom, with intent to cause explosions on a mission for the I.R.A.. The story takes its name from the Borstal, a British jail for juveniles, of which Hollesley was one. The book was banned in Ireland on the grounds of obscenity.

The story depicts a young, fervently idealistic Behan who loses his naivete over the three years of his sentence, softening his radical stance and warming to the other prisoners. From a technical standpoint, the novel is chiefly notable for the art with which it captures the lively dialogue of the Borstal inmates, with all the variety of the British Isles' many subtly distinctive accents intact on the page.

Adaptations

In 1967, the story debuted as a play, adapted by Frank McMahon and staged at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin, with Frank Grimes as the young Behan. A film adaptation was released in 2000, directed by Peter Sheridan, starring Shawn Hatosy and Danny Dyer.

In 1973, the English rock band, The Faces recorded a song about the book that was included on their album, "Ooh La La".

External links

*
*