Borstal Boy
| Author | Brendan Behan |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Subject | |
| Genre | Drama |
| Publisher | Hutchinson |
Publication date | 1958 |
| Publication place | Ireland |
| Media type | Print Hardcover |
| Pages | 342 pp (first edition) |
| OCLC | 185635608 |
Borstal Boy is an autobiographical 1958 book by Brendan Behan. The story depicts a young, fervently idealistic Behan who loses his naïveté 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. The play was a great success winning McMahon a Tony Award for his adaptation. The play remains popular with both Irish and American audiences. 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.
UK electro-pop group Chew Lips take their name from a character in the book.