Prison literature is referred to as writing produced when the author is confined against personal will. The location of confinement could be a prison, house arrest or in jail. It takes the form of plays, fiction, memoirs, non-fiction and at times writing to regular press. It is about confinement, informed by the confinement or produced when the author was confined.
Notable pioneers of this literary genre included Boethius who wrote Consolation of Philosophy under arrest as early as 524 AD. This is considers an excellent pace setting book. It inspired other people to pickup the subject and produce more books. It is under arrest that Martin Luther is said to have translated the entire New Testament from English to German. The memoirs of Napoleon Bonaparte, which became hits in the nineteenth century, were dictated to the writer when he was incarcerated.
Fyodor Dostoevsky is one of the authors whose writing was informed by imprisonment. His four years in Siberia for joining an intellectual movement had significant impact on his writing career. He began arguing against socialist and nihilist points of view. His trademark themes were humility and suffering that were advocated at the time. This made his writing very complex and dark.
The environment offered by prisons is not very conducive for writing. The manuscripts have been smuggled by relatives or guards. Some are tissue papers while others are paper scraps. Some notable writers who have defied such odds include Ken Saro Wiwa who wrote Sozaboy, a book about an innocent soldier who was taken behind bars. William Porter Sydney adopted the name O Henry and used it to write 14 books.
One remarkable prison writing is that of an Iranian author called Mahmoud Dowlatabadi. His book was 500 pages long and entitled Missing Soluch. He did not have any pen or paper with him when he was writing the book. The entire book is said to have been written in the head while he was still behind bars. It took him 70 days to copy it on paper after he secured his release.
Amazing books have been written about experiences behind bars. They include the works by Ngugi wa Thiongo which he called Detained A Prisoners Diary. This book was released in 1981. Kalakuta Republic was written by a Nigerian author by the name Ambani Chris. It captures his accounts when he was imprisoned. Women writers have included Beatrice Saubin from Malysia, Bedell Precious from New York, Joan Henry writing from England, Nawal El Saadawi from Egypt, Madam Roland who wrote from Paris and Krystyna Wituska who came from Berlin.
Writing is considered an activity to pass time while a prisoner is confined. The large number of people in jails has been of concern to organizations who seek to offer an avenue for the prisoners to share their knowledge. This form of writing has also been used to fuel or contribute to debates going on beyond the high walls. It has contributed to revolutions in history.
Prison literature captures the thoughts, philosophy and experiences of people behind bars. Imprisonment can cause psychological issues. Writing helps the victims to come to terms with horrific scenes behind bars. The horror of imprisonment is documented in the works of prisoners.
Notable pioneers of this literary genre included Boethius who wrote Consolation of Philosophy under arrest as early as 524 AD. This is considers an excellent pace setting book. It inspired other people to pickup the subject and produce more books. It is under arrest that Martin Luther is said to have translated the entire New Testament from English to German. The memoirs of Napoleon Bonaparte, which became hits in the nineteenth century, were dictated to the writer when he was incarcerated.
Fyodor Dostoevsky is one of the authors whose writing was informed by imprisonment. His four years in Siberia for joining an intellectual movement had significant impact on his writing career. He began arguing against socialist and nihilist points of view. His trademark themes were humility and suffering that were advocated at the time. This made his writing very complex and dark.
The environment offered by prisons is not very conducive for writing. The manuscripts have been smuggled by relatives or guards. Some are tissue papers while others are paper scraps. Some notable writers who have defied such odds include Ken Saro Wiwa who wrote Sozaboy, a book about an innocent soldier who was taken behind bars. William Porter Sydney adopted the name O Henry and used it to write 14 books.
One remarkable prison writing is that of an Iranian author called Mahmoud Dowlatabadi. His book was 500 pages long and entitled Missing Soluch. He did not have any pen or paper with him when he was writing the book. The entire book is said to have been written in the head while he was still behind bars. It took him 70 days to copy it on paper after he secured his release.
Amazing books have been written about experiences behind bars. They include the works by Ngugi wa Thiongo which he called Detained A Prisoners Diary. This book was released in 1981. Kalakuta Republic was written by a Nigerian author by the name Ambani Chris. It captures his accounts when he was imprisoned. Women writers have included Beatrice Saubin from Malysia, Bedell Precious from New York, Joan Henry writing from England, Nawal El Saadawi from Egypt, Madam Roland who wrote from Paris and Krystyna Wituska who came from Berlin.
Writing is considered an activity to pass time while a prisoner is confined. The large number of people in jails has been of concern to organizations who seek to offer an avenue for the prisoners to share their knowledge. This form of writing has also been used to fuel or contribute to debates going on beyond the high walls. It has contributed to revolutions in history.
Prison literature captures the thoughts, philosophy and experiences of people behind bars. Imprisonment can cause psychological issues. Writing helps the victims to come to terms with horrific scenes behind bars. The horror of imprisonment is documented in the works of prisoners.
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