The simplest definition of prison literature is writing that was authored in confinement against own will. The writer could be confined in a prison, in an ordinary jail or under house arrest. Such environment has produced incredible fiction, non-fiction, memoirs, press articles and plays, among other scripts. It is the writer who is imprisoned, writing about imprisonment or informed by confinement experience.
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.
An amazing scenario happened in Iran when Dowlatabadi Mahmoud was imprisoned. This is where he wrote the book Missing Soluch which was 500 pages. The amazing thing was how Mahmoud managed to write the entire book without a pen or paper. It was all in his head. After he was released, he put it in paper over a 70 days period.
Chris Ambani, a Nigerian author documented his experiences in a book called Kalakuta Republic. Ngugi wa Thiongo produced a diary entitled Detained, A Prisoners Diary that was published in 1981. Several notable women writers have produced incredible works that while under arrest. They include Madame Roland from Paris, Krystyna Wituska from Berlin, Nawal El Saadawi in Egypt and Joan Henry from England. Precious Bedell produced her works in New York while Beatrice Saubin wrote from Malysia.
Prisoners have written to pass time especially the incarcerated intellectuals. Organizations have been organizing writing forums for prisoners in an attempt to tap into their thoughts. This genre has been used to fuel revolutions and contribute to debates outside prisons, either directly or indirectly.
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.
An amazing scenario happened in Iran when Dowlatabadi Mahmoud was imprisoned. This is where he wrote the book Missing Soluch which was 500 pages. The amazing thing was how Mahmoud managed to write the entire book without a pen or paper. It was all in his head. After he was released, he put it in paper over a 70 days period.
Chris Ambani, a Nigerian author documented his experiences in a book called Kalakuta Republic. Ngugi wa Thiongo produced a diary entitled Detained, A Prisoners Diary that was published in 1981. Several notable women writers have produced incredible works that while under arrest. They include Madame Roland from Paris, Krystyna Wituska from Berlin, Nawal El Saadawi in Egypt and Joan Henry from England. Precious Bedell produced her works in New York while Beatrice Saubin wrote from Malysia.
Prisoners have written to pass time especially the incarcerated intellectuals. Organizations have been organizing writing forums for prisoners in an attempt to tap into their thoughts. This genre has been used to fuel revolutions and contribute to debates outside prisons, either directly or indirectly.
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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