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.
Some of the works produced while the authors were confined were scribbled on waste papers. Writers in other parts of the world who have produced remarkable works include Ken Saro Wiwa who wrote Sozaboy before he was executed. The subject was a naive soldier who was imprisoned. William Sydney Porter produced 14 stories under the pseudonym O Henry.
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.
Some literary icons have produced incredible works while confined behind in different prisons. They include Chris Ambani, a Nigerian who documented his experience in Kalakuta Republic. The other example is Ngugi wa Thiongo who compiled his memoirs in a collection entitled Detained, A Prisoners Diary. The diary was published in 1981. Women who have contributed in this genre include Precious B from New York, Madam Roland from France, Nawal El Saadawi in Egypt and Beatrice Saubin who wrote from Malaysia.
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.
Some of the works produced while the authors were confined were scribbled on waste papers. Writers in other parts of the world who have produced remarkable works include Ken Saro Wiwa who wrote Sozaboy before he was executed. The subject was a naive soldier who was imprisoned. William Sydney Porter produced 14 stories under the pseudonym O Henry.
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.
Some literary icons have produced incredible works while confined behind in different prisons. They include Chris Ambani, a Nigerian who documented his experience in Kalakuta Republic. The other example is Ngugi wa Thiongo who compiled his memoirs in a collection entitled Detained, A Prisoners Diary. The diary was published in 1981. Women who have contributed in this genre include Precious B from New York, Madam Roland from France, Nawal El Saadawi in Egypt and Beatrice Saubin who wrote from Malaysia.
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.
No comments:
Post a Comment