Borstal Boy
Encyclopedia
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 to a juvenile borstal
, softening his radical Republican stance and warming to his fellow British 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. Ultimately, Behan demonstrated by way of his talent for writing dialogue that working class Irish Catholic
s and English Protestants actually had more in common with one another through class, and that religious and ethnic barriers were superficial and imposed by a fearful middle class.
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.
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
1958 book by Brendan Behan
Brendan Behan
Brendan Francis Behan was an Irish poet, short story writer, novelist, and playwright who wrote in both Irish and English. He was also an Irish republican and a volunteer in the Irish Republican Army.-Early life:...
. The story depicts a young, fervently idealistic Behan who loses his naïveté over the three years of his sentence to a juvenile borstal
Borstal
A borstal was a type of youth prison in the United Kingdom, run by the Prison Service and intended to reform seriously delinquent young people. The word is sometimes used loosely to apply to other kinds of youth institution or reformatory, such as Approved Schools and Detention Centres. The court...
, softening his radical Republican stance and warming to his fellow British 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. Ultimately, Behan demonstrated by way of his talent for writing dialogue that working class Irish Catholic
Irish Catholic
Irish Catholic is a term used to describe people who are both Roman Catholic and Irish .Note: the term is not used to describe a variant of Catholicism. More particularly, it is not a separate creed or sect in the sense that "Anglo-Catholic", "Old Catholic", "Eastern Orthodox Catholic" might be...
s and English Protestants actually had more in common with one another through class, and that religious and ethnic barriers were superficial and imposed by a fearful middle class.
Adaptations
In 1967, the story debuted as a play, adapted by Frank McMahonFrank McMahon (author)
Frank McMahon was an Irish American author and playwright perhaps best known for his play Borstal Boy, an adaptation of the Brendan Behan novel of the same title, which won Frank a prestigious Tony Award....
and staged at the Abbey Theatre
Abbey Theatre
The Abbey Theatre , also known as the National Theatre of Ireland , is a theatre located in Dublin, Ireland. The Abbey first opened its doors to the public on 27 December 1904. Despite losing its original building to a fire in 1951, it has remained active to the present day...
in Dublin, with Frank Grimes
Frank Grimes (actor)
Frank Grimes is an Irish stage and screen actor.Grimes was born in Dublin. He achieved his first major success as the young Brendan Behan in the 1967 stage adaptation of Behan's autobiography, Borstal Boy, at the Abbey Theatre...
as the young Behan. The play was a great success winning McMahon a Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
for his adaptation. The play remains popular with both Irish and American audiences. A film adaptation was released in 2000, directed by Peter Sheridan
Peter Sheridan
Peter Sheridan is an Irish playwright, screenwriter and director. He lives in the north side of Dublin.His plays have a lyrical, vivid style amid tough dialog highlighting the difficulty and the promise of life in Ireland's capital. Awards include the Rooney Prize for Irish Literature...
, starring Shawn Hatosy
Shawn Hatosy
Shawn Wayne Hatosy is an actor with over 40 film and television credits to his name.-Personal life:Hatosy was born in Frederick, Maryland, the son of Carol , a loan officer, and Wayne Hatosy, a graphic designer and event planning director...
and Danny Dyer
Danny Dyer
Danny Dyer is an English actor, media personality, and chairman of Greenwich Borough, a non-League football team.-Biography:Daniel John Dyer was born in Custom House, an area of East London, to Antony and Christine 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
Chew Lips
Chew Lips are an East London based dance-pop duo, formed in spring of 2008. They consist of singer 'Tigs' and multi-instrumentalist James Watkins.-First Steps :...
take their name from a character in the book.