Prison literature
Encyclopedia
Prison literature is a literary genre
characterized by literature that is written while the author is confined in a location against his will, such as a prison
, jail or house arrest
. Literature of this sort can be composed for many different reasons: self-expression, a means of mental and emotional escape, a medium through which to record memories or experiences, a way to organize one’s thoughts and feelings, a creative outlet, or simply a means to establish a sense of self-worth. Basically, it is one form of freedom prisoners have when all others have been extracted from them. For most readers of prison literature, it means getting a glimpse into a world they would never otherwise experience. As Tom Wicker
puts it, “They disclose the nasty, brutish details of the life within – a life the authorities would rather we not know about, a life so far from conventional existence that the accounts of those who experience it exert the fascination of the unknown, sometimes the unbelievable.” He also notes that “what happens inside the walls inevitably reflects the society outside.” So not only do readers acquire a sense of the world inside the walls, gaining insight into the thoughts and feelings of prisoners; they also gain a clearer vision of the society which exists outside the prison walls and how it treats and affects those whom they place within. Tom Wicker described prison literature as a "fascinating glimmer of humanity persisting in circumstances that conspire, with overwhelming force, to obliterate it."
(524 AD) which has been described as “by far the most interesting example of prison literature the world has ever seen.” Hugo Grotius
wrote his Commentaries while in prison. Marco Polo
found time and inspiration to write his travels to China only after his return and being imprisoned in Genoa. Miguel de Cervantes
was held captive as a galley slave between 1575-80 and from this he drew inspiration for his novel Don Quixote (1605). Sir Walter Raleigh compiled his History of the World, Volume 1 in a prison chamber in the Tower of London
, but he was only able to complete Volume 1 before he was executed. Raimondo Montecuccoli
wrote his aphorisms on the art of war in a Stettin prison (ca 1639-1641). John Bunyan
wrote The Pilgrim's Progress
(1678) while in jail. Martin Luther
translated the New Testament
into German while held at Wartburg Castle
. Marquis de Sade
wrote prolifically during a 11 year period in the Bastille
, churning out 11 novels, 16 novellas, 2 volumes of essays, a diary and 20 plays. Napoleon Bonaparte dictated his memoir while imprisoned on St. Helena island; it would become of the best sellers of the 19th century. Oscar Wilde
wrote the philosophical essay "De Profundis
" while in Reading Gaol on charges of "unnatural acts". Adolf Hitler
wrote his autobiographical and political ideology book Mein Kampf
while he was imprisoned after the Beer Hall Putsch
in November 1923. In 1942 Jean Genet
wrote his first novel Our Lady of the Flowers
while in prison near Paris, scrawled on scraps of paper. Nigerian author Ken Saro-Wiwa
, executed while in prison, wrote Sozaboy about a naïve young soldier who is imprisoned.
A number of postcolonial texts are based on the author's experiences in prison. Nigerian author Chris Abani
’s book of poetry Kalakuta Republic
is based on his experiences in prison. Pramoedya Ananta Toer
wrote the Buru Quartet
while in prison in Indonesia. Kenya
author Ngugi wa Thiong'o
's prison diary Detained published in 1981.
Prison literature written in America is of particular interest to some scholars who point out that pieces which reveal the brutality of life behind bars pose an interesting question about American society: “Can these things really happen in prosperous, freedom-loving America?”
Since America is globally reputed as being a “democratic haven” and the “land of freedom,” writings that come out of American prisons can potentially present a challenge to everything the nation was founded on. Jack London
, a famous American writer who was incarcerated for thirty days in the Erie County Penitentiary, is an example of such a challenger; in his memoir “’Pinched’: A Prison Experience” he recalls how he was automatically sentenced to thirty days in prison with no chance to defend himself or even plead innocent or guilty. While sitting in the courtroom he thought to himself, “Behind me were the many generations of my American ancestry. One of the kinds of liberty those ancestors of mine fought and died for was the right of trial by jury. This was my heritage, stained sacred by their blood…” London’s “sacred heritage” made no difference, however. It is stories such as London’s that make American prison literature a common and popular subtopic of the broader genre of literature.
20th Century
20th century America brought about many pieces of prison literature. Some examples of such pieces are “My Life in Prison” by Donald Lowrie
, “Cell Mates” by Agnes Smedley
, “Crime and Criminals” by Kate Richards O’Hare, “The Autobiography of Malcolm X” by Malcolm X
, “Sing Soft, Sing Loud” by Patricia McConnel, and “AIDS: The View from a Prison Cell” by Dannie Martin. Some other 20th century prison writers include Jim Tully
, Ernest Booth, Chester Himes
, Nelson Agren, Robert Lowell
, George Jackson
, Jimmy Santiago Baca
, and Kathy Boudin
.
Some examples of female prison writers include Madame Roland
(Paris, 1793), Krystyna Wituska (Berlin, 1942-44), Nawal El Saadawi
(Egypt, 1981), Joan Henry
(England, 1951), Caesarina Kona Makhoere (South Africa, 1976-82), Vera Figner
(Russia, 1883-1904), Beatrice Saubin (Malaysia, 1890-90), Precious Bedell (New York, 1980-99) and Lady Constance Lytton (England, 1910).
African American Women
Over two-thirds of women prisoners in local, state, and federal institutions in the United States are "women of color," the majority being African American women. Studies have shown that in general, African American women, more so than their Caucasian counterparts, come from impoverished backgrounds and have poor personal health. African American women are also said to be part of a "culture of struggle and resistance." Many believe that these distinctions make this genre worthy of special study within the broader genre of women's prison literature.
Literary genre
A literary genre is a category of literary composition. Genres may be determined by literary technique, tone, content, or even length. Genre should not be confused with age category, by which literature may be classified as either adult, young-adult, or children's. They also must not be confused...
characterized by literature that is written while the author is confined in a location against his will, such as a prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
, jail or house arrest
House arrest
In justice and law, house arrest is a measure by which a person is confined by the authorities to his or her residence. Travel is usually restricted, if allowed at all...
. Literature of this sort can be composed for many different reasons: self-expression, a means of mental and emotional escape, a medium through which to record memories or experiences, a way to organize one’s thoughts and feelings, a creative outlet, or simply a means to establish a sense of self-worth. Basically, it is one form of freedom prisoners have when all others have been extracted from them. For most readers of prison literature, it means getting a glimpse into a world they would never otherwise experience. As Tom Wicker
Tom Wicker
Thomas Grey "Tom" Wicker was an American journalist. He was best known as a political reporter and columnist for The New York Times.-Background and education:...
puts it, “They disclose the nasty, brutish details of the life within – a life the authorities would rather we not know about, a life so far from conventional existence that the accounts of those who experience it exert the fascination of the unknown, sometimes the unbelievable.” He also notes that “what happens inside the walls inevitably reflects the society outside.” So not only do readers acquire a sense of the world inside the walls, gaining insight into the thoughts and feelings of prisoners; they also gain a clearer vision of the society which exists outside the prison walls and how it treats and affects those whom they place within. Tom Wicker described prison literature as a "fascinating glimmer of humanity persisting in circumstances that conspire, with overwhelming force, to obliterate it."
History
Some notable historical examples of prison literature include Boethius's Consolation of PhilosophyConsolation of Philosophy
Consolation of Philosophy is a philosophical work by Boethius, written around the year 524. It has been described as the single most important and influential work in the West on Medieval and early Renaissance Christianity, and is also the last great Western work that can be called Classical.-...
(524 AD) which has been described as “by far the most interesting example of prison literature the world has ever seen.” Hugo Grotius
Hugo Grotius
Hugo Grotius , also known as Huig de Groot, Hugo Grocio or Hugo de Groot, was a jurist in the Dutch Republic. With Francisco de Vitoria and Alberico Gentili he laid the foundations for international law, based on natural law...
wrote his Commentaries while in prison. Marco Polo
Marco Polo
Marco Polo was a Venetian merchant traveler from the Venetian Republic whose travels are recorded in Il Milione, a book which did much to introduce Europeans to Central Asia and China. He learned about trading whilst his father and uncle, Niccolò and Maffeo, travelled through Asia and apparently...
found time and inspiration to write his travels to China only after his return and being imprisoned in Genoa. Miguel de Cervantes
Miguel de Cervantes
Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra was a Spanish novelist, poet, and playwright. His magnum opus, Don Quixote, considered the first modern novel, is a classic of Western literature, and is regarded amongst the best works of fiction ever written...
was held captive as a galley slave between 1575-80 and from this he drew inspiration for his novel Don Quixote (1605). Sir Walter Raleigh compiled his History of the World, Volume 1 in a prison chamber in the Tower of London
Tower of London
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
, but he was only able to complete Volume 1 before he was executed. Raimondo Montecuccoli
Raimondo Montecuccoli
Raimondo, Count of Montecúccoli or Montecucculi was an Italian military general who also served as general for the Austrians, and was also a prince of the Holy Roman Empire and Neapolitan Duke of Melfi....
wrote his aphorisms on the art of war in a Stettin prison (ca 1639-1641). John Bunyan
John Bunyan
John Bunyan was an English Christian writer and preacher, famous for writing The Pilgrim's Progress. Though he was a Reformed Baptist, in the Church of England he is remembered with a Lesser Festival on 30 August, and on the liturgical calendar of the Episcopal Church on 29 August.-Life:In 1628,...
wrote The Pilgrim's Progress
The Pilgrim's Progress
The Pilgrim's Progress from This World to That Which Is to Come is a Christian allegory written by John Bunyan and published in February, 1678. It is regarded as one of the most significant works of religious English literature, has been translated into more than 200 languages, and has never been...
(1678) while in jail. Martin Luther
Martin Luther
Martin Luther was a German priest, professor of theology and iconic figure of the Protestant Reformation. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money. He confronted indulgence salesman Johann Tetzel with his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517...
translated the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
into German while held at Wartburg Castle
Wartburg Castle
The Wartburg is a castle situated on a 1230-foot precipice to the southwest of, and overlooking the town of Eisenach, in the state of Thuringia, Germany...
. Marquis de Sade
Marquis de Sade
Donatien Alphonse François, Marquis de Sade was a French aristocrat, revolutionary politician, philosopher, and writer famous for his libertine sexuality and lifestyle...
wrote prolifically during a 11 year period in the Bastille
Bastille
The Bastille was a fortress in Paris, known formally as the Bastille Saint-Antoine. It played an important role in the internal conflicts of France and for most of its history was used as a state prison by the kings of France. The Bastille was built in response to the English threat to the city of...
, churning out 11 novels, 16 novellas, 2 volumes of essays, a diary and 20 plays. Napoleon Bonaparte dictated his memoir while imprisoned on St. Helena island; it would become of the best sellers of the 19th century. Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish writer and poet. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s...
wrote the philosophical essay "De Profundis
De Profundis
De Profundis refers to Psalm 130, traditionally known as the De profundis from its opening words in Latin.It may also refer to:* De Profundis , a ballet by J...
" while in Reading Gaol on charges of "unnatural acts". Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
wrote his autobiographical and political ideology book Mein Kampf
Mein Kampf
Mein Kampf is a book written by Nazi leader Adolf Hitler. It combines elements of autobiography with an exposition of Hitler's political ideology. Volume 1 of Mein Kampf was published in 1925 and Volume 2 in 1926...
while he was imprisoned after the Beer Hall Putsch
Beer Hall Putsch
The Beer Hall Putsch was a failed attempt at revolution that occurred between the evening of 8 November and the early afternoon of 9 November 1923, when Nazi Party leader Adolf Hitler, Generalquartiermeister Erich Ludendorff, and other heads of the Kampfbund unsuccessfully tried to seize power...
in November 1923. In 1942 Jean Genet
Jean Genet
Jean Genet was a prominent and controversial French novelist, playwright, poet, essayist, and political activist. Early in his life he was a vagabond and petty criminal, but later took to writing...
wrote his first novel Our Lady of the Flowers
Our Lady of the Flowers
Our Lady of the Flowers is the debut novel of French writer Jean Genet, first published in 1943. The free-flowing, poetic novel is a largely autobiographical account of a man's journey through the Parisian underworld...
while in prison near Paris, scrawled on scraps of paper. Nigerian author Ken Saro-Wiwa
Ken Saro-Wiwa
Kenule "Ken" Beeson Saro Wiwa was a Nigerian author, television producer, environmental activist, and winner of the Right Livelihood Award and the Goldman Environmental Prize...
, executed while in prison, wrote Sozaboy about a naïve young soldier who is imprisoned.
A number of postcolonial texts are based on the author's experiences in prison. Nigerian author Chris Abani
Chris Abani
Christopher Abani is a Nigerian author. Abani's first novel, Masters of the Board, was about a Neo-Nazi takeover of Nigeria...
’s book of poetry Kalakuta Republic
Kalakuta Republic
Kalakuta Republic was the name musician and political activist Fela Kuti gave to the communal compound that housed his family, band members, and recording studio. Located at 14 Agege Motor Road, Idi-Oro, Mushin, Lagos, Nigeria it had a free health clinic, and recording facility...
is based on his experiences in prison. Pramoedya Ananta Toer
Pramoedya Ananta Toer
Pramoedya Ananta Toer was an Indonesian author of novels, short stories, essays, polemic and histories of his homeland and its people...
wrote the Buru Quartet
Buru Quartet
The Buru Quartet is a literary tetralogy written by Indonesian author Pramoedya Ananta Toer. It is composed of the novels This Earth of Mankind, Child of All Nations, Footsteps, and House of Glass.-External links:...
while in prison in Indonesia. Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
author Ngugi wa Thiong'o
Ngugi wa Thiong'o
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o is a Kenyan author, formerly working in English and now working in Gĩkũyũ. His work includes novels, plays, short stories, and essays, ranging from literary and social criticism to children's literature...
's prison diary Detained published in 1981.
American prison literature
At the start of the 21st century, the United States had an incarceration rate of two million people, taking the lead with the highest imprisonment rate worldwide.Prison literature written in America is of particular interest to some scholars who point out that pieces which reveal the brutality of life behind bars pose an interesting question about American society: “Can these things really happen in prosperous, freedom-loving America?”
Since America is globally reputed as being a “democratic haven” and the “land of freedom,” writings that come out of American prisons can potentially present a challenge to everything the nation was founded on. Jack London
Jack London
John Griffith "Jack" London was an American author, journalist, and social activist. He was a pioneer in the then-burgeoning world of commercial magazine fiction and was one of the first fiction writers to obtain worldwide celebrity and a large fortune from his fiction alone...
, a famous American writer who was incarcerated for thirty days in the Erie County Penitentiary, is an example of such a challenger; in his memoir “’Pinched’: A Prison Experience” he recalls how he was automatically sentenced to thirty days in prison with no chance to defend himself or even plead innocent or guilty. While sitting in the courtroom he thought to himself, “Behind me were the many generations of my American ancestry. One of the kinds of liberty those ancestors of mine fought and died for was the right of trial by jury. This was my heritage, stained sacred by their blood…” London’s “sacred heritage” made no difference, however. It is stories such as London’s that make American prison literature a common and popular subtopic of the broader genre of literature.
20th Century
20th century America brought about many pieces of prison literature. Some examples of such pieces are “My Life in Prison” by Donald Lowrie
Donald Lowrie
Donald Lowrie was an American newspaper writer and author. He became a well-known advocate of prison reform work upon the release of his book "My Life in Prison", in which he reflects on his ten-year incarceration in San Quentin State Prison north of San Francisco, California.-Early life:Accounts...
, “Cell Mates” by Agnes Smedley
Agnes Smedley
Agnes Smedley was an American journalist and writer best known for her semi-autobiographical novelDaughter of Earth. She was also known for her sympathetic chronicling of the Chinese revolution...
, “Crime and Criminals” by Kate Richards O’Hare, “The Autobiography of Malcolm X” by Malcolm X
Malcolm X
Malcolm X , born Malcolm Little and also known as El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz , was an African American Muslim minister and human rights activist. To his admirers he was a courageous advocate for the rights of African Americans, a man who indicted white America in the harshest terms for its...
, “Sing Soft, Sing Loud” by Patricia McConnel, and “AIDS: The View from a Prison Cell” by Dannie Martin. Some other 20th century prison writers include Jim Tully
Jim Tully
Jim Tully was a vagabond, pugilist, and American writer. His critical and commercial success in the 1920s and 30s may qualify him as the greatest long shot in American literature.Born near St...
, Ernest Booth, Chester Himes
Chester Himes
Chester Bomar Himes was an American writer. His works include If He Hollers Let Him Go and a series of Harlem Detective novels...
, Nelson Agren, Robert Lowell
Robert Lowell
Robert Traill Spence Lowell IV was an American poet, considered the founder of the confessional poetry movement. He was appointed the sixth Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress where he served from 1947 until 1948...
, George Jackson
George Jackson
- People :* George Jackson , American MLB player from 1911–1913* George Jackson , U.S. Black Panther, prisoner, and author* George Jackson , English botanist...
, Jimmy Santiago Baca
Jimmy Santiago Baca
Jimmy Santiago Baca of Apache and Chicano descent is an American poet and writer.- Life and career :...
, and Kathy Boudin
Kathy Boudin
Kathy Boudin is a former American radical who was convicted in 1984 of felony murder for her participation in an armed robbery that resulted in the killing of three people. She later became a public health expert while in prison...
.
Women's prison literature
In recent years, the population of women in U.S. prisons has increased more quickly than that of men. Women represent almost 10 percent of the U.S. prison population and have limited protection against rape and other sexual violence; many are discriminated against and treated as “sub-human." The works of literature these women write are testament not only to the power of women to overcome the oppression and discrimination they face in their daily lives, but the strength to withstand the defiling experience of prison life and use self-expression as a means of emotional escape and freedom.Some examples of female prison writers include Madame Roland
Madame Roland
Marie-Jeanne Roland, better known simply as Madame Roland and born Marie-Jeanne Phlipon , was, together with her husband Jean-Marie Roland de la Platière, a supporter of the French Revolution and influential member of the Girondist faction...
(Paris, 1793), Krystyna Wituska (Berlin, 1942-44), Nawal El Saadawi
Nawal El Saadawi
Nawal El Saadawi , born October 27, 1931, is an Egyptian feminist writer, activist, physician and psychiatrist. She has written many books on the subject of women in Islam, paying particular attention to the practice of female genital mutilation in her society....
(Egypt, 1981), Joan Henry
Joan Henry
Joan Constance Anne Henry was an English novelist, playwright and screenwriter. A former débutante from an illustrious family, she was jailed for passing a fraudulent cheque in 1951 and her best-known works were based on her experiences in prison...
(England, 1951), Caesarina Kona Makhoere (South Africa, 1976-82), Vera Figner
Vera Figner
Vera Nikolayevna Figner was a Russian revolutionary and narodnik born in Kazan, Russia.-Biography:...
(Russia, 1883-1904), Beatrice Saubin (Malaysia, 1890-90), Precious Bedell (New York, 1980-99) and Lady Constance Lytton (England, 1910).
African American Women
Over two-thirds of women prisoners in local, state, and federal institutions in the United States are "women of color," the majority being African American women. Studies have shown that in general, African American women, more so than their Caucasian counterparts, come from impoverished backgrounds and have poor personal health. African American women are also said to be part of a "culture of struggle and resistance." Many believe that these distinctions make this genre worthy of special study within the broader genre of women's prison literature.