Saturday, October 7, 2017

A Short List Of Great Fictional Prison Book Ever Written

By Debra Wood


Literature is an all encompassing form of writing and the arts that has touched on innumerable subject matters. Anything from science, philosophy, fine arts, religion, mathematics, medicine, and other topics has been transformed by gifted individuals into written or literary formats. A genre that has gained a cult following since its initial conceptualization is prison literature. It involves books written by people in jail or stories revolving around what happened in inside one.

It generally encompasses all books that were written by authors who were trapped in a jail cell or in house arrest during the time of writing. The contents of these books often range from the experience of living in such condition, or are based on actual events that took place in a similar setting. For more information regarding this, you will find a short list of great Fictional Prison Book ever written below.

Fyodor Dostoyevsky is a popular and prominent author in genres of philosophy, religion, and politics. A novel he wrote that stands out is The House of the Dead, which recounts tales based on convicts who spent some time in the infamous prison camps based in Siberia. It contained many elements of Realism, and referenced events and facts, but were not confirmed by Dostoyevsky himself.

Orange is the New Black is known mostly as a popular series, available in major streaming sites. However, what most people are not aware of, is that it was actually a book written by Piper Kerman. It is considered to be her memoir, following the experience of being imprisoned after being convicted of money laundering and drug trafficking.

Darkness at Noon is authored by Arthur Koestler, who is a Hungarian journalist. It was originally written in German but was translated into English following its success. The novel is considered his best work and the plot takes lace in nineteen thirty eight, at the height what is now called the Moscow show trials. It was obviously based on the events that transpired during that time, but does not name any specific places or people in it.

Margaret Atwood authored Alias Grace, published during the mid nineties. After its initial release, it went on to become enlisted and subsequently won a few awards. The plot revolve around the murders that took place in eighteen forty three, where Thomas Kinnear and his housekeeper named Nancy Montgomery were killed. The culprits were two servants working for Thomas himself who conspired to do it together.

Even though it was regarded more as a science fiction tale, it still contained plenty of jail literature influence. Such is the work of Jack London on The Star Rover whose main character is Darell. Darell works as a university professor until he faces trial for murder. When he loses, he is then tortured by guards by making him wear a jacket so tight it crushed his viscera. To forget the pain he felt, he often performed astral projection to escape his reality.

Jean Genet has a reputation for being an activist for politics and human rights. However, he was also a novelist who wrote many books and poems, including Our Lady of the Flowers. The prose itself is reminiscent of poetical prose and focuses on a character who resides in the undergrounds of a Parisian society. While he resides here, the encounters a bunch of people who are accustomed to such bleak lifestyles and most of them are homosexuals.

A feminist, activist, and author named Nawal El Saadawi authored Memoirs from the Women Prison. As the name suggests, it contained some stories based on women who spent some time in jail. While they were there, they were often the victims of violent physical abuse due to the paternal voice and leadership. The book is often considered a reflection of what kind of voice women have in society and the discrimination and sexism they are subjected to on a regular basis.




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