Saturday, January 25, 2014

Growth And Context Of Prison Literature

By Nelda Powers


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.

The earliest work by a prisoner was done by Boethius and was titled Consolation of Philosophy. It was written in 524 AD. It opened a genre of writing that has continued to grow over the years. Other writers have followed his footsteps including notable personalities like Martin Luther and Napoleon Bonaparte. Luther produced the German translation of the New Testament while under arrest. Bonaparte dictated his memoirs in the same condition. They became best sellers later in the nineteenth century.

Imprisonment has altered the writing styles of different authors besides providing them with content. Fyodor Dostoevsky is an example of this transformation. He was imprisoned for participating in the activities of an illegal movement of intellectuals. Four years after imprisonment, he changed his style and tone in writing to become more critical of nihilist and socialist view points. He was known to write about suffering and humility. This darkened his works and made it complex to understand.

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.

One remarkable prison writing is that of an Iranian author called Mahmoud Dowlatabadi. His book was 500 pages long and entitled Missing Soluch. He did not have any pen or paper with him when he was writing the book. The entire book is said to have been written in the head while he was still behind bars. It took him 70 days to copy it on paper after he secured his release.

Amazing books have been written about experiences behind bars. They include the works by Ngugi wa Thiongo which he called Detained A Prisoners Diary. This book was released in 1981. Kalakuta Republic was written by a Nigerian author by the name Ambani Chris. It captures his accounts when he was imprisoned. Women writers have included Beatrice Saubin from Malysia, Bedell Precious from New York, Joan Henry writing from England, Nawal El Saadawi from Egypt, Madam Roland who wrote from Paris and Krystyna Wituska who came from Berlin.

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 thrives on the experiences, philosophy and thoughts of imprisoned people. Prisoners are encouraged to write in order to overcome the trauma or as a therapeutic act of cleansing their minds of the horror behind bars. It allows them to reconcile with imprisonment.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment