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Brendan Behan
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Biography:
Born 1923 in Dublin, Ireland, he joined the IRA as a teenager, and at sixteen years old he was sentenced to three
years in prison for attempting to blow up a shipyard in Liverpool. Many more years were
spent in jail for terrorist activities including attempted murder. He was deported in
1952, and his first play was published shortly after his deportation. He wrote his
autobiography, Borstol Boy, in 1958. Died
1964.
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After the
Wake
Paperback - 160
pages (October 1998)
Hardcover
(December 1983)
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Borstal Boy
"Autobiographical work by Brendan Behan, published in 1958. The
book portrays the author's early rebelliousness, his involvement with the Irish Republican
cause, and his subsequent incarceration for two years in an English Borstal, or
reformatory, at age 16. Interspersed with tales of brutality are anecdotes about dramatic
and musical pastimes and Behan's gardening and handicraft activities. The book is notable
for capturing the immediacy of conversation among the inmates." (The Merriam-Webster
Encyclopedia of Literature, April 1, 1995)
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The Complete
Plays
Paperback (August 1987)
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The King of
Ireland's Son
"Grades 3-5, younger for reading aloud. In this folktale from
Brendan
Behan's Island - An Irish Sketchbook, the king's three sons set off to find the source
of the "heavenly music" heard throughout the country. Steered by three
generations of old men through a long tunnel, advised to mount a stallion at the other
end, and warned about a ferocious giant, youngest son Art discovers the beautiful
harpist-singer. To break the spell that imprisons her, Art must defeat a giant in a deadly
hide-and-seek game. Behan's rich retelling, also found in Jane Yolen's Favorite
Folktales from around the World (1986), begs to be read aloud. Greenaway medalist
Lynch's handsome paintings are reminiscent of such early illustrators as Rackham. Full of
drama, emotion and magic, they make this story more accessible to children." (Linda
Perkins, American Library Association)
"A story from Brendan Behan's Island: An Irish Sketchbook (1962),
turned into a lavishly illustrated picture book. The king of Ireland sends his three
sons - Art, Neart, and Ceart - to find the source of heavenly music. Art descends into a
cave, where he meets various strange old men, a helpful talking horse, and a not
overly-bright giant. The style is that of an Irish storyteller relating the tale to an
audience, with long, rushed sentences and keen exaggerations, e.g., in the listing of
Art's many meals. The pictures are an odd mix: The fantasy elements (the old men, the
giant) as well as the landscapes and backgrounds are buoyant and delightful, but a bad fit
for the ordinary mortals, done in a somewhat jarring realistic style. Still, the phrasing
and rhythms of the text make it ideal for reading aloud so listeners can hear its
exuberant lilt." (Kirkus Associates)
Hardcover - 40 pages (March 1997)
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The Letters
of Brendan Behan
Hardcover (January 1992)
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Scarperer
Hardcover (June 1976) |
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