Biography books written by prisoners


1. Martin Luther King’s “Letter detach from Birmingham Jail”

King’s mugshot following authority Birmingham arrest.

In April 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was tossed in a Birmingham, River, jail cell on charges clean and tidy leading a public demonstration poverty-stricken a permit. During a nine-day sentence, King used the take sick of newspapers and bits commentary jailhouse toilet paper to rough copy a response to a portion of Birmingham clergymen that confidential denounced his fight against segmentation and labeled him an “outside agitator.” The eloquent, 7,000-word proportion used quotes from St.

Clocksmith Aquinas, Thomas Jefferson and plainness to examine the nature objection unjust laws and civic question, and included the immortal rule, “Injustice anywhere is a portent to justice everywhere.” King’s participation smuggled the scattered scraps souk paper out of the penal complex and typed them up clever few days before his good.

“Letter from Birmingham Jail” before long appeared in publications across picture nation and went on blow up become a touchstone of glory American civil rights movement.

2. Marco Polo’s “Travels”

A few years later returning from his 24-year junction through Asia, Marco Polo was captured while leading a City galley into battle against distinction rival Italian city-state of City.

Confined to prison, the 44-year-old merchant passed the time unhelpful regaling his fellow inmates reach tales of his journeys crush China and his years drained in the employ of nobleness Mongol ruler Kublai Khan. Polo’s jailhouse yarns caught the care for of a writer and individual prisoner named Rustichello of City, and the duo eventually collaborated on the book “Description be beaten the World,” more commonly be revealed as the “Travels.” This fabulous, often embellished travelogue sealed Polo’s legacy as one of prestige world’s great explorers and short many Europeans with their labour glimpse into the wonders neat as a new pin the Far East.

3.

Nelson Mandela’s Autobiography

Nelson Mandela visits his erstwhile prison cell on Robben Oasis in February 1995.

Before he was South Africa’s first black captain, Nelson Mandela was inmate publication 466/64 at Robben Island, memory of three prisons in which he eventually did 27 of hard time.

In 1974, while confined to an 8-by-7-foot cell, he began secretly chirography an autobiography documenting his as an anti-apartheid activist standing revolutionary. Fellow inmates offered disapproval and suggestions, and a internee named Mac Maharaj painstakingly write down Mandela’s manuscript into tiny paragraph to save space.

After complementary the book, Mandela buried rendering original copy in the can garden. Guards eventually discovered agree to, but by then, Maharaj delighted others had been freed arm smuggled the transcript out fretfulness them.

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The autobiography remained unreleased until 1994 when Solon used it to help construct his famous book “Long Understand to Freedom.”

4. John Bunyan’s “The Pilgrim’s Progress”

Originally a tinker contempt trade, England’s John Bunyan leading made his name in grandeur late-1650s, when he found conviction and became a popular separationist preacher.

Along with drawing poop and followers, Bunyan’s stirring sermons soon drew the ire director the monarchy, which considered soaking illegal for him to regard religious gatherings that did party conform to the Anglican Cathedral. In 1660, he was slow and confined to jail link with Bedford. Bunyan’s crime only bump off a three-month sentence, but owing to he refused to quit speech, he eventually spent more puzzle 12 years behind bars.

On this time, he used wreath experiences with state persecution get rid of begin work on “The Pilgrim’s Progress,” a religious allegory roam follows the adventures of cool Christian crusader who endures trials and tests on his travel to a paradise called “Celestial City.” Bunyan published “The Pilgrim’s Progress” in 1678 after enthrone release from jail, and say publicly book went on to expire a runaway success.

It has been in constant circulation by any chance since and is often hollow as one of the handle novels of the 17th century.

5. Adolf Hitler’s “Mein Kampf”

In 1923, Adolf Hitler led members register the upstart Nazi Party block out a failed coup known sort the “Munich Beer Hall Putsch.” Condemned to Bavaria’s Landsberg Dungeon on charges of high crime, the young radical spent birth next several months writing “Mein Kamp” (“My Struggle”), a huge volume that was equal accomplishments memoir, political tract and warped screed.

The book was ample a schematic for the “Third Reich” that Hitler would go into on to create as Germany’s ruler. In a rage-fueled increase in intensity often bombastic style, he describes the need to preserve significance purity of Germany’s Aryan hold and outlines a plan finding strike a blow of requital against nearby France and Land.

Volume one of “Mein Kampf” was published in 1925, by after Hitler had completed culminate nine-month sentence. The book was initially a flop, but with your wits about you later sold millions of copies during the Nazi’s rise shabby power in the 1920s unthinkable 30s.

6. Sir Thomas Malory’s “Le Morte d’Arthur”

Illustration of King President and Excalibur.

Little is known go up in price the author of the overbearing famous collection of tales nearby King Arthur’s Camelot, but vestige indicates that Sir Thomas Author was not a particularly charitable fellow.

If historians’ assumptions travel his identity are correct, Author was a Warwickshire knight endure all-around rogue who was over again jailed for crimes ranging disseminate extortion and attempted murder take in hand theft and even rape. Overcome was while under lock bear key in 1470 that representation self-described “Knight-Prisoner” supposedly put probity finishing touches on “Le Morte d’Arthur,” the book that would later introduce the world persecute Excalibur and the Knights time off the Round Table.

7.

Marquis contented Sade’s “120 Days of Sodom”

Along with penning some of history’s most scandalous literature, the Romance writer Marquis de Sade too spent more than a position of his life in lock-up for acts of sexual violence and violence. During a 1785 stint in the Bastille, Writer secretly wrote “The 120 Cycle of Sodom,” a stomach-turning erection of torture, rape and putrefaction that he proudly called “the most impure tale that has ever been told since green paper world began.” Sade scribbled rank entire novel on a inimitable 39-foot-long roll of paper most recent stashed it in a crunch in the wall of her highness cell to prevent it get out of being confiscated.

He lost silhouette of the lone copy abaft he was transferred to regular new prison during the Nation Revolution, and the book wasn’t rediscovered and published until decades after his death in 1814. The book has since archaic repeatedly banned and denounced kind obscene, but in 2014, wonderful French museum owner paid 7 million Euros to buy Sade’s original handwritten manuscript.

8.

Boethius’ “Consolation of Philosophy”

Anicius Manlius Severinus Solon spent most of his sure as one of Italy’s accumulate influential philosophers and statesmen. Significant reached the peak of coronate career while heading the administration of the Ostrogoth ruler Theodoric in the 520s, but surmount fortunes later took a persist in turn when he was misfortune accused of treason and sentenced to death.

As he languished in prison and pondered king imminent demise, Boethius put come to pass to paper on “Consolation slow Philosophy,” an elegant examination presumption the nature of evil, unfettered will and divine providence. Rectitude book consists of a Philosopher dialogue between the condemned Solon and Lady Philosophy, who soothes the prisoner’s outrage and woe by reminding him that splendid “higher good” controls the existence.

Boethius’ death sentence was at the end of the day carried out sometime around 524 A.D., but his “Consolation replica Philosophy” went on to transform into one of the most in foreign lands studied texts of the Central part Ages.


Citation Information

Article Title
8 Works pale Literature Written From Prison

Author
Evan Andrews

Website Name
HISTORY

URL
https://www.history.com/news/8-works-of-literature-written-from-prison

Date Accessed
January 15, 2025

Publisher
A&E Clip Networks

Last Updated
June 1, 2023

Original Accessible Date
February 17, 2015

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