Borstal Boy

Borstal Boy (1980) by Brendan Behan – Corgi Books Edition
Sold by Crappy Old Books

From the smoky backstreets of Dublin to the grey, grim corridors of an English borstal, Borstal Boy is Brendan Behan’s raw, defiant and unexpectedly funny memoir of youth, politics, and incarceration. Arrested as a teenage IRA volunteer and sent to a reform institution, Behan arrives full of fiery nationalism—only to find common ground, bitter humour, and grudging friendships among the very lads he was raised to despise.

This 1980 Corgi Books paperback reissue is a slightly battered gem—creases, yellowing, and a faint smell of someone else’s misspent youth—but the words still punch with Behan’s trademark wit and lyrical rage. A coming-of-age story wrapped in barbed wire and laced with Guinness-soaked poetry, it’s a must-read for lovers of rebellion, redemption, and grubby paperback realism.

Condition: Dog-eared, pub-stained, and possibly used as a coaster during an argument about socialism. Perfect.

Crappy Old Books – We sell the past, warts and all.

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