Brendan Behan was a famous Irish playwright, though he published only two plays in his lifetime, The Hostage and The Quare Fellow. His plays had a powerful impact when they first appeared because they dealt with tough political issues of the day. Borstal Boy and Confessions of an Irish Rebel are both autobiographical.
Behan was a heavy drinker, and he sometimes turned up at performances of his plays to argue with the audience. On a few occasions, he appeared on television while drunk.
Early Years of Brendan Behan
Behan was born on February 9, 1923 in Dublin, Ireland. Ireland was then part of Britain, but most Irish people wanted independence. There was a civil war in Ireland just before Behan was born.
Throughout his childhood, the Irish Republican Army (IRA) continued the fight to get rid of the British. Behan’s father was a member of the IRA, and at the age of 14, Behan also joined. Two years later, he was caught trying to blow up a British battleship and was jailed as a result. Brehan educated himself in jail. He was in and out of it until 1946.
Behan as Playwright, Journalist and Novelist
He began writing as a journalist to earn a living in his mid-20s. Behan also started to write plays for radio. For his first stage play The Quare Fellow, produced when Behan was 37, he drew on his own experience. The play is set in a prison. It was full of profane jokes exchanged the on the eve of an inmate's execution by hanging.
The Hostage, Behan’s second play, was first produced in Irish as An Gaill. It is about an English soldier held by the IRA.
His books Borstal Boy (a borstal is a jail for young people) and Confessions of an Irish Rebel are also biographical. Borstal Boy gives an account of the time he spent as a young detainee in England.
Behan the Heavy Drinker
Success changed Behan’s lifestyle. Although many adored him and his plays, his drinking problem worsened as his financial situation improved. Though he still found time to write in his sober moments.
Behan passed away at the age of 41, March 20, 1964, from diabetes and a liver condition caused by his alcohol abuse. His further work was left unfinished.
An Insight into Brendan Behan’s Life
His colourful behavior of good life with heavy drinking make him famous, but it also led to his early death. A playwright and a novelist, he was also a poet and short-story writer. He retained his patriotism throughout his life, and although he produced only two plays, Behan became a famous Irish playwright in his time.
Interested readers may want to learn about other famous Irish authors, including Samuel Beckett, Oscar Wilde, and W.B. Yeats.
Books by Brendan Behan
- The Quare Fellow, 1954
- The Hostage, 1958
- Borstal Boy, 1958 (Autobiography)
- The Big House, 1958
- Brendan Behan’s Island, 1962
- Hold Your Hour and Have Another, 1964 (Published after he died)
- The Scarperer, 1964 (Published after he died)
- Confessions of an Irish Rebel, 1965 (Published after he died)
- Richard’s Cork Leg (Unfinished play)
Sources:
McGovern, Una, Ed. Chambers Biographical Dictionary. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers, 2002.
Ousby, Ian. The Cambridge Guide to Literature in English. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1993.
Payne, Tom. The A-Z of Great Writers. London: Carlton, 1997.
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