It was my privilege as a retired museum professional to take part in feasibility discussions, exploring the potential of refurbishing the affectionately referred to Old Jailhouse. Those participating were given a tour that included time in the second-floor cells. At that moment, I recalled conversations regarding literature created by the incarcerated.
While there are many titles that fall into the category, “created (or inspired) under lock and key,” these are my recommendations for additions to your 2022 reading list, with assistance-on-the-ready from our Patrick Heath Public Library staffers:
• Jack Henry Abbott, “In the Belly of the Beast” – Norman Mailler wrote and received the Pulitzer Prize for “Executioner’s Song” based on the execution of Gary Gilmore. Jack Abbott, a prisoner in a Utah prison, sent Mailler a “fan letter” suggesting Gilmore had not been truthful to him about prison life. Abbott told Mailler he would write a more factual record of time spent imprisoned, and Mailler took him up on the offer.
• Miguel de Cervantes, “Don Quixote” – Inspired while in debtor’s prison, and some consider the first modern European novel. Cervantes was imprisoned after serving as a purchasing agent for the Spanish Armada and irregularities were discovered in his financial records. Part 1 was published in 1605 and eliminated Cervantes’ financial problems in his lifetime.
• e. e. cummings, “The Enormous Room” – During World War I, Cummings served as an ambulance driver in Paris. He refused to condemn the Germans as a people and was imprisoned by the French at Depot de Triage on suspicion of espionage for several months. This book reflects that experience.
• Jean Genet, “Our Lady of the Flowers” – Genet was in and out of prison in the 1930s and 1940s for petty crimes. Genet describes her prison experience while serving a sentence for burglary in 1944.
• Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., “Letters from Birmingham Jail” – While president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, King oftentimes organized civil rights marches and sit-ins against integration in Alabama. In 1963, he was incarcerated for ignoring rulings against these demonstrations. This book is King’s eloquent defense of civil disobedience as a moral responsibility.
• Sir Thomas Malory, “Le Morte d’Arthur” – While awaiting trial on allegations of organizing more than 100 violent robberies, Malory, a convicted thief, kidnapper and rapist, crafted the legends of King Arthur and his Round Table. “Le Morte d’Arthur” is considered the definitive work surrounding the semi-mythical, Arthur, by many scholars.
• Nelson Mandela, “Conversations with Myself” – The white apartheid government of South Africa considered Mandela, a lawyer and activist, a seasoned terrorist. He was arrested in 1962, convicted with conspiracy to overthrow the government. Mandela was sentenced to life and served 27 years. Here, he wrote his memoir. When released, the apartheid government was toppled and Mandela was elected president.
• Rustichello da Pisa, “Travels of Marco Polo” – This memoir, describing his travels along the Silk Road, was actually dictated to the author while both served prison sentences. It has been credited, by some, with launching The Age of Exploration.
• William Sydney Porter, “Short Stories by O’Henry” – Porter, a Texas bank teller, after being accused of embezzlement, fled to Honduras. Here, Porter began writing short stories while hiding from authorities. Porter was captured when attempting to visit his wife who was dying of tuberculosis. He continued to write during his incarceration in an Ohio prison. Banana Republic originated in one of these stories. He chose O’Henry as his pen name to hide behind, and had his stories published while serving time.
• Saint Paul’s prison epistles: Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and Philemon – The apostle spent two years after his arrest for his passionate sermons in defense of Christianity. These four epistles were written in 62 AD, and are included in the Bible’s New Testament.
• Henry David Thoreau, “Civil Disobedience and Other Essays” – Thoreau’s famous essay was inspired after spending just one night in jail. His crime was refusal to pay poll taxes in 1846 because he did not support the war with Mexico.
• Oscar Wilde, “De Profundis” – Published in 1905, and after Wilde’s death, De Profundis is the emotional and heartfelt communication written to Lord Alfred after accusing Wilde of homosexual acts with his son, and for which Wilde was sentenced to two years of hard labor.
The Kendall County Historic Jail, located at 208 E. San Antonio Ave. in Boerne, was constructed in 1887 and served as the county jail for a century. As has been recorded, our Kendall County Historic Jail is now a reality and filled with an array of original and recondite exhibits that provides context to the county’s unique history.
To plan your visit, refer to www.thejail.org or call 830-428-6191. We have Paul Barwick, city projects director, and Dean Sprowl, local historian, to thank, for this educational addition to our community.
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Upcoming Events
Cat’s Cradle
A PG-13 mystery by Leslie Sands, opens Friday, through February 6, at Boerne Community Theatre, 907 E. Blanco St., Boerne. The abstract and freeform paintings of Geri Pieper will be on display in the hospitality room. Tickets are $18-24 and available online at http://www.boernetheatre.org or through the box office at 830-249-9166.
Hill Country Arts Foundation, HCAF, Shared Spaces
Monday Artists and Johnson Creek Printmakers art exhibit, through February 11, McCashan Visual Art Center, 120 Point Theatre Road, Ingram, www.hcaf.com, 830-367-5121.
HCCArts announces Art AfterHours Series 1
Classes for 2022, Tuesdays 7-9 p.m., The Classroom at The Agri-Cultural Museum and Arts Center, 102 City Park Road, Boerne. Discounts with membership. Upcoming classes and limited registration at www.hccarts.org.
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