A Definitive List Of The Best Fictional Prison Book

By Debra Wood


When speaking of literature, it contains many branches and genres that are each identified by definitive qualities it contains. As the years go by, more genres are added to that growing list, some combinations of two genres and others a new one altogether. One of those is called prison literature, wherein the person who created the book was trapped or confined in a specific location against their will.

Furthermore, this includes authors who were trapped in prisons, jails, or even house arrest. The contents of their writing may be about the establishment they are trapped in like their musings and experiences. It could also be anything at all, as long as it was coincidentally written in jail. In line with this, stated below is a definitive list of the best Fictional Prison Book.

Fyodor Dostoyevsky is a popular and prominent author in genres of philosophy, religion, and politics. A novel he wrote that stands out is The House of the Dead, which recounts tales based on convicts who spent some time in the infamous prison camps based in Siberia. It contained many elements of Realism, and referenced events and facts, but were not confirmed by Dostoyevsky himself.

A trending online streaming series is called Orange is the New Black, often shortened into OITNB. It recounts the experiences and musings of Piper Kerman who was imprisoned after facing trial. Her case revolved around drug trafficking and laundering money. The novel is actually a memoir by a woman of the same name.

A book that garnered some controversy is Darkness at Noon by Arthur Koestler. It gained some notoriety during its time of release because it contained some implications and heavy references to the trials that took place in Moscow. Koestler has not made any comments towards it but nevertheless, the work received high praise and was even enlisted as his best work ever published.

Margaret Atwood became nominated for many awards and went on to win a few after publishing Alias Grace. While based on a real murder that took place, it focused more on the serial killers rather than the victims. Two servants who worked for Thomas Kinnear conspired to kill him and one of his housekeepers. When they were found out, they faced heavy prison sentences.

Jack London wrote the novel titled The Star Rover, which is essentially a science fiction work but contains elements of prison genre as well. The story focuses on Darell, a professor who works at a University who is required to serve a life imprisonment sentence because he killed someone. The appointed officials then began to torture him by forcing him to wear a torture jacket that was so tight that it compressed his body painfully. To withstand this, he learns to force himself into an astral projection state to escape the pain he felt.

Jean Genet is a French novelist and political activist who is the mastermind behind Our Lady of the Flowers. Its prose relies heavily on poetic influences and takes into account the journey of a man who goes travels through the Parisian underworld. Majority of its characters are homosexuals, who the main character meets while living on the outskirts of conventional society.

A feminist, activist, and author named Nawal El Saadawi authored Memoirs from the Women Prison. As the name suggests, it contained some stories based on women who spent some time in jail. While they were there, they were often the victims of violent physical abuse due to the paternal voice and leadership. The book is often considered a reflection of what kind of voice women have in society and the discrimination and sexism they are subjected to on a regular basis.




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