Boy
A Novel
Published on 17. March 2015
186 pages
978-1-5040-0563-0 (ISBN)
Description
To escape a brutal life on the Liverpool docks, a boy runs away to sea
Arthur Fearon is nearly thirteen, and in the eyes of the law, that makes him a man. He wants to study to become a chemist, but his family cannot afford for him to continue school. The thought of a life working the docks makes Fearon break down in front of his classmates, but there is no time to cry. This boy has to get to work.
The docks are hellish, and Fearon's first day is his last. He hops a steamer to Alexandria, looking for a better life on the sea, but everywhere he goes, he finds cruelty, vice, and the crushing weight of adulthood. He will not be a man for long.
The subject of an infamous 1930s obscenity trial, this is the original, unexpurgated text of James Hanley's landmark novel: an unflinching examination of child labor and a timeless tale of adulthood gained too soon.
Arthur Fearon is nearly thirteen, and in the eyes of the law, that makes him a man. He wants to study to become a chemist, but his family cannot afford for him to continue school. The thought of a life working the docks makes Fearon break down in front of his classmates, but there is no time to cry. This boy has to get to work.
The docks are hellish, and Fearon's first day is his last. He hops a steamer to Alexandria, looking for a better life on the sea, but everywhere he goes, he finds cruelty, vice, and the crushing weight of adulthood. He will not be a man for long.
The subject of an infamous 1930s obscenity trial, this is the original, unexpurgated text of James Hanley's landmark novel: an unflinching examination of child labor and a timeless tale of adulthood gained too soon.
More details
Person
James Hanley (1897-1985) was born in Liverpool, England, to an Irish Catholic family.He spent time in the merchant navy and served with the Canadian Infantry during World War I. From 1930 to 1981 Hanley published forty-eight books, including the novels
Boy,
The Furys,
The Ocean,
Another World, and
Hollow Sea. He penned plays for radio, television, and theater and published a work of nonfiction,
Grey Children, on the plight of coal miners. Hanley died in London but was buried in Wales, the setting for many of his works.
Content
- Cover Page
- Title Page
- Contents
- Introduction by Anthony Burgess
- Preface by Liam Hanley
- Boy
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13
- 14
- Epilogue
- Image Gallery
- Note on the Text and Illustrations
- Notes
- About the Author
- Copyright Page
