Conscience Be My Guide: An Anthology of Prison Writings - Softcover

Geoffrey Bould

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1842776754 ISBN 13: 9781842776759

Publisher: Zed Books, 2005

Synopsis

This remarkable collection of prison literature inspires with the eloquent idealism of prisoners of conscience through the ages. The contributors include many of the world‘s finest writers: Wole Soyinka, Primo Levi, Irina Ratushinskaya, Fydor Dostoyevsky, Henry Thoreau. There are moving accounts from victims of the Holocaust, Soviet labour camps and psychiatric prisons, nuclear protestors, civil rights and anti-apartheid activists, anti-colonial nationalists and targets of religious persecution throughout history.

About this title

Review:

'Nelson Mandela, the best-known political prisoner of his time, once remarked that the way a society treats its prisoners, especially political prisoners, is the test of that society's conscience. The remarkable testimonies in this collection prove his point with devastating clarity. These voices from the inside tell us as much about the outside as our consciences dare to hear.' - Hugh Lewin, former South African political prisoner and author of Bandiet: out of Jail 'In a world seeming to grow darker every week, this lovely book is witness to the light that cannot be extinguished.' - The late Paul Eddington, actor and former Chair, Equity's International Committee for Artists' Freedom 'A valuable collection.... As we keep prisoners of conscience at the forefront of our minds, we help thwart the captors who would have us forget them.' - Rt. Hon. Lord Runcie, former Archbishop of Canterbury 'Geoffrey Bould has compiled an essential document with great feeling.' - Andrew Graham-Yooll, former Editor, Index on Censorship 'We live in a world of broken human relations where injustice is experienced daily. This anthology provides a moving testimony to the unbroken spirit of prisoners who can rely on their conscience.' - Bishop Sebastian Bakare, Zimbabwe 'The selection of writings is extraordinarily wide in all senses; historically and geographically, but also in terms of the kinds of people imprisoned. Concentration camp prisoners, nuclear weapons protesters, anti-apartheid activists, inmates of Soviet labor camps, targets of religious and political persecution - all can be found here...Many readers will never (need to) experience the inside of prison walls, but the themes addressed by the book are in many ways universal and could well be used in various public and private settings. Prison, many of these writings suggest, heightens an awareness of issues that can affect all of us.' - Michael Marten, Coracle

Synopsis:

This inspirational collection of prison literature reflects the eloquence and idealism of prisoners of conscience through the ages. There are moving accounts from victims of the Holocaust, Soviet labour camps and psychiatric prisons, nuclear protestors, civil rights and anti-apartheid activists, anti-colonial nationalists and targets of religious persecution throughout history. This updated edition includes new material from Zimbabwe.

About this edition

• Publisher: Zed Books
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 1842776754
• ISBN 13: 9781842776759
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 320
• Editor: Geoffrey Bould