In Review

09 January 2009 12:53 BST

Bronson by Charles Bronson

Published by John Blake, out now paperback, 343 pp, £6.99.

In a nutshell...

Black-humoured insight into prison-based lunacy

What's it all about?

Charlie Bronson is one of the UK judicious system's most infamous inmates, renowned for his poetry, cartoons and scribbling as much as his efficient way with a right hook and a hostage. The book charts his descent from petty theft into a world of prison cells, white coats and mindless violence.

Locked up during the early 1970s, Bronson constantly riles against his incarceration via bouts of extreme brutality aimed at both himself and fellow inmates. The memoir details his movements between numerous asylums and prisons as well as the various characters and scrapes he gets into along the way.

Who's it by?

Despite being prison-bound for the best part of 30 years, the majority of which has been spent in solitary confinement, Bronson's life has been punctuated by incident. Hostages, rooftop sieges, attacks on fellow inmates and prison staff have been balanced by artistic achievements – publishing numerous books on prison life, fitness, poetry and art Bronson has won a record 11 Koestler Awards for his work.

He married Saira Ali Ahmed and converted to Islam in 2001 following a series of letters between the pair. They later divorced and Bronson remains on the inside.

Ghost writer Robin Ackroyd helped Bronson piece the memoir together through numerous visits to Bronson in jail.

As an example...

"I've done it all, seen it all, had it all. Prison created what I am today and what I'll be until I die. A legend within the system. It's no big deal. It's really been a waste of life – but it has been my life and I'm still a proud man."

Likelihood of becoming a Hollywood blockbuster

The book remerges as it is being transported from the depths of the prison system onto the cinema screen with Tom Hardy in the title role and Nicolas Winding Refn behind the camera. Whether it can become a British version of Australian prison flick and true story, Chopper remains to be seen.

What the others say

"Bronson is the most terrifying and fascinating man in the entire British prison system. His story is astounding." Mail on Sunday.

So is it any good?

While there are rays of black humoured light in Bronson's tale, the whole story is a grim read, a lifetime spent inside unable or unwilling to realise his sensibilities with a supposedly civilised world ill-equipped to cope with his propensity for savagery.

Bronson's writing style is child-like in places and while this occasionally makes for a trying read it also adds layers of claustrophobia and increasing the monotony of Bronson's time locked up inside.

It is a sad and uncomfortable read throughout and although Bronson has great strength in his ability to have survived this many years, he is clearly damaged goods. Whether he ever will attain freedom (if he even really wants it) will probably become a follow up to this...

6/10

Jim Ottewill