LAST EXIT TO BROOKLYN - Hubert Selby Jr

First published in Great Britain in 1966 this a series of short stories rather than a novel set in a New York neighbourhood.

The subjects covered in these stories are among other things, gang rape, domestic violence and prostitution - all real world stuff. We have gangsters, transvestites, alcoholics and worst of all a union shop steward.

Anthony Burgess in the Introduction calls this book " ..honest and terrible."...

It is brilliantly written, absolutely beautifully written but as stated most of the characters are quite repulsive. Words like gritty and realistic don't quite do enough to describe how raw this is in places. It sucks you in (no puns) and certainly gets emotional involvement, a sign that the author has achieved what he set out to do.

The book was the subject of an obscenity trial through 1967 to 1968 in the UK. In the edition I have the Foreword by the publishers post the Court case is a great read in itself. Its incredible how certain members of our society think they can make decisions for the rest of us pretending that its for our own good, when in fact its just a controlling mechanism - i.e. censorship .

The Prosecution attempted to prove that the book was obscene . The definition of obscene in this case being if it had a tendency to deprave and corrupt those into whose hands it was likely to fall. He defined to deprave - as to make people do wrong acts.

Now, this a very good book but after reading it, I have yet to join a gang, a union or have a same sex liaison. But then these things may take time, I suppose...

One prosecution witness , Sir Basil Blackwell , actually stated that the book had depraved him, but it was never established whether it was really the book or the fact that he may have attended a Public School.

The case was eventually won for the publisher by John Mortimer QC. Who later got the magazine OZ or its publishers acquitted after they were went to prison for obscenity as well. Evidently this is getting made into a movie Hippie Hippie Shake .

But that is another issue, this is about Last Exit to Brooklyn, it is a great book, just don't expect to feel warm and cuddly after finishing it.