Some of the world's greatest writers have served prison sentences, and that experience usually greatly influenced their later work. Stories about their redemption, relapse, courage in the face of hopelessness and despair never cease to intrigue readers even today.
The French classicist, writer, philosopher and historian Voltaire served 11 months of imprisonment in the notorious Bastille fortress, because of the satire he used to insult the regent Philippe d'Orléans.
He wrote the tragedy "Oedipus" in prison, and its very first performance made him popular. The author's imprisonment also put a sharp emphasis on public awareness of political censorship.
Fyodor Dostoyevsky (1821-1881) accused of publicly reading and distributing critical essays against the then ruling structure
Oscar Wilde (1854-1900), author of the classics "The Name Is Emest" and "The Picture of Dorian Gray", filed a defamation suit against his lover's father, who betrayed him for engaging in homosexual relations.
That move backfired on him, namely, after he withdrew the lawsuit, he was arrested and charged with sodomy and 'monstrous behavior', and was sentenced to two years in prison and hard labor. During his stay in prison, he wrote the epistle "De Profundis", which traces his spiritual growth during his imprisonment.
Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616) was imprisoned on at least two occasions for tax irregularities. During his second stay in prison, he began his monumental masterpiece "Don Quixote", the first part of which was published in 1605.
Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821-1881) was accused of publicly reading and distributing critical essays against the ruling structure of the time, was sentenced to death and was executed by staged firing squad.
The death sentence was read to him and while he was blindfolded waiting for the firing squad, the "imperial pardon" came, by which he was pardoned and sentenced to Siberian imprisonment and exile.
During his stay in prison, his health deteriorated greatly, and he found new strength in Christianity. In Siberia, he wrote "Tales from the Underground", which many consider his best existentialist work.
Jack London (1876-1916), author of the novels "The Call of the Wild" and "The White Fang", influenced many writers with his work, including Ernest Hemingway. He was self-taught, and in his youth he worked as an ice delivery man, a newspaper seller, a sailor, and a factory worker.
He often traveled and visited cities in squalor and slept on the streets, and at one point he was arrested and charged with vagrancy. In his 1907 book The Road, London described the trial.
"The court clerk introduced me to the judge: 'Your Honor, Tramp,' and before I could say a word, the judge said, '30 days in jail.' I protested, but the judge was already calling out the next homeless person," he wrote. Those 30 days in prison were a valuable inspiration for the writer, which transformed his approach in all future works.
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