The Grass Arena: An Autobiography (Penguin Modern Classics)

The Grass Arena: An Autobiography (Penguin Modern Classics)

by Colin MacCabe (Afterword), John Healy (Author), Colin MacCabe (Afterword), John Healy (Author)

Synopsis

John Healy, the son of poor Irish immigrants in London, grows up hardened by violence and soon finds himself overwhelmed by alcoholism. He ends up in the grass arena: the parks and streets of the inner city, where beggars, thieves, prostitutes and killers fight for survival and each day brings the question of where to find the next drink. In his searing autobiography Healy describes with unflinching honesty his experiences of addiction, his escape through learning to play chess in prison, and his ongoing search for peace of mind.

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More Information

Format: paperback
Publisher: Penguin Classics
Published:

ISBN 10: 0141189592
ISBN 13: 9780141189598

Author Bio
Healy was born into an impoverished, Irish immigrant family, in the slums of Kentish Town, North London. Out of school by 14, pressed into the army and intermittently in prison, Healy became an alocholic early on in life. Despite these obstacles Healy achieved remarkable, indeed phenomenal expertise in both writing and Chess, as outlined in the autobiographical The Grass Arena.