History of a Drowning Boy: The Autobiography
Dennis Nilsen was one of Britain's most notorious serial killers, jailed for life in 1983 after the murders of 12 men and the attempted murders of many more. Seven years after his conviction, Nilsen began to write his autobiography, and over a period of 18 years he typed 6,000 pages of introspection, reflection, comment and explanation. History of a Drowning Boy - taken exclusively from these astonishing writings - uncovers, for the first time, the motives behind the murders, and delivers a clear understanding of how such horrific events could have happened, tracing the origins back to early childhood. In another first, it provides an insight into his 35 years inside the maximum-security prison system, including his everyday life on the wings; his interactions with the authorities and other notorious prisoners; and his artistic endeavours of music, writing and drama. It also reveals the truth behind many of the myths surrounding Dennis Nilsen, as reported in the media. Nilsen was determined to have his memoir published but to his frustration, the Home Office blocked publication during his lifetime. He died in 2018 entrusting the manuscript to his closest friend and it is now being published with the latter's permission. Any autobiography presents the writer's story from just one perspective: his own, and as such this record should be treated with some caution. An excellent foreword by criminologist Dr Mark Pettigrew offers some context to Nilsen's words, and this important work provides an extraordinary journey through the life of a remarkable and inadequate man.
1138927047
History of a Drowning Boy: The Autobiography
Dennis Nilsen was one of Britain's most notorious serial killers, jailed for life in 1983 after the murders of 12 men and the attempted murders of many more. Seven years after his conviction, Nilsen began to write his autobiography, and over a period of 18 years he typed 6,000 pages of introspection, reflection, comment and explanation. History of a Drowning Boy - taken exclusively from these astonishing writings - uncovers, for the first time, the motives behind the murders, and delivers a clear understanding of how such horrific events could have happened, tracing the origins back to early childhood. In another first, it provides an insight into his 35 years inside the maximum-security prison system, including his everyday life on the wings; his interactions with the authorities and other notorious prisoners; and his artistic endeavours of music, writing and drama. It also reveals the truth behind many of the myths surrounding Dennis Nilsen, as reported in the media. Nilsen was determined to have his memoir published but to his frustration, the Home Office blocked publication during his lifetime. He died in 2018 entrusting the manuscript to his closest friend and it is now being published with the latter's permission. Any autobiography presents the writer's story from just one perspective: his own, and as such this record should be treated with some caution. An excellent foreword by criminologist Dr Mark Pettigrew offers some context to Nilsen's words, and this important work provides an extraordinary journey through the life of a remarkable and inadequate man.
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History of a Drowning Boy: The Autobiography

History of a Drowning Boy: The Autobiography

History of a Drowning Boy: The Autobiography

History of a Drowning Boy: The Autobiography

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Overview

Dennis Nilsen was one of Britain's most notorious serial killers, jailed for life in 1983 after the murders of 12 men and the attempted murders of many more. Seven years after his conviction, Nilsen began to write his autobiography, and over a period of 18 years he typed 6,000 pages of introspection, reflection, comment and explanation. History of a Drowning Boy - taken exclusively from these astonishing writings - uncovers, for the first time, the motives behind the murders, and delivers a clear understanding of how such horrific events could have happened, tracing the origins back to early childhood. In another first, it provides an insight into his 35 years inside the maximum-security prison system, including his everyday life on the wings; his interactions with the authorities and other notorious prisoners; and his artistic endeavours of music, writing and drama. It also reveals the truth behind many of the myths surrounding Dennis Nilsen, as reported in the media. Nilsen was determined to have his memoir published but to his frustration, the Home Office blocked publication during his lifetime. He died in 2018 entrusting the manuscript to his closest friend and it is now being published with the latter's permission. Any autobiography presents the writer's story from just one perspective: his own, and as such this record should be treated with some caution. An excellent foreword by criminologist Dr Mark Pettigrew offers some context to Nilsen's words, and this important work provides an extraordinary journey through the life of a remarkable and inadequate man.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781913062538
Publisher: RedDoor Press
Publication date: 05/01/2021
Pages: 368
Sales rank: 268,113
Product dimensions: 5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Dennis Nilsen was one of Britain's most notorious serial killers. Jailed for life after the murders of twelve men and the attempted murders of many more, he began writing his story, creating over 6000 pages of introspection and reflection. History of a Drowning Boy - taken exclusively from these writings - uncovers, for the first time, the motives behind the murders, and offers some insight into how such horrific events could have happened. In another first, it provides details of his thirty-five years inside the maximum-security prison system, including his everyday life on the wings, interactions with the authorities and other notorious prisoners and his artistic endeavours of music, writing and drama. It also presents Dennis Nilsen's own views on many of the myths surrounding him. Revealing and cautionary, this important work provides an extraordinary journey through the life of a remarkable and inadequate man.

Table of Contents

Foreword ix

Introduction xv

1 Early Life | 1945 1

2 Army Life | 1961 38

3 Civilian life | 1972 79

4 Taking Life | 1978 115

5 Life | 1983 142

6 HMP Wormwood Scrubs | 1983 167

7 HMP Parkhurst | 1984 181

8 HMP Wakefield | 1984 185

9 HMP Full Sutton | 1990 212

10 HMPs Parkhurst and Albany | 1991 219

11 HMP Whitemoor | 1992 236

12 HMP Full Sutton | 2001 276

13 Leaving Life | 2018 327

Epilogue 332

Appendix 335

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