My Left Foot

Christy Brown was born with cerebral palsy and severe physical disability. He grew up to become a brilliantly imaginative and sensitive writer who would take his place among the giants of Irish literature. This autobiography, published in 1954 when he was twenty-two, recounts his early life in Dublin - the poverty of his childhood, the support of his mother and his hope for a better life. Above all it describes his struggle to learn to read, write, paint and finally type, all with the toe of his left foot. Warm, honest and inspiring, this is a unique and captivating story of disability told by an extraordinary man. ''Riveting, funny and inspiring'' Irish Times ''His book, over and above the extraordinary achievement it reveals, is a testament to one man''s courage, a hope for others'' Kirkus Reviews

About the author

Christy Brown was born in 1932. He was one of 23 children born to a Dublin bricklayer. A victim of cerebral palsy, he could not control his speech or his movement, apart from his left foot. This enabled him to paint and type his autobiography My Left Foot. He later wrote an autobiographical novel, Down all the Days, which was very successful. His novels are A Promising Career, A Shadow on Summer and Wild Grow the Lilies, and he also published his poetry in Collected Poems. Christy Brown died in 1981.

Report

A story of courage that is wise and in no way morbid

Product details

• Authors: Christy Brown, Brown Christy
• Publisher: Vintage UK
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback
• Released: 04.04.2024
• EAN: 9781784879068
• ISBN: 978-1-78487-906-8
• No. of pages: 192
• Dimensions: 129 mm x 198 mm x 15 mm
• Subjects: Fiction > Narrative literature > Contemporary literature (from 1945); Fiction > Narrative literature > Letters, diaries; BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Personal Memoirs, LITERARY CRITICISM / General, Memoirs, HISTORY / Europe / Ireland, Ireland, Disability: social aspects, c 1930 to c 1939, c 1940 to c 1949, Literary studies: fiction, novelists & prose writers, Literary studies: fiction, novelists and prose writers, Autobiography: arts and entertainment, Autobiography: writers, Poverty and precarity, Relating to people with cerebral palsy