Saint Behan

This essay examines Brendan Behan's evolution as a dramatist, linking him to the tradition of O'Casey's urban theatre, particularly Juno and the Paycock , and emphasising his closeness to the experimental drama of his near contemporary, Samuel Beckett. It details how subversively Behan used both music and the Gaelic language in sexualizing the story of The Quare Fellow , how he censors such radical departures in An Giall , and how The Hostage in its wild exuberance restores Behan to the status of a most dangerously liberated dramatist. Finally it looks at the influence of Behan on his most significant follower, the openly queer English playwright, Joe Orton.