Cover of the 1988 Grove Press reissue of Last Exit to Brooklyn

Last Exit to Brooklyn is a 1964 novel by American author Hubert Selby Jr. The novel has become a cult classic because of its harsh, uncompromising look at lower class Brooklyn in the 1950s and for its brusque, everyman style of prose. Image File history File links redirect Template:Book cover File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links redirect Template:Book cover File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Nintendo 64 emulator, see 1964 (Emulator). ... Daniel Defoes Robinson Crusoe; title page of 1719 newspaper edition A novel (from French nouvelle, new) is an extended fictional narrative in prose. ... Hubert Selby, Jr. ... This article needs a complete rewrite for the reasons listed on the talk page. ... Social class refers to the hierarchical distinctions between individuals or groups in societies or cultures. ... A map of New York City, highlighting Brooklyn. ... The 1950s were a decade that spanned the years 1950 through 1959. ... Everyman is a 16th century English morality play. ...

Although critics and fellow writers praised the book on its release, Last Exit to Brooklyn caused much controversy due to its frank portrayals of taboo subjects, such as drug use, street violence, gang rape, homosexuality, transvestism and domestic violence. It was the subject of an important obscenity trial in the United Kingdom and was banned in Italy. A taboo is a strong social prohibition (or ban) relating to any area of human activity or social custom declared as sacred and forbidden; breaking of the taboo is usually considered objectionable or abhorrent by society. ... A psychoactive drug or psychotropic substance is a chemical that alters brain function, resulting in temporary changes in perception, mood, consciousness, or behavior. ... Violence refers to acts of aggression and abuse which causes or intends to cause criminal injury or harm to persons, and (to a lesser extent) animals and property. ... For the domesticated crop plant called rape, see rapeseed. ... The word homosexuality has acquired multiple meanings over time. ... The term transvestism has undergone several changes of meaning since it was coined in the 1910s, and it is still used in all of these meanings except the very first one. ... Domestic violence occurs when a family member, partner or ex-partner attempts to physically or psychologically dominate or harm the other. ... Pete Rose during his Cincinnati Reds days. ...

Synopsis

Last Exit to Brooklyn is divided into six parts that can, more or less, be read separately. Each part is prefaced with a passage from the Bible. The Gutenberg Bible owned by the United States Library of Congress The Bible (Hebrew: תנ״ך tanakh, Greek: η Βίβλος hē biblos) (sometimes The Holy Bible, The Book, Work of God, The Word, The Good Book or Scripture), from Greek (τα) βίβλια, (ta) biblia, (the) books, is the name used by Jews and Christians for their...

• Another Day, Another Dollar: A group of Brooklynites get into a scuffle with a group of sailors on shore leave.
• The Queen Is Dead: Georgette, a gay transvestite, confronts her (Selby uses feminine pronouns to describe transvestites) abusive brother and tries to attract the attention of a hoodlum named Vinnie at a benzedrine-driven party.
• And the Baby Makes Three: An alcoholic father tries to keep good spirits and maintain his family’s marriage traditions after his daughter becomes pregnant and then marries a motorcycle mechanic.
• Tralala: The title character, a young Brooklyn woman, makes a living attracting and stealing money from drunk, unsuspecting sailors in bars. In perhaps the novel’s most notorious scene, she is gang-raped after a night of heavy-drinking.
• Strike: Harry, a high-ranking official at an industrial workers union uses the time and finances he receives during a long-term strike to explore the gay underground of Brooklyn, escaping his unhappy marriage.
• Landsend: Described as a “coda” for the book, this section presents several small anecdotes from a housing project.

The United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for conducting naval operations around the globe. ... Benzedrine is the trade name of the racemic variant of amphetamine (dl-amphetamine). ... Imme R 100,Germany, 1948/1949 Contemporary racing motorcycle A 125 cc motorcycle, the Italian-manufactured Cagiva Planet. ... A union (labor union in American English; trade union, sometimes trades union, in British English; either labour union or trade union in Canadian English) is a legal entity consisting of employees or workers having a common interest, such as all the assembly workers for one employer, or all the workers... Coda sign Coda (Italian for tail; from the Latin cauda), in music, is a passage which brings a movement or a separate piece to a conclusion through prolongation. ... A local authority tower block in Cwmbrân, South Wales Public housing or project homes is a form of housing tenure in which the property is owned by a government authority, which may be central or local. ...

Style

Last Exit to Brooklyn was written in an unusual style that ignores most conventions of grammar. Selby wrote most of the prose as if it was a story told from one friend to another at a bar rather than a novel, using coarse and casual language. He used slang-like conjunctions of words, such as tahell for "to hell" and yago for "you go." The paragraphs were often written in a stream of consciousness style with many parenthesis and fragments. Selby often indented new paragraphs to the middle or end of the line. Grammar is the study of rules governing the use of language. ... Slang is the non-standard or non-dialectal use of words in a language of a particular social group, and sometimes the creation of new words or importation of words from another language. ... In psychology and philosophy stream of consciousness, introduced by William James, is the set of constantly changing inner thoughts and sensations which an individual has while conscious, used as a synonym for stream of thought. ... In rhetoric, a parenthesis (plural: parentheses; from the Greek word παρενθεσις) is (according to the Oxford English Dictionary) An explanatory or qualifying word, clause, or sentence inserted into a passage with which it has not necessarily any grammatical connexion, and from which it is usually marked off by round or square...

Also, Selby did not use quotation marks to distinguish dialogue but instead merely blended it into the text. He used a slash instead of an apostrophe mark for contractions and did not use an apostrophe at all for possessives. Quotation marks, also called quotes or inverted commas, are punctuation marks used in pairs to set off speech, a quotation, or a phrase. ... A solidus, oblique or slash, /, is a punctuation mark. ... An apostrophe ( ’ ) is a punctuation and sometimes diacritic mark in languages written in the Latin alphabet. ... In traditional grammar, a contraction is the formation of a new word from two or more individual words. ... Possession, in the context of linguistics, is an asymmetric relationship between two constituents, one of which possesses (owns, rules over, has as a part, has as a relative, etc. ...

The following is a typical example of the novel’s style:

She didn/t need any goddamn skell to buy her a drink. She could get anything she wanted in Willies. She had her kicks. She/d go back to Willies where what she said goes. That was the joint. There was always somebody in there with money. No bums like these cruds. Did they think she/d let any goddamn bum in her pants and play with her tits for a few bucks. Shit! She could get a seamans whole payoff just sittin in Willies (page 111).

Writing and Publication History

Last Exit to Brooklyn started as The Queen is Dead, one of several short stories Selby wrote about people he had met around Brooklyn while working as a copywriter and general laborer. The piece was published in three literary magazines in the late 1950s and early 1960s. This article is in need of attention. ... The 1950s were a decade that spanned the years 1950 through 1959. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from 1960 to 1969, inclusive. ...

Tralala also appeared in The Provincetown Review in 1961 and drew some intense criticism. 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1961 calendar). ...

The pieces later evolved into the full-length book, which was published in 1964 by Grove Press, which had previously published such controversial authors as William S. Burroughs and Henry Miller. For the Nintendo 64 emulator, see 1964 (Emulator). ... Grove Press is an American publishing imprint that was founded in 1951. ... William S. Burroughs (1914-1997) William Seward Burroughs II (February 5, 1914 – August 2, 1997) was an American novelist, essayist, social critic and spoken word performer. ... Henry Miller photo taken by Carl Van Vechten, 1940 Henry Valentine Miller (December 26, 1891 – June 7, 1980) was an American writer and, to a lesser extent, painter of German Catholic heritage. ...

Critics praised and flamed the publication. Poet Allen Ginsberg said that it will "explode like a rusty hellish bombshell over America and still be eagerly read in a hundred years." Poetry (from Ancient Greek: (poiéo/poió) = I create / I make / I do / I cause) is traditionally a written art form in which human language is used for its aesthetic qualities in addition to, or instead of, its notional and semantic content. ... Allen Ginsberg in later life Irwin Allen Ginsberg (IPA: ) (June 3, 1926 – April 5, 1997) was an American Beat poet born in Newark, New Jersey. ...

Trial

The rights for the British edition were acquired by Marion Boyars and John Calder and the novel ended up in the hands of the Director of Public Prosecutions. The manuscript was published, received positive reviews and sold almost 14,000 copies. The director of Blackwell's bookshop in Oxford complained to the DPP about the detailed depictions of brutality and cruelty in the book but the DPP did not pursue the allegations. The Director of Public Prosecutions is the officer charged with the prosecution of criminal offences in several criminal jurisdictions around the world. ... A manuscript (Latin manu scriptus, written by hand), strictly speaking, is any written document that is put down by hand, in contrast to being printed or reproduced some other way. ... Front of the original Blackwells bookshop Blackwells is a national chain of publishers and bookshops in the United Kingdom. ... Oxford is a city and local government district in Oxfordshire, England, with a population of 134,248 (2001 census). ...

In 1966, Sir Cyril Black, a Conservative Member of Parliament for Wimbledon, initiated a private prosecution of the novel before Marlborough Street Magistrates' Court. The court delivered a guilty verdict. The public prosecutor brought an action under Section 2 of the Obscene Publications Act to the jury trial at London's Old Bailey court. 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ... Commanders Badge of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions; in decreasing order of seniority, these... Conservatism or political conservatism is any of several historically related political philosophies or political ideologies. ... A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters of an electoral district to a parliament; in the Westminster system, specifically to the lower house. ... Wimbledon is a constituency covering the district of Wimbledon in the London Borough of Merton in south-west London. ... Criminal law (also known as penal law) is the body of law that regulates governmental sanctions (such as imprisonment and/or fines) as retaliation for crimes against the social order. ... Liberty store on Great Marlborough Street Great Marlborough Street runs west to east through the western part of Soho in London, England. ... Bedford Magistrates Court A Magistrates Court or court of petty sessions, formerly known as a police court, is the lowest level of court in England and Wales and many other common law jurisdictions. ... In law, a conviction is the verdict which results when a court of law finds a defendant guilty of committing a crime. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... Since 1857, a series of obscenity laws known as the Obscene Publications Acts have governed what can be published. ... A jury trial is a trial in which the judge of the facts, as opposed to the judge of the law, is a jury, made up of citizens who are usually randomly selected and are generally not legal professionals. ... London is the capital city of the United Kingdom and of England and is the most populous city in the European Union. ... The Old Bailey by Mountford (1907) The Central Criminal Court, commonly known as The Old Bailey (a bailey being part of a castle), is a Crown Court (criminal high court) in London, dealing with major criminal cases in the UK. It stands on the site of the mediaeval Newgate Gaol... A court is an official, public forum which a sovereign establishes by lawful authority to adjudicate disputes, and to dispense civil, labour, administrative and criminal justice under the law. ...

The jury was all male. The witnesses for the prosecution included the publisher, Sir Basil Blackwell. On the defense side were the scholars Al Alvarez II, and professor Frank Kermode, who had previously compared the work to Dickens. Judge Graham Rigers directed that the women "might be embarrassed at having to read a book which dealt with homosexuality, prostitution, drug-taking and sexual perversion". The trial lasted 9 days and the court ruled it guilty. This article is about witnesses in law courts. ... Criminal law (also known as penal law) is the body of law that regulates governmental sanctions (such as imprisonment and/or fines) as retaliation for crimes against the social order. ... A publisher is a person or entity which engages in the act of publishing. ... Sir Basil Blackwell son of the founder of Blackwells bookshop in Oxford, which went on to become the Blackwells family publishing and bookshop empire, located on Broad Street in Oxford. ... Al Alvarez (1929-) is an English poet, writer and critic. ... John Frank Kermode (b. ... Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (February 7, 1812 – June 9, 1870), pen-name “Boz”, was an English novelist of the Victorian era. ... A judge or justice is an official who presides over a court. ... Paraphilia (in Greek para παρά = over and philia φιλία = friendship) is a mental health term recently used to indicate sexual arousal in response to sexual objects or situations that are not part of societally normative arousal/activity patterns, or which may interfere with the capacity for reciprocal affectionate sexual activity. ... In law, a conviction is the verdict which results when a court of law finds a defendant guilty of committing a crime. ...

In 1968, an appeal issued by the lawyer and writer John Mortimer resulted in a judgment by Mr Justice Lane which reversed the ruling. The case marked a turning point in British censorship laws. By this time, the novel has sold over 33,000 hardback and 500,000 paperback copies in the United States. 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... An appeal is the act or fact of challenging a judicially cognizable and binding judgment to a higher judicial authority. ... Sir John Clifford Mortimer QC(born 21 April 1923) is an English barrister turned prolific writer and dramatist. ... Geoffrey Dawson Lane, Baron Lane AFC PC (17 July 1918 – 22 August 2005) was a British Judge who served as Lord Chief Justice of England from 1980 to 1992. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ...

Film

In 1989, director Uli Edel has adopted the novel into a film. The screenplay was written by Desmond Nakano. The movie starred Jennifer Jason Leigh, Stephen Lang, Burt Young, Ricki Lake and Jerry Orbach, as well as Stephen Baldwin and future star Sam Rockwell in small roles. The author, Hubert Selby, Jr. had a cameo appearance in the film as the taxi driver who accidentally hits the transvestite Georgette (played by Alexis Arquette). Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits provided the film score. The film version received excellent reviews and won a few critics' awards for Leigh's powerful portrayal of Tralala, though its limited distribution and downbeat subject matter prevented it from becoming a commercial success. 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The film director, on the right, gives last minute direction to the cast and crew, whilst filming a costume drama on location in London. ... Uli Edel (born April 11, 1947 in Neuenburg, Germany), German film director. ... Jennifer Jason Leigh (born February 5, 1962) is an American actress. ... Stephen Lang is a film actor from New York City, New York, who started in theatre on Broadway. ... Burt Young (born Gerald Tommaso DeLouise on April 30, 1940) is an Italian-American actor. ... Ricki Pamela Lake (born September 21, 1968 in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York) is a Jewish-American actress and talk show host, best known for her long-running Ricki Lake talk show. ... Jerry Orbach as Detective Lennie Briscoe in Law & Order Jerome Bernard Orbach (October 20, 1935 – December 28, 2004) was an American actor best known for his starring role as wisecracking NYPD Detective Lennie Briscoe in the Law & Order television series, and for his musical theater roles. ... Stephen Baldwin (born May 12, 1966) is an American actor. ... Sam Rockwell at the London premiere of The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy Sam Rockwell (born November 5, 1968) is an American film actor from Daly City, California. ... Alexis Arquette (born on January 1, 1969 in Los Angeles, California) is a transgendered American actress, musician, L.A. area underground cartoonist, and female drag performer who is part of a family of actors including siblings Patricia Arquette, David Arquette, Richmond Arquette and Rosanna Arquette, her father Lewis Arquette and... Mark Knopfler with Dire Straits performing live Mark Freuder Knopfler, OBE (born August 12, 1949, Glasgow, Scotland) is a British guitarist, singer, and songwriter. ... Dire Straits was a British rock band, formed in 1977 by Mark Knopfler (guitar and vocals), his brother David Knopfler (guitar), John Illsley (bass) and Pick Withers (drums), and managed by Ed Bicknell. ... A film score is the background music in a film, generally specially written for the film and often used to heighten emotions provoked by the imagery on the screen or by the dialogue. ...