topics: |  fiction | uk

This is the classic book of the rebel.  The protagonist Colin is interned
in a borstal (youth rehabilitation center) and enjoys the freedom of
running.  It turns out he's quite good at it, and the administrators are keen
that he win a prize at an important race, but he is not sure whom that will
help more.

Throwing the race will hurt him considerably - what satisfaction is there in
it for him? Through his rebellion, is he expressing his own will, finding
his identity, or just taking a sad revenge on the world?

NOTE: The bengali proverb: "chorer upor rAg kare mATite bhAt khAoyA" -
your plates have been stolen, so you decide not to buy new ones but to eat on
the ground directly.

[w] An impoverished Nottingham teenager has few prospects in life and enjoys few
pursuits beyond committing petty crimes. His home life is dismal as
well. Caught for robbing a bakery, Colin is confined in a borstal, or prison
for delinquent youth. He seeks solace in long distance running, attracting
the notice of the school's authorities, but, during an important
cross-country meet which he is winning, he wonders about his purpose in
running.
- Wikipedia: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Loneliness_of_the_Long_Distance_Runner)

Update: Alan Sillitoe passed away on April 25, 2010
obituary: new york times