Literary Catalyst Special with Andy Miller & Mark Aston
27th October 2016 8:00 pm
This literary special begins by exploring the subversive art of Joe Orton and Halliwell who, in 1962 were imprisoned for 6 months for ‘crimes against library books’. Their acts of vandalism now hang as works of art in Islington Museum and their story will be told by Mark Aston.
In 1962 the playwright Joe Orton and his lover Halliwell were imprisoned for six months. Orton described his time in prison as ‘glorious’ while Halliwell tried to take his own life. Their crime was for defacing hundreds of books in Islington Library, replacing the covers with crude and often hilarious images. On some occasions they even re-typed jacket blurbs and glued them over the originals. One ended with the words’ have a good shit whilst you’re reading this’. Their handiwork is now displayed as works of art in Islington Museum.
Mark Aston runs Islington Museum and Local History Centre and will be speaking about these prized possessions.