The Midnight Express Letters: From a Turkish Prison 1970-1975

by Billy Hayes

The Midnight Express Letters is a compelling collection of letters that Billy Hayes wrote to his family, girlfriend, and friends during his years in a Turkish prison. Here is the raw source material from which Midnight Express-the worldwide best-selling book and Academy Award-winning film--is drawn. Together with annotation, photos, and images of the handwritten pages, these letters tell Billy's story of both the events and the inner journey, in his original words, with the urgency and intimacy of the moment. In 1970 Billy Hayes was an English major who left college in search of adventures to write about, like his hero Jack London. He had a rude awakening when he was arrested at the airport in Istanbul trying to board a plane while carrying four pounds of hashish, and given a life sentence. After five brutal years, relentless efforts by his family to gain his release, and endless escape plotting, Billy took matters into his own hands and pulled off a daring escape to freedom. Soon after, he wrote Midnight Express.

Genres: Nonfiction

232 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2013

Reviews

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The letters Billy Hayes wrote while imprisoned in Turkey were used to outline and write his renowned memoir, Midnight Express, a beacon of the prison drama genre. Letters From a Turkish Prison and Midnight Express are, however, different reading experiences. Letters is not only the raw source material; it lays bare the raw emotions of the moment, of many moments, of five years incarcerated.

While Midnight Express is a brilliant memoir with a perfect story arc, an impossibly resilient hero, and an exciting climax, Letters From a Turkish Prison reveals what is between the lines. Taken together, the two books show us the entirety of Hayes’s experience.

Included in Letters are letters to Hayes’s girlfriend, friends, and parents. The letters he received while in prison are absent, a scorching analogy to the way life is lost while in prison.

The letters to each recipient differ in content. They also differ in tone for years until Hayes becomes more withdrawn into, and disturbed by, his imprisonment. At the start, Hayes uses the sort of language one would expect of a literate man in his 20s. As prison time drags on, and Hayes waits—for word of his sentence, through thoughts and plans of escape, Turkish lawyers hired, Americans contacted for help, and the extreme challenge of living in prison—he changes; his letters change. His emotions become more intense and less patient. His letters take on a more desperate and obsessive tone. Buddies/romance/”folks” turns darker: “Why haven’t you written?” is a refrain to one friend (Marc); how to get him released is a refrain to his parents; sexy longing turns to intense near-envy to his girlfriend.

Waiting. Waiting for word of amnesty, waiting for a sentence: It is difficult to imagine the torture of Time spent without even a sentence. For an extended period of time that Hayes is in prison, it could be either months or 30 years or life. And he does not know which. It is harrowing.

Yet Hayes continues to do all he can to remain physically and emotionally strong. He practices yoga every morning. He reads. He writes, but at times has difficulty writing. Ultimately he plans his escape.

The astounding wherewithal and self-possession displayed in Midnight Express are all the more astounding after reading these letters. While it is impossible to think that a person could endure five years of this prison life and remain constantly “sane,” these letters show the cracks. They hurt to read, and they are worth reading. Both books are worth reading. For anyone who reads prison literature, this pair of books are must-reads: Midnight Express for Hayes’s hindsight account and Letters From A Turkish Prison for its immediacy and contribution to prison writing – words while in prison. Add Letters to the prison literature shelf next to the other stellar books written by inmates while incarcerated.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is something so intimate and raw in reading someone's letters. The relationship building coincided with destruction in between letters (often waiting too long because of logistical mail issues) made for a gaping exposure of Billy Hayes's feelings and his discernment through the prison experience. My favorite writing is between him and his Barbara...

This book is definitely worth the read - I'm intrigued to read/watch the stories beyond the letters in Midnight Express.