The Brothers Behan

by Brian Behan

This book, written with the active participation of one of the people who knew the real Brendan Behan best, his brother Brian. It aims to cut through the mythology and get to the real Brendan Brehan

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[Al · Rating 2 out of 5]

This biographical memoir is an enjoyable read by Brian Behan, the late (died 2002) brother of Brendan Behan, but I'd venture a guess that everything in it has to be taken with a grain of salt. A large portion of the book is devoted to random Brendan "stories," and they come across as something heard third or fourth hand, not heard directly by his often estranged brother Brian. By the book's end, the reader gets a feeling of who the real iconoclast in the family was--Brian. Nonetheless, fame came primarily to Brendan, both for his writing and his self-destructive drinking. As usual with the siblings of the famous, there runs a thread of jealousy in this memoir. Still, there are insights on the family's dynamics that only a Behan could have written. Recommended with reservations.