Brendan Behan was an Irish dramatist, poet, short story writer, novelist, and political activist. He is best known for his novel Borstal Boy and his autobiographical works, which include Confessions of an Irish Rebel and An Giall. Behan's works often dealt with the Irish Republican struggle and the effects of poverty and alcoholism on the working class. He was a major figure in the Irish literary revival of the 1950s and 1960s.