An Evil Cradling

In An Evil Cradling, Brian Keenan shares a profound and unflinching account of his four and a half years spent held hostage in Beirut. After leaving Belfast in the 1980s, Keenan was abducted by fundamentalist Shi'ite militiamen and subjected to prolonged solitary confinement, brutality and utter isolation from the outside world.

Throughout the harrowing years of captivity, Keenan fought against despair and dehumanisation through resilience, determination and deep introspection. He writes compellingly about the psychological toll of imprisonment without end, as well as the vital bonds formed with fellow captives such as British journalist John McCarthy. Written with notable honesty and warmth, this celebrated volume was awarded the Irish Times Literature Prize for Non-Fiction.