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Building upon our previous list, we now share 10 additional masterpieces written in prison. Some of the most influential works in history have been crafted by authors during their imprisonment. Many of the authors listed below—who are often political or religious prisoners—would later shape their nations as leaders or achieve lasting fame through their writings. Prison literature extends far beyond works like Mein Kampf!
10. A Hymn To The Pillory - Daniel Defoe
Contempt, a misleading term for shame, Is free from Crime, a hollow Name. A Phantom to Fool Humankind, But never daunts the Wise or Steadfast Mind.
Daniel Defoe (1660–1731) is primarily known today for his novel Robinson Crusoe, yet he dedicated much of his life to activism and writing pamphlets during a time of political and religious upheaval following England’s Glorious Revolution of 1688.
In 1702, Defoe anonymously published The Shortest Way with the Dissenters, a satire targeting High Anglican Tories during Queen Anne’s reign, who were hostile to Protestant dissenters like Defoe. In this work, he adopted their persona and suggested that rather than passing laws against religious dissenters, the more effective solution would be to simply eliminate them all.
At first, many Anglican Tories took Defoe's proposal seriously, but when his authorship was revealed, he was arrested in 1703 for seditious libel. Defoe was sentenced to “stand in the pillory three times, pay a fine of 200 marks, and remain in Newgate Prison until he could secure sureties for his good behaviour for seven years.”
While in Newgate Prison, Defoe wrote A Hymn to the Pillory, which was sold in the streets during one of his pillory sessions. The poem is thought to have won over the crowd to such an extent that, instead of throwing rotten food at him and cutting off his ears (as had been done to a Puritan dissenter just weeks earlier), spectators adorned his pillory with flowers. A biographer later remarked that “no man in England but Defoe ever stood in the pillory and later rose to prominence among his peers.”
9. The Pilgrim’s Progress - John Bunyan
The devout Puritan John Bunyan fought for the Parliamentary army during the English Civil War. Following the restoration of the monarchy under Charles II, he was sentenced to 12 years in prison for his refusal to cease preaching his non-conformist views. While incarcerated, Bunyan wrote his autobiography Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners in 1666 and began working on The Pilgrim’s Progress, a widely acclaimed Christian allegory first published in 1678.
Officially titled The Pilgrim’s Progress from This World to That Which Is to Come; Delivered under the Similitude of a Dream, the story follows Christian, the main character, on a journey from the corrupt “City of Destruction” (Earth) to the “Celestial City” (Heaven). The second part of the book continues with Christian’s wife, Christiana, embarking on a similar journey rooted in Protestant theology.
8. The Age Of Reason - Thomas Paine
Once described as “a corset maker by trade, a journalist by profession, and a propagandist by inclination,” Thomas Paine (1737–1809) was a key figure in the two major political revolutions of the Age of Enlightenment: the American Revolution and the French Revolution.
After playing a pivotal role in the American Revolution with his influential pamphlet “Common Sense,” the England-born Paine was charged with seditious libel against the British government following his defense of the French Revolution in Rights of Man (1791). He fled to France, where he was unexpectedly elected to the French National Convention—despite not speaking French!—as an ally to the Girondists and adversary to the more extreme Montagnards, led by Maximilien Robespierre. During the Reign of Terror, Paine was arrested in Paris by Robespierre’s order, then president of the Committee of Public Safety.
While imprisoned, Paine continued to work on his latest book, The Age of Reason, which questioned the dominance of organized religion and championed deism. Paine narrowly avoided execution, surviving long enough to be freed after Robespierre's downfall and returned to America following Jefferson’s invitation.
7. The 120 Days Of Sodom, Or The School Of Libertinism - Marquis de Sade
The 120 Days of Sodom was written in just 37 days on a 12-meter-long (40 ft) roll of paper by the French aristocrat Donatien Alphonse Francois, Marquis de Sade.
Written in 1785 while Sade was confined in the Bastille, the novel lost its manuscript when the Bastille was stormed four years later. Sade famously lamented the loss, writing that he 'wept tears of blood' over it. He never knew its fate, passing away in 1814. However, the manuscript was eventually rediscovered and published in 1905.
This unfinished novel, which Sade described as 'the most impure tale that has ever been told since our world began,' spans five months, chronicling the story of four noblemen who retreat to a secluded medieval castle with 50 captives, whom they use to act out their darkest desires and fetishes.
The men indulge in every conceivable vice, exploiting girls and boys as young as 12 through four distinct phases: simple, complex, criminal, and murderous. The original manuscript has since fetched millions of euros at auction, and the terms 'sadism' and 'masochism' were coined from Sade's name.
6. Discovery Of India by Jawaharlal Nehru
India has experienced the purity and carefree nature of childhood, the fervor and abandon of youth, and the profound wisdom that comes with age, shaped by years of both suffering and joy. Again and again, she has rekindled her youth, her childhood, and her wisdom.
If Mahatma Gandhi is revered as the Father of India, then Jawaharlal Nehru stands as the nation's greatest son. Guided by Gandhi, Nehru became a key figure in the Indian Independence movement, which led to the partition of India and the conclusion of British rule in 1947.
In the years before independence, Nehru was imprisoned for his participation in the Quit India movement. During his incarceration from 1942 to 1946, he penned *The Discovery of India*, with input from fellow political prisoners in the Ahmednagar Fort.
The book takes readers through the rich history, culture, and philosophy of India, examining almost every facet of Indian life before making a compelling argument for India’s rightful claim to sovereignty.
Jawaharlal Nehru was the first prime minister of an independent India, serving until his death in 1964. *The Discovery of India* is one of the nation’s most cherished books, offering a deep understanding of the mindset of the statesman who, more than any other, shaped modern India.
5. *Introduction to Mathematical Philosophy* by Bertrand Russell
“I found prison in many ways quite agreeable. I had no engagements, no difficult decisions to make, no fear of callers, no interruptions to my work.” (From *The Autobiography of Bertrand Russell*)
A lifelong pacifist, Bertrand Russell was imprisoned as a conscientious objector during World War I. During his six-month sentence, he wrote *Introduction to Mathematical Philosophy*, a book that expanded on the concepts introduced in his three-volume work *Principia Mathematica* (co-authored with Alfred North Whitehead). In it, Russell famously stated that mathematics and logic had become so intertwined that 'they differ as boy and man': logic is the youth of mathematics, and mathematics is the manhood of logic.
Russell is remembered as one of the preeminent intellectuals of the 20th century, earning the 1950 Nobel Prize for Literature 'in recognition of his varied and significant writings in which he champions humanitarian ideals and freedom of thought.'
4. *Don Quixote* by Miguel de Cervantes
“Do you see over there, friend Sancho, thirty or forty towering giants? I plan to battle them and defeat them.”
Miguel de Cervantes (1547–1616) states in the prologue to *Don Quixote* that the legendary story was 'begotten in a prison.' The monumental work, originally titled *The Ingenious Hidalgo Don Quixote of La Mancha*, was partially composed while Cervantes was incarcerated for his inability to pay his debts. This is ironic, as Cervantes had previously served as a bookkeeper and tax collector for the Spanish crown following a distinguished military career.
The relationship between the novel’s protagonist, Don Quixote, a knight-errant inspired by heroic tales to right the wrongs across Spain, and his loyal squire, Sancho Panza, who attempts to temper his master's fantastical delusions, is one of literature's most iconic partnerships. The term 'quixotic,' meaning 'wildly idealistic and impractical,' is also derived from the title character.
First published in two parts, 1605 and 1615, *Don Quixote* is now considered one of the earliest European novels and arguably the finest piece of literature ever created by an accountant.
3. *The Long Walk to Freedom* by Nelson Mandela
“No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.”
Nelson Mandela’s 1990 release from prison is a moment etched in history. Once labeled a terrorist for leading the African National Congress (ANC) and imprisoned for 27 years, Mandela brought an end to white minority rule and strict racial segregation in South Africa. In 1993, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize alongside Frederik Willem de Klerk for their peaceful efforts to end apartheid and build a new democratic South Africa, which Mandela led as the country’s first president for five years.
Mandela’s 1995 autobiography details his early life, education, and the hardships he endured during his imprisonment, particularly the 18 years spent on Robben Island, where he was subjected to grueling labor in a lime quarry, isolated in solitary confinement, and confined to a damp concrete cell with only a straw mat for a bed. Much of the autobiography is drawn from the manuscript Mandela wrote while imprisoned.
*Long Walk to Freedom* went on to become one of the best-selling political memoirs of all time. Nelson Mandela will forever be remembered as the father of post-apartheid South Africa. He passed away in 2013.
2. *On the Law of War and Peace* by Hugo Grotius
“By understanding many things, I have accomplished nothing.” These words are attributed to Hugo Grotius, the Dutch scholar, statesman, and political theorist renowned for his pioneering contributions to *international law*. His work *De jure belli ac pacis* (*On the Law of War and Peace*) solidified his place in history.
Born in 1583, Grotius ascended to the role of attorney general of Holland in his twenties and became the pensionary (akin to a state governor) of Rotterdam by 1613. There, he was responsible for resolving disputes between competing European navies. A proponent of freedom of the seas, he clashed with the British, who held opposing views. Additionally, Grotius advocated for religious tolerance, which led to his imprisonment following a coup orchestrated by Maurice of Orange. Nevertheless, Grotius escaped captivity by concealing himself inside a large case, which the guards believed contained books, and fled to Paris.
It was during his imprisonment from 1918 to 1921 that Grotius penned *On the Law of War and Peace*. The work, spanning three volumes, argued that certain circumstances justified war, such as self-defense or the pursuit of reparations and revenge. Grotius even provided a rudimentary guide for warring nations, with chapters titled 'What is Lawful in War' and 'On the Right of Embassies' adorning its pages.
A pivotal concept developed by Grotius was that nation-states are bound by natural law, a law he believed was divinely ordained since Nature itself is a creation of God. He stated that these laws would remain valid 'even if we should concede that which cannot be conceded without the utmost wickedness, that there is no God, or that the affairs of men are of no concern to Him.'
Thanks to his influential treatise, Grotius is regarded as one of the intellectual fathers of international law. He spent his later years traveling across Europe, surviving a shipwreck in 1645, before passing away later that same year. Far from a mundane existence, Grotius’s life was anything but uneventful.
1. *‘Infelix Ego’* by Girolamo Savonarola
Girolamo Savonarola (1452–1498), the Dominican Friar, served as the de facto ruler of Florence for five years leading up to his brutal execution. Under his leadership, Savonarola advocated for Christian renewal in Renaissance Florence and launched a fierce campaign against Pope Alexander VI. After rejecting an alliance with the Pope's Holy League, he was summoned to Rome. In 1497, he was excommunicated by the Pope after denouncing the Vatican’s corruption, and he was imprisoned for preaching blasphemy against the church.
Savonarola endured torture on the rack, eventually confessing that he had fabricated his prophecies and visions for a reformed Christendom. His right arm was spared so that he could sign the confession. Two weeks later, he was executed by burning at the stake in the Piazza della Signoria.
While in prison, Savonarola wrote 'Infelix Ego,' also known as 'Alas, wretch that I am,' a meditation on Psalm 51 in which he pleaded for God's forgiveness for recanting his deeply held beliefs under torture. It opens with:
Alas, wretch that I am, utterly helpless, having offended both heaven and earth — where can I go? Where should I turn? To whom can I run? Who will show mercy upon me? I dare not raise my eyes to heaven, for I have grievously sinned against it; and on earth, I find no shelter, for I have been a disgrace to it. What then shall I do? Shall I despair? Never. God is merciful, my Saviour is loving. Therefore, God alone is my refuge.
Truly heavy words.
Savonarola’s advocacy for republican liberty and religious reform was still upheld by his followers, though the pace of progress was painfully slow. Ultimately, Girolamo Savonarola’s life is a tragic tale of an enlightened reformer undone by humanity’s cruelty.
