The Quare Fellow. A Comedy-Drama. London: Methuen, 1956. First Edition. Pp, 87. Frontispiece portrait. Black cloth boards in pictorial dust jacket. Jacket scuffed and frayed along edges, and with pen marks to upper cover; the book is in fine bright condition.

Signed in Irish by the Author –  ‘Breandán Ó Beacháin’

Behan’s first play set in Mountjoy Prison, Dublin. It premièred at the Pike Theatre Club, Herbert Lane, Dublin, on 19 November 1954 to critical success and by Joan Littlewood’s Theatre Workshop at the Theatre Royal, Stratford, London on May 24th 1956.

A blend of comedy and tragedy, Behan uses sharp dialogue, satire, and dark humour to critique capital punishment and institutional cruelty. The play established Behan as a major voice in Irish drama, paving the way for his later works like The Hostage.