Library books defaced
by prankster playwright Joe Orton go on show: Orton and his
boyfriend, Kenneth Halliwell, went to jail for adding surreal gags
to dustjackets in guerrilla protest
Mark Brown, arts correspondent, guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 11
October 201
As crimes go it was not the most heinous of offences, but
Islington council's principal law clerk, Sidney Porrett, made it
his mission to nab the perpetrators.
"I had to catch these two monkeys," he said. "They were a couple of
darlings, make no mistake."
The darlings in question were the playwright Joe Orton and his
boyfriend - later murderer - Kenneth Halliwell, and the crimes were
taking library books and returning them with comedy collages on the
dustjackets.
After a fruitless investigation that involved undercover
librarians, Porrett eventually caught the pair in an elaborate
sting operation and they went down for six months each.
From Friday, the story of their crimes will be retold by the
council, which is putting on display 40 of the 72 dustjackets that
the pair defaced.
Islington's local history manager, Mark Aston, said it was the
first time the jackets - "they're of international interest I'd
say" - had gone on show in this number in the same place, and they
shined a light on two fascinating lives and characters.
The crimes stemmed from Halliwell and Orton's unhappiness at the
books on offer at Essex Road library.
"They were appalled by what they found," said Aston, stressing that
things had much changed since then. "It was endless shelves of
rubbish, as they saw it."
For the full story go to http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/oct/11/library-books-playwright-joe-orton
Loot, Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House until 23
October, 2011.