Donn Pearce

A convict on a Southern chain gang becomes the idol of his fellow prisoners when he rebels against the rigidities of the correction system

A Novel

Cool Hand Luke

Cool Hand Luke (Film Ink)

Emma Reeves

‘Wherever you go and whatever you do, always play a real cool hand.’ Beneath a scorching Florida sun, Boss Godfrey watches the chain gang. Keeps his eye on Cool Hand Luke. War hero, trouble-maker, inspiration to his fellow inmates. And just the man Boss wants to crush... Cool Hand Luke is the hard-hitting story of a true original. He’ll play it real cool in the face of brutality. He’ll always get back up after a beating. He’ll eat fifty eggs in an hour, to win a bet. A man who won’t conform no matter what it costs.In a powerful new adaptation for the stage by Emma Reeves, based on Donn Pearce’s acclaimed novel, and directed by Andrew Loudon, Cool Hand Luke is the raw, uncompromising tale of sticking it to ‘The Man’.

Written using Donn Pearce's own experiences of working on a Florida chain gang, Cool Hand Luke is the classic tale of a quiet hero who refused to conform. Forced into a chain gang after a controversial career in the army, Lucas Jackson's outsized feats range from bizarre acts of gluttony and gambling - betting a fellow inmate he can eat 50 eggs - to harrowing escape attempts. Luke's acts of defiance and his refusal to 'git his mind right' soon make him a legend among his fellow convicts - a symbol of hope in a cruel regime designed to break a man's body and spirit. The original rebel, Luke's anti-hero personality makes him one of the seminal non-conformists - born to lose, but full of dignity. Cool Hand Luke was turned into a film in 1967, the year after its initial publication, starring Paul Newman. The screenplay, scripted by Donn Pearce himself, was nominated for an Academy Award.

Cool Hand Luke: Introduction by Antonia Quirke

Donn Pearce, the author of Cool Hand Luke, again revisits the subject of men under tremendous pressure, living and dying according to oppressive circumstances. Now, he brings you another tragic hero, thrust out of the only world he knew and forced to create one on his own terms . . . or die trying. Toby Parker was America's unwanted son. Only sixteen years old, he was too young to be enlisted in the army, but old enough to know that he didn't want to return to the life he knew: moving from new home to new home, neglected by his mother, ignored by his father, overlooked by everyone else. The war overseas promised exotic locations and adventure, but what it delivered was something else entirely. The Nazis were beginning to fall back, and the war was all but over. But the fighting still raged on in pockets of Europe. Out of the critical focus on France, only one last position needed to hold: the city of Bastogne. Thrown into battle almost immediately upon arrival, he soon found himself wounded and alone, struggling to survive and looked upon to lead. It was here that Toby was to learn what war really was, and what kind of man he was destined to become. Many American boys went into World War II, and each one lived their own nightmare, critically shaped by what they experienced. Told with gritty authenticity, Donn Pearce captures the very essence of what it means to be caught under the worst circumstances imaginable, while having the strength and humanity to rise above them. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Donn Pearce

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