Monday 18 February 2013

Stamboul Borstal Institute


Stambul or Stamboul is the ancient quarter of the Turkish city of Istanbul formerly Constantinople.

Lowry refers to the quarter in a letter to Carol Brown dated 2nd June 1926 when he is describing a classmate named Garnett from the Leys School; - a sweaty shiek in horn rimmed spectacles expelled from the Stamboul Borstal Institute." Lowry's racist description which would not have been uncommon in middle class English schools in the 1920's. The use of Stamboul is an early example of Lowry using exotic locations in his early works which are drawn from his reading.

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