Dennis Nilsen was one of Britain's most notorious serial killers, jailed
for life in 1983 after the murders of 12 men and the attempted murders
of many more. Seven years after his conviction, Nilsen began to write
his autobiography, and over a period of 18 years he typed 6,000 pages of
introspection, reflection, comment and explanation. History of a
Drowning Boy - taken exclusively from these astonishing writings -
uncovers, for the first time, the motives behind the murders, and
delivers a clear understanding of how such horrific events could have
happened, tracing the origins back to early childhood. In another first,
it provides an insight into his 35 years inside the maximum-security
prison system, including his everyday life on the wings; his
interactions with the authorities and other notorious prisoners; and his
artistic endeavours of music, writing and drama. It also reveals the
truth behind many of the myths surrounding Dennis Nilsen, as reported in
the media. Nilsen was determined to have his memoir published but to his
frustration, the Home Office blocked publication during his lifetime. He
died in 2018 entrusting the manuscript to his closest friend and it is
now being published with the latter's permission. Any autobiography
presents the writer's story from just one perspective: his own, and as
such this record should be treated with some caution. An excellent
foreword by criminologist Dr Mark Pettigrew offers some context to
Nilsen's words, and this important work provides an extraordinary
journey through the life of a remarkable and inadequate man.
