The pop-eyed potbellied governor said to a pop-eyed potbellied Member of Parliament who sat next to his pop-eyed potbellied whore of a wife that I was his only hope for getting the Borstal Blue Ribbon Prize Cup For Long Distance Cross Country Running (All England), wchi I was, and it set me to laughing to myself inside...

The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner, Sillitoe's brilliant portrayal of the mind of an incorrigible rebel, is a modern classic. The other stories in this collection are also evocative, realistic and superbly written.