Frank McLynn
The Deadly Decorator
John the Painter: Britain’s First International Terrorist
By Jessica Warner
Profile Books 298pp £15.99
John the Painter (not to be confused with Peter the Painter, the Latvian anarchist/terrorist involved in the Sidney Street siege of 1911, in which Winston Churchill first won notoriety) was the nom de guerre of a Scot named James Aitken, born in Edinburgh in 1752. One of eleven siblings conceived in poverty, Aitken spent six years at a school for orphans and five years apprenticed to a painter before his career as a criminal began. He put in time as a highwayman and rapist, then spent two years (1773–75) in colonial North America as a redemptioner. This meant that the costs of his passage to the New World were advanced, but he was obliged to repay the debt within weeks of arriving in America; inevitably Aitken, like most others, failed to do so and was then auctioned off to the highest bidder.
As an indentured servant he was a slave in all but name, and escape from servitude was considered all but impossible. But Aitken, a man of great natural cunning, went walkabout and managed to get himself back to England. There he joined the Army, pocketed the enlistment bonus of twenty-six
Sign Up to our newsletter
Receive free articles, highlights from the archive, news, details of prizes, and much more.@Lit_Review
Follow Literary Review on Twitter
Twitter Feed
Are iPhones ruining children's lives? A prominent American psychologist thinks so.
@tiffanyjenkins is not so sure:
Tiffany Jenkins - The Smartphone Pandemic
Tiffany Jenkins: The Smartphone Pandemic - The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an...
literaryreview.co.uk
India's 'festival of democracy', or general election, begins next month. Like every good festival, it looks likely to have its fair share of murders and arrests.
@OwenBennettJon probes the state of democracy in India:
Owen Bennett-Jones - New Delhi Confidential
Owen Bennett-Jones: New Delhi Confidential - The Incarcerations: BK-16 and the Search for Democracy in India by Alpa Shah
literaryreview.co.uk
Where is the world's newest narcostate and why is it thriving?
@AdamBrookesWord investigates Asia's meth mecca.
Adam Brookes - Meth Comes to Myanmar
Adam Brookes: Meth Comes to Myanmar - Narcotopia: In Search of the Asian Drug Cartel That Outwitted the CIA by Patrick Winn
literaryreview.co.uk