Rowan writes: Hubert Selby Jr’s tales of the seamier side of life in Brooklyn do not only give the reader a salacious trip into the underworld inhabited by his characters – they are also moving, and beautifully written in Selby’s much-imitated but unique style. Censored in England and Italy, Selby’s magnum opus, continuing the tradition of writers such as Genet, remains a necessary and startingly original work.