Brown, Christie

Christy Brown was born into a family of Irish workers at Rotunda Dublin Hospital in June 1932. After his birth, doctors established in a child a severe form of cerebral palsy , a neurological disease that causes spasticity of all limbs. Despite the advice of doctors to identify him in an appropriate rehabilitation institution, Christie's parents decided not to give in to influence and raise their child on their own with the rest of their children. As a teenager, Katriona Delahunt, a social worker, found out about Christie and began to visit his family regularly, bringing him books and paints. Years later, Christy showed interest in art and literature. He showed extraordinary dexterity in controlling paralyzed limbs, learning to write and draw with his left foot, which succumbed to his control. ^[4] Christie quickly turned into a serious artist.

Despite the lack of formal school education, Christy Brown attended school at St. Brendan Sandimound with breaks , where over the years he met Dr. Robert Collis. Collis noted that Christie was also a novelist and later helped him, through his own connections, publish the book My Left Leg .

When “My Left Foot” became a literary sensation, there was a married American, Beth Moore, among the many people who wrote letters to Christy Brown. Christy and Beth began to correspond regularly and in 1960, Christy Brown went on vacation to North America and stayed at Beth Moore's home in Connecticut. ^[5] When they met again in 1965, they opened a business. Christy Brown traveled to Connecticut again to finish his Magnum opus , which he had been working on for years. And finished already in 1967 with the help of Beth Moore, thanks to the strict regime and daily routine. ^[6] The book was entitled "Always Down" and published in 1970, dedicated to Beth Moore with the words "For Beth, ..." ("For Beth, who with such gentle ferocity, finally whipped me into finishing this book ...") ^[7] During all this time, fame spread and Brown became a celebrity. Upon his return to Ireland, Brown accumulated enough funds to build and move with his sister's family to the house outside Dublin. ^[8] Although Brown and Beth planned to sign and live in a new house, at the same time, Brown began an affair with the Englishwoman Mary Carr, whom she met on a visit in London. ^[9] Brown broke up with Moore and signed with Kerr at the Dublin registry office in 1972. They moved to Stoney Lane, Rathcoole of Dublin County (now Lisheen Nursing Home), to Ballyheigue ' Kerry and then to Somerset . He continued to write paintings and books, compose poems and plays. In 1974, his novel A Shadow on Summer was released , based on his relationship with Moore, with whom he continued friendly relations. ^[ten]

The film adaptation of My Left Leg (directed by Jim Sheridan ) was shot in 1989 according to the script of Shane Connoton . Daniel Day-Lewis starred as Christie Brown with Brenda Fricker as his mother. Actors won the Academy Award for their roles. The film was also nominated for an Oscar as the best film of the year, for best directing, as well as the best adapted script. Daniel Day-Lewis, preparing for the shoot, spent time at the Sandimount Dublin school clinic, imbued with the lives of people with disabilities.

Irish rock band The Pogues paid tribute to Christy Brown with a song entitled "Down with all the days." This is the seventh track on their 1989 Peace and Love record. Also, U2 released a song called “Down with all the days” for the 20th anniversary of Achtung Baby .

• Christy brown biography
• Christy Brown on the Internet Movie Database