Comment: The quare fellow Behan goes to Gotham

OVER the years, there have been many odes to the city that never sleeps.

Deserving of a place among them is a characteristically wry yet affectionate tribute from Brendan Behan: “New York is my Lourdes, I go there for spiritual replenishment.”

Of course, Behan found plenty of another kind of replenishment in the city, the alcoholic kind for which he became famous, overshadowing the work which had brought him critical acclaim and recognition.