A Cage of Shadows was first published in 1973 to enthusiastic reviews and announced the arrival of a major new writer. Set in the Black Country during the 1930s, it tells of Hill''s brutal upbringing. On leaving home, he encountered further degradation in prisons, mental hospitals and on skid row. But a chance meeting in the ''50s changed his life: Hill became friends with Klaus ''Doc'' Fuchs, who instilled in him a passion for literature and encouraged him to write. Libel action in 1975 meant copies of A Cage of Shadows were pulped. This new edition reinstates the original text.
