It was the Sword of Damocles hanging over the head of every “privileged” child.

Bullied, Beaten, and Buggered

The award-winning author recounts the physical, sexual, and psychological abuse he received at his posh English boarding school

By Louis de Bernières

A few years ago I started to write a book about my prep school. I was going to call it Requiem For A Hellhole. It began with the words: ‘In September of 1963 an eight-year-old boy was delivered into hell. That little boy was me.’

I got about 2,000 words into it and couldn’t carry on.