Monk Eastman - Representation in Other Media

Representation in Other Media

• Eastman is featured in a 1933 short story by Argentine writer, Jorge Luis Borges, called "Monk Eastman: Purveyor of Iniquities"
• The British writer, P.G. Wodehouse, featured a fictional character "Bat Jarvis" in his novel, Psmith, Journalist, who was largely based on Eastman.
• Harry Grey's biographical novel, The Hoods (1952), refers to Eastman. The book was adapted as Sergio Leone's movie, Once Upon a Time in America (1984).
• In the 1988 film Eight Men Out, Eastman is referred to as one of Arnold Rothstein's enforcers and collection agents, but preceded his rise.
• Kevin Baker's 1999 novel Dreamland (1999) refers to Eastman.
• The film Gangs of New York (2002) features a character called "Walter 'Monk" McGwin" (played by actor Brendan Gleeson) who is loosely based on Eastman, but this is anachronistic, as it takes place decades before his rise.
• Don Brown's youth book, The Notorious Izzy Fink (2006), portrays Eastman as a powerful gang leader on the Lower East Side.
• Michael Walsh's And All the Saints ISBN 978-0-446-51815-4 features Eastman as an important character in the early life of the prominent gangster Owney Madden.