Facing North: Tales from Bathsheba - Paperback

by Edison T. Williams (Author)

An antidote to the daily farrago of celebrity lives served up by the media, this book celebrates the true 'homo ordinarius' and his response to personal, natural and man-made challenges. It is a well prepared potpourri lovingly served with gentle humour and a dash of nostalgia. "If you keep facing north, you'll never see the sun rise." These are the words of the character, Three Schools, in the story Facing North. It is the story that gives the collection its name, Facing North - Tales from Bathsheba. It is Three Schools' way of saying that you won't find the right answer, if you are not looking in the right place. This applies to many of the characters in the book of short stories by Barbadian author Edison T. Williams. The ten intriguing stories span almost a century of Barbadian life starting in the 1930s. The stories are told with humour and the insight of someone who understands the nuances of this small Caribbean society. These stories are about the drama of life in a small community. They also deal with the way in which villagers' lives can from time to time be impacted by its transient residents. But the Bathsheba in these stories is more than a small seaside village; it is a microcosm of Barbados. Other writers had this to say about the book: "Reminiscent of some of Mavis Gallant's short fiction... The stories, all good reads, deal with serious current issues of ...politics, economics, race, sex, land appropriation and identity...these are hopeful stories..." (Robert Edison Sandiford author of THE TREE OF YOUTH AND OTHER STORIES). "(Edison T. Williams) is a story teller! He has the technique of gripping the reader from the beginning. (His) endings are classic Somerset Maugham/O. Henry. I have my favourites among the stories, 'Desmond Lola and Bassman' is fascinating...'The New Sybaris' is a riveting read... but I really loved them all." (Peter Laurie, author of MAUBY'S QUEST FOR THE MAGIC FLOWER AND OTHER BOOKS.) "...an excellent collection of short stories and a couple not so short. Good set of characters that remind me of Steinbeck's Cannery Row...I would love to meet these characters... 'The New Sybaris' is substantial and intricate in describing the many motives involved in a political issue. I liked every story... If I can speak for the public, we want more."(Lennard Sillanpää, On, Canada, Author of AWAKENING SIBERIA.) This book stands out because the stories are great and the characters memorable.

Author Biography

Edison T. Williams is a Barbadian author, born and raised in Barbados. "I attended St. Silas Boys School and Harrison College. At Harrison College, at the prompting of an English teacher, I wrote my first short story. He liked the story but left our school prematurely, shortly after, and my story writing ambitions became dormant. After school, I chose a career in the hospitality industry but found the demands of career too great to devote time to writing stories. I always enjoyed reading and the urge to write stories was still there as retirement approached. Barbados offers excellent opportunities for aspiring writers. I took advantage of classes at the Barbados Community College and The University of the West Indies, Cave Hill and started to write." He has won several awards for his writing in Barbados. His work has been selected for publication in the NIFCA (Barbados national independence festival of creative arts) 2013 Anthology, www.artsetcbarbados.com and in "Stories for our time" by www.LibArtsLondon.co.uk, the on-line publication of the London School of Liberal Arts. He lives in Barbados with his wife Margaret, a musician and teacher. They are the parents of two grown children who have 'flown the coop' and live in Canada. Facing North Tales from Bathsheba is his first book. He continues to write and plans to publish more short stories and novels.