The Green Bridge: Stories from Wales

The 25 stories collected here by poet Davies, all written in English by Welsh writers, are tough, tender, angry and funny by turns. Each is driven by a strong emotion, and often has a visceral effect on the reader; nearly every tale reflects a love of the land. The writers range from the notorious Caradoc Evans, once attacked from pulpits throughout Wales for his ``immoral'' writings, to Welsh Jew Dannie Abse, a medical practitioner in London. In Abse's ``My Father's Red Indian,'' a son revisits his past and discovers his love for his father, who may have invented a mysterious man he called the Welsh Red Indian, purportedly his fishing companion, but never seen by his family. ``The Pit,'' by Gwyn Jones, is a salutary tale of what happens to a snooty Englishman who tries to seduce the wife of a not-very-bright farm worker. Emyr Humphreys's ``The Arrest,'' about the imminent arrest of a minister of religion for an act of civil disobedience, has a sting in its tail for do-gooders. Representing a time span of 70 years, these short narratives offer a wide range of theme and expression. Notes on the contributors (six of the 25 writers selected are women) conclude the volume. (May)