Boys of Gold

A new edition of this classic of young man's working class life in the mines of South Wales and as a soldier in Burma in the British Army in World War II. With a new foreword by Professor Dai Smith

Examining the relationships between families, coal-mining colleagues, and soldiers at war, this collection of eight short stories features several tales set against the partly-autobiographical backdrop of the author's life as a coal miner in the Neath Valley and as a soldier in Burma during World War Two. Also included is an essay on writer B. L. Coombes.

‘He writes as he is—graphic, descriptive, devoid of sentimentality, full of compassion for all who suffer the Human Condition – a man who always knew what the Big Picture was, and was able to tell us  

what it really meant.’ Dai Smith, Nation.Cymru ‘The real gamble for any writer of our bright new millennium is to write with sentiment and feeling…Thus I was refreshed and encouraged… to encounter a writer who is prepared to take this risk… The book exudes a memorable sense of decency and compassion.’ Planet ‘Stories that demand re-reading.’ New Welsh Review ‘Boys of Gold… moves between the perilous coal mines and idyllic countryside of Wales and the jungles and whorehouses of Burma. The contrast between beautiful landscapes and the harsh conditions they conceal is what’s most striking.’ Publishers Weekly ‘Told through seven short stories, Evans opens with an account of the thoughts and fears of a young soldier, fighting for his king and country while remembering the idyllic lifestyle of his rural upbringing. His tale shifts from war to mining, the two elements he writes about with confidence and conviction.’ The Western Mail ‘A sterling writer of place and its rhythms, a celebrant of communities spread along the northern rim of the South Wales coalfield.’  

Jon Gower ‘He brings the area of Dyffryn Cellwen, Coelbren and the upper reaches of the Swansea Valley to life, painting in the