Short stories
Pataki Full: Seven Belizean Short Stories
Colville Young · 1991
Synopsis
Seven satirical stories about Belizean society, its richness and its humour, which touch on social, economic, cultural and political questions, on the nature of the country and on popular wisdom. One of them, “The Representative”, targets the politicians of Belize; another is entitled “Sugar”. The title borrows from Creole the word pataki, which denotes a traditional basket.
Context
Published in 1991 in Belize by Cubola Productions, in 119 pages, the collection was reprinted in extracts in the same publisher's Belizean Writers Series. A Chinese translation appeared in Taipei in 2015; the author, who had suggested it, saw in it a step for Central American writing in Mandarin, and the Taiwanese publisher recommended it to teenagers and young adults. The author said he wanted, through this title, to preserve the country's heritage.
Who it is for
For savouring, in a few short stories, the humour and the foibles of Belizean society.
Prizes and reception
Its readers see in it a foretaste of Belize rather than a full meal, and note its often unexpected endings.
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