Short stories
On Heroes, Lizards and Passion
Zoila Ellis-Browne · 1988
Synopsis
Seven short stories that range from the Belizean countryside to New York and catch Belizeans at the moment when they shed a fear, a prejudice or a hope. A priest turned village schoolmaster makes peace with his past; a pregnant teenager finds her grandmother's compassion; a community of lizards panics at the arrival of men. In New York, Carla, the servant of a rich retired man, broods over how to keep her son away from a Garifuna fiancée; a remote village prepares for the return of the only one of its people who went off to war.
Context
The collection appeared from Cubola Productions in 1988, with a preface by Colville Young, who tells how the author asked him whether her work deserved to be published. It was reprinted, notably in 1997. Two of its stories have circulated in anthologies: “The Teacher” in a Belizean collection of 1995, then in the series of Belizean writers, and “White Christmas an' Pink Jungle” in a Caribbean anthology. Guides to the country recommend it for understanding contemporary Belize.
Who it is for
Short stories in English, with dialogue in Belizean Creole that can be hard to follow at first.
Prizes and reception
Ann Morgan, who read a book from every country in the world, praised its empathy and humour in 2012.
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