Y diawl a’m llaw chwith
Turns of the River, Turns of the Road
A parcel arrived yesterday containing reviewers’ copies of the latest titles from Cockatrice. The first is Gwyriad: Poems by Nigel Jarrett, sharp and striking in its poetic technique, reflecting on class, industrial heritage, and industrial decline, family and local history, and the history of the former Pen-y-Fal Psychiatric Hospital. The second is River of Hope by Roger Granelli, a novel set in what was then the French Congo at the lepers’ hospital run by Albert Schweitzer. It’s something of a treat, this novel, at once eminently readable, with a fast-paced story, and an intricate portrayal of its African, European and American characters at the end of the imperial age.
Cockatrice will be a low-profile endeavour for a while. My experiences of death threats and prolonged stalking were less than beneficial for my mental health, and difficulties with concentration and organisation are among the least of the difficulties they have caused. The authors will be much encouraged by purchases, shares, and Amazon reviews. Thank you.
