Boys of Gold

Welsh author George Brinley Evans began his work as a coal miner, or collier, in 1939 at the age of 14. In the seven brief, lyrical sketches that make up Boys of Gold, he moves between the perilous coal mines and idyllic countryside of Wales and the jungles and whorehouses of Burma, where he served in the army. The contrast between beautiful landscapes and the harsh conditions they almost conceal is what's most striking here, since the stories are far too short for any substantial narrative or character development. ( Mar. 26)