A collection of seven short essays, some set against the partly- autobiographical background of the author's life as a coalminer in the Neath valley and a soldier in Burma during World War 2, dealing with caring and loving relationships within families and coal-mining colleagues, and with misleading war relationships, together with one essay about the writer B.L. Coombes.

Casgliad o saith ysgrif fer, rhai ac iddynt gefndir rhannol hunangofiannol yr awdur yn löwr yng Nghwm Nedd ac yn filwr yn Burma yn ystod yr Ail Ryfel Byd, yn delio â pherthynas o ofal a chariad o fewn teuluoedd a chyd-weithwyr yn y pwll glo, ac â pherthynas gamarweiniol ar adeg rhyfel, ynghyd ag un ysgrif am y llenor B.L. Coombes.

In his collection Boys of Gold, George Brinley Evans's six short stories take us from the life of mining communities in the Banwen area of south Wales to Burma during the Second World War, but rarely do we glimpse the one without feeling the presence of the other. Similarities as well as outward differences between the two are emphasized in flashback sequences and they are conjoined by the beauty of their landscapes. But at a deeper level, what is heightened most is the commonality forged by the fate of ordinary people – be they mothers, soldiers, miners, 'dance hostesses', children or killers – and the contradiction of experiencing brutality, tragedy, death and loss in the context of such aesthetically striking settings. These memorable, unsettling, shocking and even distressing tales explore the interplay between love and war – actual war in Burma and the underground war in the mines of south Wales, with their endemic dangers. In both, sudden, unexpected death is always close at hand and provides a further unifying theme in the stories.

Evans's prose is evocative, economical and moving. He writes warmly and sympathetically of most, if not all, the characters in his stories – even riflemen the moment before they pull the trigger. The keynote is affection. The implications of death for surviving relatives and friends are conveyed sensitively and compassionately. Evans, an accomplished painter and sculptor as well as writer, grew up in the area of south Wales of which he writes. His experiences as a miner in the Banwen area and as a soldier in Burma have surely also helped to provide the meticulous detail and sharpness of observation that enrich his writing. In this he strikingly resembles his friend and fellow miner-writer B. L. Coombes, on whom he writes movingly in a sketch also included in this collection. They also share something else. Like Coombes's best writing, Boys of Gold is an eloquent and compelling testimony to the depth of George Brinley Evans's humanity.

Bill Jones

It is possible to use this review for promotional purposes, but the following acknowledgment should be included: A review from www.gwales.com, with the permission of the Welsh Books Council.

Gellir defnyddio'r adolygiad hwn at bwrpas hybu, ond gofynnir i chi gynnwys y gydnabyddiaeth ganlynol: Adolygiad oddi ar www.gwales.com, trwy ganiatâd Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru.