Yaard and Abroad - From a Jamaican Perspective

by Claudette Beckford-Brady


Formats

Softcover
£11.11
Softcover
£11.11

Book Details

Language : English
Publication Date : 01/04/2014

Format : Softcover
Dimensions : 5x8
Page Count : 214
ISBN : 9781496901897

About the Book

Yaard and Abroad is a beautiful collection of short stories which exemplify the Jamaican culture and its people, those living on the island and those residing overseas. The book begins with a story that depicts the genesis of the island's history - the coming of Christopher Columbus and the Spanish conquistadors, and continues with different stories that illustrate the Jamaican psyche and the uniqueness of Jamaica as an island, and the nature and attitudes of her people. Stories such as "Where is Jamaica?" and "Rent-a-Dreads" tell the reader what is good and bad about the island. In "Where is Jamaica" the island disappears into thin air and despite air and sea searches by the United States navy the island is nowhere to be found. Empty seas lie where the island of Jamaica used to be. With the disappearance of the island it is lamented that the world would have lost so much that is uniquely Jamaican; over-proof white rum, authentic reggae music, to mention a couple. "Rent-a-Dreads" on the other hand is about the harsh reality that tourists are sometimes preyed upon. The book contains a total of nineteen short stories which are set on the island of Jamaica (yaard) and in the United Kingdom (abroad). Each story depicts different topics that are true and reflective of the nature of Jamaica and Jamaicans. "Bun" describes the musings of a wife whose husband appears to be giving her "bun" which is the Jamaican vernacular for having an affair. "Vextation" gives a humorous look at a Jamaican domestic worker attempting to get a live-in job and constantly putting her foot in her mouth with the potential employer. This book will appeal to Jamaicans at home and abroad and can also be enjoyed by a world-wide audience.


About the Author

Claudette Beckford-Brady is an award-winning novelist and short-story writer. She was born in Old Harbour, Jamaica, where she spent the first seven years of her life before going to join her parents who had migrated to the United Kingdom leaving her in the care of her great-grandmother. She learned to read at her great-gran’s knee and it was there she developed the love of reading which has stayed with her throughout her life. At some point during her early years it occurred to her that she could perhaps write as good as, if not better, than some of the authors she was reading and this inspired her to start writing short stories. She began entering her stories in literary competitions in 1991 where she achieved great success, winning a number of awards. Two of her award winning short stories are featured in The Gold Anthology, which is a collection of award winning entries from the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission’s annual literary competition. Claudette also has three published novels.