Cousins - across the seas

     Short stories from the countries of the Commonwealth

   edited by Glenys Acland and Ken Watson

The British Empire, and later the Commonwealth, was responsible for spreading the English language across the world. This selection of short stories comes from the writers of many of those countries which became part of what is now the British Commonwealth.  These include: 

Canada

England

India

Jamaica

Malaysia and Singapore

 

 

 

 

New Zealand

Nigeria

Northern Ireland

Scotland

South Africa

Wales

 The selection provides 29 stories, many by famous authors such as the Nobel laureate Nadine Gordimer and the Nigerian Chinua Achebe, whose novel Things Fall Apart is the most widely read work of African literature.  As well as containing storytelling of the highest quality, the collection has the added value of providing insights into the societies from which the stories come.

There is also a Cousins Teacher’s Resource Book, by Glenys Acland, Ken Watson and Rachel Duke, which includes

·     Using response journals

·     The short story form – an introductory unit

·     Activities on  groups of stories

·     Notes and Activities on individual stories

·     Activities applicable to a range of stories

·      Notes on the authors

·      Some background notes on the literature of the Commonwealth

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CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION                                                                       

AFRICA

South Africa

Nadine Gordimer    The Moment Before the Gun Went Off                 

Nadine Gordimer The Ultimate Safari    

Botswana

Bessie Head   The Prisoner Who Wore Glasses  

Nigeria

Chinua Achebe  Civil Peace  

Ben Okri In the Shadow of War  

Zambia

Ellen Banda-Aaku Sozi's Box  

THE AMERICAS

Canada

Margaret Laurence The Loons  

Margaret Atwood Gertrude Talks Back  

W.P.Kinsella The Job  

David Arnason A Girl's Story  

Jamaica

Michael Reckord Dog Food  

Trinidad

Samuel Selvon The Cricket Match  

ASIA

India

Anita Desai   The Accompanist  

Paul Zacharia  The Last Show  

Singapore

Catherine Lim  Monster  

 AUSTRALASIA

Australia

Tim Winton  Neighbours  

Gayle Kennedy Life's Good When Ya Know How  

Frank Moorhouse Mechanical Aptitude  

Dal Stivens  The Unicorn  

New Zealand

Janet Frame   Swans  

Bernard Gadd   Where to Go  

Bill Manhire   Flights of Angels

 UNITED KINGDOM

England

William Sansom  The Vertical Ladder

Jan Mark   Feet

John Gordon The Place

Gerald Kersh  Something on His Mind

Denis Norden The Stars and Stripes Forever

Northern Ireland

Jude Collins  Travel Sickness

Scotland

Brian McCabe  The Face

Wales

Leslie Norris Snowdrops