Shortlisted for the Commonwealth Writers' Prize Best Book AwardGumbo, Bolo, Terrijones and Ocean eat like pigs, diving into heaped dish after steaming heaped dish in their gargantuan efforts to win the championship of the village eating competition. Rufus also eats like a pig – for the good reason that he is a pig. When the white boar breaks loose and rampages through the village, wreaking havoc in the schoolyard, flower garden and card games, Braveboy and an ever-growing crowd of villagers and pothounds chase him all the way to the doors of the mosque. This collection includes some exuberantly comic stories, featuring endearing pathos-fringed clowns such as Prakash, the bottle-washer who nearly danced. But there are also stories of violence and passion: of Deolat, who loved the wrong woman; of Mano, who went to steal with the wrong partners; of Sharon, who ran on the beach at the wrong time of night. And there are stories of poverty and betrayal: men deserting their families, women struggling to survive, children sadly deprived. Yet there are triumphs too: not least that of Bhim, the mere caseworker determined to become King of Carnival. About the author: Willi Chen was born in the canefield country of Couva, in central Trinidad, and grew up immersed in rural East Indian culture. Drawing on these Indian, his own Chinese, and other ethnic influences, he developed into a multi-talented artist, winner of national and international awards for painting, poetry, short stories, plays and set design. His sculptures grace public spaces such as the Port of Spain Central Bank foyer and roundabouts around San Fernando. He has designed churches and other buildings. His stories and poems are frequently published in prestigious journals as well as newspapers. His first collection, King of the Carnival, was published in 1988.Please note that this is an eBook version of this title and can NOT be printed. For more information about eBooks, including how to download the software you’ll need, see our FAQs page.