Diana Wallace on Shifts by Christopher Meredith.
As Shifts by Christopher Meredith becomes number 53 in the Library of Wales series, Professor Diana Wallace introduces the new edition of this classic novel of Welsh literature.
Shifts is a novel of the decline of industry and the battle of a working-class community to remain true to itself in the valleys of south Wales during the 1980s. A funny, lyrical and poignant lament of the expectations and realities of life framed with love and driven with a desire for a better future.
“Given his versatility as both poet and novelist and the ambitious breadth of his concerns, it is extraordinary that Meredith’s work is not yet better known outside Wales. He is a major writer whose work speaks directly, and urgently, to universal themes and concerns precisely because it is grounded in the specificity of a particular time and place. Shifts is a novel which helps us to know where we are now, and why, in relation to many complex issues: history, time, work, politics, love, betrayal and grief. It is also witty, compassionate, and brilliantly readable. If you don’t know Meredith’s writing yet, this is a good place to start.” Professor Diana Wallace.
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