The author of several books, George Polley grew up in Seattle, Washington, and now lives with his wife in Sapporo, Japan. His most recent books are “The Old Man and the Monkey” and “Grandfather and the Raven”. A poetry collection is forthcoming from Night Publication. Earlier books are “Fernandez’s Tale and Other Stories”, “Living and Working in the 21st Century”, two poetry chapbooks, “We Play Each Other Like Jazz Musicians” and “Horsewoman of the Apocalypse” (1975), and a poetry broadsheet, “For Jonathan, Who at Eight, is a Poet” (1975, Smith Park Poetry Series, St. Paul, Minnesota). Seven of his flash fiction stories are featured in the e-book “Sherlock Holmes in a Flash: New Short Holmes Stories”, Abbott ePublishing,http://www.abbottepub.com/holmes.html He has also published several booklets in the mental health field, one of them with Ana E. Dvoredsky, M.D.
“George Polley’s ‘Grandfather’ stories are fables capable of teaching children -- and not a few adults -- about the value of appreciating all living creatures, of the wisdom of being open-minded enough to seek solutions in unlikely places, of the rewards of working systematically towards your dreams, of the futility of bullying and aggression, and of the reassurance of a loving and harmonious environment in a world which tips all too often toward the arbitrary destruction of war.
As ever, George Polley recounts these near-legends in a voice which lulls and beguiles, and above all nudges us toward a kinder and more spiritual approach to the world around us.”
• Review
“The stories all carried a message, much like Aesop's fables, but were not overly 'preachy' and as such I was not turned away. I particularly liked the Sir Raven as a character (I have many ravens around where I live, but I have not enquired as to their names! We also get wagtails too!). The underlying messages, for instance of taking responsibility for your actions, accepting the need to work for what you want, patience, and negotiation, are of use to all ages. I shall be reading more of his books.” -- Peter Tapsell, Perth, Australia
Links to the book:
Paperback: http://www.amazon.com/Grandfather-Raven-story-George-Polley/dp/1452897832/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1330557591&sr=1-6
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PLUS...Join this blog and be in the running to win not one but TWO books written by your host Soooz under her pen name of Stacey Danson..."Empty Chairs" and "Faint Echoes of Laughter"
Make certain you leave a link or an email where you can be notified of your win.
Yes, I really must get round to George's work one of these days. Sounds like a prolific writer, and I rather like the themes in his collections (Japenese-influenced, methinks??) - though, I'll confess, I've read nothing by him yet. Very much looking forward to, however.
ReplyDeleteOn a personal note, George has been very supportive of countless fellow writers over the years, and I wish him well.
George is a great example of an artist who produces fine work, and doesn't stop, despite being well into his Autumn years.
ReplyDeleteGeorge is a wise and obviously widely-read man. I always appreciate his facebook posts. He has a knack of finding and passing on the important news. (Not for him, 'Oh well, I guess it's bedtime' or something equally bland.)
ReplyDeleteBeing the man he is, his stories have a great deal of depth.
i love the big hearted, loving, appreciative sense i get from this. i've read some of his work, and saw his goodness.
ReplyDeleteI've heard great things about George's books and the review above convinces me it's time I found out for myself.
ReplyDeleteGeorge is wonderful!
ReplyDeleteThank you all for participating, the names go into the hat, and....
ReplyDelete...Congratulations to Babs Morton...you have won an ecopy of "Grandfather and The Raven" Your prize will soon be on its way.
Thank you Soooz and George...looking forward to it!
DeleteA bit late to comment for the sake of winning the book, but since I've only just got this post I'm commenting anyway. George Polley is a writer who can hold the reader's attention while moving his story along in a beautiful, quiet, relaxed style; who can bring his settings to life with individual images and turns of phrase; and whose characters are loveable and real. He also invariably has something well worth saying. I first read The Old Man and The Monkey some months ago, and was very impressed. The Grandfather and the Raven is equally enjoyable and is so well written. George is a writer who should be much better known – but there's time for that yet!
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