Hand Grenades in the Kitchen: a commentary on The Murenger and Other Stories and Rebel Rebel

The published works being submitted, The Murenger and Other Stories and Rebel Rebel are, respectively, collections of 15 and 21 short stories. They form part of a substantial body of almost ninety short stories, gathered in five collections over three decades by the author. They represent a contribution to the short story in both English and Welsh and offer evidence of experiment with the form. The critical review examines some of the technical aspects of crafting these short stories and considers some of the disparate themes in these volumes, such as Brexit, nature and David Bowie. It also sets the collections within the context of both the writer’s other outputs and the work of other authors such as Gabriel García Márquez, John Updike and Kevin Barry whose influence has made its mark. It also considers issues arising from being a bilingual writer and applies some ideas about literary cartography to the two volumes under consideration.