PREFACE
The central theme of this collection is spousal abuse employed in its different forms and executed by different malefactors.
In Down Independence Boulevard and Why Men Leave, it's the husband who is the object of physical and psychological abuse. In The Last Straw, it is the wife who is subjected to psychological abuse. In A Lovers' Tryst, both the husband and wife are the guilty parties and execute both physical and psychological abuse.
The Last Straw was first written as a Short Story and included in the collection Down Independence Boulevard And Other Stories which was the Winner 1st Prize in the Guyana Prize For Literature (Fiction) 2022. With its setting in a house and the main characters interacting with one another, I thought it would easily convert to a Play and so, The Last Straw: The Play was born. When it was submitted to the Guyana Prize For Literature (Drama) the 1st Prize awarded came as a complete surprise but justified my faith in the plot and theme.
The original Short Story for The Last Straw (as published in the Down Independence BoulevardCollection) is also included in this book for the reader to compare the original with the Play which has some significant differences in its adaption to the medium.
Ken Puddicombe
Ken Puddicombe
1. DOWN INDEPENDENCE BOULEVARD [published as JACK OF ALL TRADES in Fiddlehead Magazine].
v JACK YUSUFF taxi driver, among many other pursuits, has a run-in with his wife who is far from satisfied with his conduct, and threatens to sic her brother on to him. JACK is driving down the recently named INDEPENDENCE BOULEVARD, formerly Canal Road, and comments about the collapse in the infrastructure after independence came to the colony. On his return home, he will have a confrontation with his brother-in-law, placing both of them in harm's way.
2. WHY MEN LEAVE
v RAM PERSAUD, prison warder at the Georgetown Jail, is disenchanted with his life. RAM has suffered over the years from abuse on the job and from his wife at home. JACK YUSUFF finds himself in the same situation. They emphatize with each other and make plans to leave the country, along with a growing exodus of people disillusioned over the pessimistic outlook for the post-independence era.
3. A LOVERS TRYST
v JOHN DIAS is on his way to the Timehri Airport to catch a plane after his father's funeral. His driver, JACK YUSUFF has stepped into a betting shop when JOHN is witness to a couple having an alterncation, leading to a physical confrontation and police involvement.
4. THE LAST STRAW the original Short Story included in the Collection DOWN INDEPENDENCE BOULEVARD AND OTHER STORIES which won 1st Prize Guyana Prize For Literature (Fiction) 2022
v SHANTI, now living in Canada, feels she's had the last straw with the mental abuse inflicted on her at the hands of her husband and mother-in-law, over the many years of her marriage. She decides to take matters into her own hands.
