IN what is expected to be a celebration of Gros Islet history and a revisit of what it was like growing up in Gros Islet during the 60s, 70s and 80s, Therold Prudent and Children of Gros Islet will join forces for a reading from his internationally published book ‘Glory Days and Tragedy’.
On February 14, 1985, six young men set out to sea from the Caribbean island of St. Lucia.
It was to be a brief and routine fishing expedition, but engine trouble left them adrift in a 22-foot open boat with no water or supplies.
Thirst, hunger, disease, and madness interrupt the idyllic lives of six young friends and their families who grew up together in the St. Lucian town of Gros Islet.
Glory Days and Tragedy, by Therold Prudent, recounts the harrowing ordeal of these young men lost at sea and the effects of the tragedy that reverberated through the small community.
Weaving vivid description and local dialect throughout a compelling tale of tragedy and triumph of human spirit, Prudent takes readers to another place and time.
The beaches and culture of the small rural Caribbean town by the sea, Gros Islet, become real and its people become beloved companions.
Prudent, an avid traveller always wanted to share with the world his nostalgic memories of his hometown, Gros Islet, and its memorable people.
He also wanted to explore the pain and questions of faith that he suffered when his close friends perished at sea.
The two quests have merged into one story that beautifully describes his beloved hometown of Gros Islet and magically explores the depths of emotions experienced by the tragedy that was visited on this community.
“The ordeal at sea is by no means the only life defining moment for this community. There are endearing moments as well as nostalgic ones. Glory Days and Tragedy is a touching, arresting, haunting and well-wrought tale. Recommended!” said Nikisha Young, New York CaribNews
Prudent reveals a somewhat mystical nature to the tragic story,” said The Press of Southeast Queens.
Adam West, the late actor and star of the television series Batman, described the book as having “scope and colourful characters. We are in a society and on location where most people never experience. The drama, the risk, and the pain of the lost-at-sea saga hits the reader like an oar between eyes.”
Jason Sifflet, Nationally syndicated writer & Journalist, said: “In the wild fruit section of Lucian literature, Prudent did match Earl Long for presenting an effective village literature.
GLORY DAYS & TRAGEDY is an important contribution to the very sparse number of important novels about 20th century village life in St Lucia.
But where Long’s Mon Repos was interesting to a Castries boy on summer vacation, Prudent’sGros Islet is immediate, intricate and inescapable.
Long is an enthusiastic observer in Mon Repos, but Prudent is a real villager, a future community leader coming of age when disaster strikes at the heart of his part of the community.
Long’s Mon Repos is a slice of time captured, but Prudent’sGros Islet is a moment made eternal, a moment of tragic change give immortal life.
Where Long’s Mon Repos is sunny and playful and riddle with folk comedy, Prudent’sGros Islet is salt-stained and kerosene lit, the faint smell of Roman Catholic incense in the air, the sound of machines competing with the surf in the daylight for the first time in history.”
The author, Prudent, holds a Master Degree in Government and Politics and is a graduate certificated in international law and diplomacy from Saint John’s University. He received his Bachelor of Science in Management and Communications from Adelphi University, including a Bachelor of Science in Travel & Tourism Management from the University of the State of New York.
The event and signing is scheduled for tomorrow (Sunday 21st October) at 4:00 p.m. on Bay Street, Gros Islet — and is free and open to the public.