A Human Condition Author:Rhys Davies Rhys Davies is a first-class writer and every short story is a novel in itself""-John Betjeman. To mark the centenary of Rhys Davies's birth (1901-1978), this is a new paperback edition of seven of his best stories. Davies befriended D.H. Lawrence early in his career, and although he too saw sex as the primary determinant of human relations, he ... more »differed radically from Lawrence over the issue of the personal struggle for power. He was a gay man at a time when it was difficult to live openly with his sexuality. Most of his friendships were with women, and his stories often dealt with woman characters who would invariably emerge triumphant from any conflict. Many of these stories are set against the backdrop of the South Wales valleys where he grew up. Dark, witty, and acutely observed, these finely crafted stories put small-town life under the microscope.« less