The latest title in the Seren Classics series is this 1948 collection of Margiad Evans's short stories. These fifteen stories, written between 1933 and the late 1940's, address a wide variety of subjects and themes. Welsh country life and the folk tale influences are present as they are in all of Evans's writing. So too are the twin issues of illness and invalidity and their effects upon both victim and care givers. All show her strength in portraying relationships, from the repositioning of marriages after the Second World War to the growing gap between parents and children.The world portrayed in The Old and the Young is that of rural women and their communities, the hardship and struggle which was daily life to so many during the 30's and 40's, especially for those whose husbands and fathers died in the First World War. The quiet heroism of these women is recorded in Evans's particular style of revelation through small detail, subtle dialogue, a quiet voice, and the significance of everyday routine. Their world is one in which love, in many forms, binds people together and pulls communities through difficult times. This new edition incorporates the author's original illustrations and decorative lettering, with an introduction and annotations by Evans's biographer, Ceridwen Lloyd-Morgan (see page 16).