Paul West

[Guest Old Canny Street Kid]

If anyone should ever produce a list of literary figures with Sheffield & district links, PAUL WEST, who was born at Eckington in 1930, certainly merits a mention. He has lived in America for many years, having held a number of English and English Literature posts at US universities. In fact, he suffered a stroke not long ago, and is now in poor health as a consequence; but I am told that he is showing terrific fight, and has even managed to write a book about the trauma of his stroke.

I wonder whether anyone with Eckington links has any memories of this remarkable man? As a boy he lived in Market Street, and one of his earliest works was the autobiographical "I Said The Sparrow" --now long out of print, but well worth seeking.

[Guest Old Canny Street Kid]

If anyone should ever produce a list of literary figures with Sheffield & district links, PAUL WEST, who was born at Eckington in 1930, certainly merits a mention. He has lived in America for many years, having held a number of English and English Literature posts at US universities. In fact, he suffered a stroke not long ago, and is now in poor health as a consequence; but I am told that he is showing terrific fight, and has even managed to write a book about the trauma of his stroke.

I wonder whether anyone with Eckington links has any memories of this remarkable man? As a boy he lived in Market Street, and one of his earliest works was the autobiographical "I Said The Sparrow" --now long out of print, but well worth seeking.

Here is the cover of The Shadow Factory, the book about his stroke, with the start of the preface by his wife Diane Ackerman.