Every day throughout May, you will be able to visit the Library of Wales website to download your free story, drawn from Story, vols I and II - a collection boasting the finest Welsh short fiction ever written and featuring some of the most talented literary names from both past and present, including the legendary Dylan Thomas and the award-winning Rachel Trezise, as well as read all about the chosen author.

Day 20: 'The Stars Above the City' by Lewis Davies

(Taken from Love and Other Possibilities, 2008)

Born in 1967 in Penrhiwtyn, Lewis Davies is one of the founding partners of Parthian, as well as a successful author, poet, editor, playwright and essayist. The company was established in 1993 to publish his first novel Work, Sex and Rugby, and has now published over two hundred titles of which over 190 are still in print. Davies has been involved in the literary scene in Wales since 1990 and is the current commercial director of Parthian and the Library of Wales series.

Aside from Work, Sex and Rugby, which was a national winner in World Book Day's 'We Are What We Read' poll, his novels include Tree of Crows (1996) and My Piece of Happiness(1999), and he has also published a selection of literary essays - As I Was a Boy Fishing (2003) - and a critically acclaimed selection of stories Love and Other Possibilities(2008). His work has received numerous awards, including the Rhys Davies short story competition (for his 1999 short story 'Mr Roopratna's Chocolate') and the John Morgan writing award (for his 1997 travel book Freeways: a Journey West on Route 66). He has worked extensively in Welsh theatre and has had a number of plays professionally produced, including Sex and Power at the Beau Rivage (2003), a play about  about the meeting of Rhys Davies and D. H. Lawrence in the French Mediterranean of Bandol, andFootball (2004). His work for younger readers includes Tai and the Tremorfa Troll, a series of children’s picture books available in both English and Welsh and developed with the illustrator Hayley Acreman.

You can download the story in PDF format here. (If download does not start, then right click the link and select 'Save link as'.)

Selected bibliography

Love and Other Possibilities (Parthian, 2008)

Football (Parthian, 2004)

As I Was a Boy Fishing: Selected Essays (Parthian, 2003)

My Piece of Happiness (Parthian, 1999)

Freeways: a Journey West on Route 66 (Parthian, 1997)

Tree of Crows (Parthian, 1996)

Work, Sex and Rugby (Parthian, 1993)

For children

Tai and Troll Take a Day-trip to Tenby / Tai a'r Trol yn Mynd am y Dydd i Ddinbych-y-Pysgod (Parthian, 2010)

Tai, Troll and the Black and White Cow / Tai, Trol a'r Fuwch Ddu a Gwyn (Parthian, 2009)

Tai and the Tremorfa Troll / Tai a'r Throl Tremofra (Parthian, 2007)

Plays

'Sickert, Supertramp and Jack the Ripper' (Equinox Theatre, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, 2010)

Contributed to

Story II (anthology) (Library of Wales, 2014)

Sport (Libray of Wales, 2007)

Urban Welsh: New Welsh Short Fiction (editor) (Parthian, 2005)

Human Conditions: Parthian New Writing (editor) (Parthian, 2001)

Mama’s Baby (Papa’s Maybe): New Welsh Short Fiction (New Welsh Short Fiction) (editor with Arthur Smith) (Parthian, 1999)