"The Portuguese creole author Alfred H. Mendes (1897-1991) was among the most important members of the Beacon Group of writers in Trinidad in the 1930s, along with C.L.R. James and Ralph de Boissiere. He is well known as a writer of short stories and for two novels, Pitch Lake and Black Fauns. He was made an honorary doctor of letters by the University of the West Indies in 1972 for his contribution to the development of West Indian literature." Mendes's memories of life in Trinidad in the early twentieth century, his experiences as a rifleman in World War I, and his brief but intense sojourn in New York City during the Depression (often in the company of such prominent literary figures as William Saroyan, Ford Madox Ford and Malcolm Lowry) are an invaluable resource for scholars. But "Alfy" Mendes had other sides as well: civil servant in British colonial Trinidad, political activist, businessman who travelled regularly throughout the West Indies, and, especially, family man. His autobiography offers a unique private perspective of the man behind a popular West Indian personality. Michele Levy's introduction and annotations place the writer in his time and his place in West Indian literature, and Mendes's own distinctive voice engages even the casual reader.