I have written these stories to interest readers with all manner of tastes. Along with the humorous ones I have delved deeper into other such as real life drama, the nonreligious and the contemplative. In short ‘Serendipity’ caters for all tastes.
An avid reader of short stories myself, I have enjoyed journeying along with the likes of Mark Twain, O’Henry, Maupassant, Frank O’Connor and others of such ilk. Nearer home, writers like Keith Waterhouse, Bill Naughton, Sid Chaplin, Stan Barstow are among my favourites and of course the inimitable P.G.Wodehouse.
In gathering together over the years, this collection of short stories, I feel somewhat like a campanologist with his carillon of bells – ringing the changes.
In ‘Serendipity’ there is something for everyone. If your taste is humour there are plenty including ‘It’s No Laughing Matter’, ‘Stop! …Don’t Go Any Further’. There are slices of real life in ‘Arthur’, ‘Lanky Franky’, ‘Death of the Hindenburg’ and ‘My Only Sunshine’. There is satire and irreligious ones – written without any malice. In the animal stories ‘The Dog’, ‘The Gulls’ Court’ and ‘The Camel’ I have given myself full rein and enjoyed exercising anthropomorphism. In short ‘Serendipity’ is the word - take a dip and find your winner.
I hope while reading these stories you will be able to share the enjoyment that I felt when writing them.
Apart from a few disastrous years after I left university (UCL) trying to make banking my career, I found myself a square peg in a round hole. I ‘escaped’ into the teaching profession and after forty years teaching all ages from infant to 6th form, I became a headmaster. During these years I was secretary of the local teachers’ union and reported their meetings in the local paper. I was involved with the numerous educational/political issues that arose. In addition I wrote a short story for a Chicago magazine. I also wrote a short story for the Daily Mail about the death and resurrection of ‘Oscar’, my children’s ancient goldfish. Years later I read the same article in an American magazine. I have a collection of short stories which I hope to publish. After retirement I became a lecturer jointly with the W.E.A. and Sheffield University. I liked foreign travel and on the sesquicentennial of the Oregan Trail (the greatest land migration in history) followed the trek from St. Louis to Oregan. I visited the U.S.S.R. and after Moscow and Lenningrad journeyed eastward via Tashkent and the ‘Golden Road [...]
DAVID PAGE aka Harry Riley –
I AM PROUD TO SAY I KNEW JOHN BUTLER IN HIS LATER LIFE AND ENJOYED OUR CONVERSATIONS. I WAS PRIVILEDGED TO READ ‘SERENDIPITY’ PRIOR TO THE BOOK’S PUBLICATION AND JOHN’S OWN SENSE OF HUMOUR AND OUTLOOK ON LIFE COMES THROUGH VERY STRONGLY IN THIS EXCELLENT BOOK.
‘A wonderful book by a great writer’
DAVID PAGE aka Harry Riley –
I AM PROUD TO SAY I KNEW JOHN BUTLER IN HIS LATER LIFE AND ENJOYED OUR CONVERSATIONS. I WAS PRIVILEDGED TO READ ‘SERENDIPITY’ PRIOR TO THE BOOK’S PUBLICATION AND JOHN’S OWN SENSE OF HUMOUR AND OUTLOOK ON LIFE COMES THROUGH VERY STRONGLY IN THIS EXCELLENT BOOK.