Pantelis: A trilogy on mental illness (E-Book)

In these multi-layered longish short stories in Pantelis, characters are fitted into a realistic world with life happening around them outside of their mental illnesses. As such it has a great impact on the reader. The characters are presented as whole human beings existing in the real world around us; they aren’t ‘just mad people’. Imagery is used effectively, bringing the work to life and allow readers to engulf themselves in the book by engaging their different senses; especially that of feeling and not just physically. The book has the potential of building awareness around mental health in a creative, yet subjective way. This impacts on audience engagement and response as well as the reader.

Kemone S-G Brown

Kazım Altan was born in the village of Ayia Varvara in Cyprus. He completed his secondary education at Kurtuluş Lycee in Paphos and in September 1963, he came to London with the intention of studying law. By the end of that year, Cyprus was in turmoil and, inevitably, financial support ceased. He worked his way through further education, studied Sociology and Politics at MSc. level, and earned diplomas in Teaching English as a Second Language, Counselling, Educational Management, and ESOL Teacher Training. He enjoyed teaching, excelled in management and the quality of his work was noted and praised by The Office for Standards in Education and Training. He retired from his job as Assistant Director but felt retirement came too soon, so he joined Trinity College Examinations Board and worked as an English Language Examiner for several years. Kazım enjoys writing and loves to combine it with performance. He has appeared in several shows at Arcola Community Theatre acting characters that he created. His theatre training culminated in a principal role in Ensemble 17, a musical play, written and directed by Jude Alderson, which showed at the Camden Fringe Festival in July 2017. He has also written a play based on Pantelis which has some dancing in it. Sovronia dances to the tune of Adanalı, sung in Turkish and Greek. In his mid-years, he spent a lot of his time setting up and establishing a supplementary school for Turkish speaking children as well as a welfare association offering advice, counselling and support for the elderly. He did this alongside his full-time job. Not surprisingly, his children thought he was ‘no fun’ as a dad and that hurts even though it rings true! Kazım takes comfort in thinking he is a better grandad to two clever girls and two sensitive boys.