No stranger to truth

The author Clive Pearson Evans, Yogi as he is known (not always affectionately) to almost all, is the closest we are likely to get to an Everyman figure for the borough of Merthyr Tydfil in South Wales. Those few who do not regard him so fondly include retired policemen and town hall dignitaries with long memories. For his presence, his tales and his poetry enlivened and excited, party, street, club and pub scenes for over two generations. Every bit as charismatic as the memorable Merthyr he portrays in his poems, Clive can be usually found in the company of like-minded colourful individuals. Although not entirely typical, for he has spent a lot of time abroad and at sea, Clive's life history mirrors that of many Valleys men of his age - war baby, no qualifications on leaving schools, council worker, sales rep, fast cars and motorbikes, the lure of foreign climes, courtship and marriage, wild living, marriage breakdown, concern for the children as they grow up, more foreign travel, homecoming. Travels include an on the road hippie style hike around Europe and an even longer sojourn at sea, on his own boat, sailing around the Mediterranean and northern European coasts. These experiences have shaped provided the seedbed for his poetic imagination.