Alfred Mendes
Alfred Mendes | |
|---|---|
 Mendes as a teenager during World War I | |
| Born | Alfred Hubert Mendes 18 November 1897 |
| Died | 1991 (aged 93–94) |
| Occupations | Novelist, short-story writer |
| Known for | Member of "Beacon group" of writers |
| Notable work | Pitch Lake (1934); Black Fauns (1935) |
| Relatives |
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| Military career | |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
Branch |  British Army |
Service years | 1915–1917 |
Rank | Lance Corporal |
| Unit | 1st Battalion King's Royal Rifle Brigade |
Conflicts | World War I (WIA) |
| Awards |  Military Medal |
Alfred Hubert Mendes MM (18 November 1897 – 1991) was a Trinidadian novelist and short-story writer. He was a leading member of the 1930s "Beacon group" of writers (named after the literary magazine The Beacon) in Trinidad and Tobago which included Albert Gomes, C. L. R. James, and Ralph de Boissière. Mendes is best known as the author of two novels – Pitch Lake (1934) and Black Fauns (1935) – and for his short stories written during the 1920s and 1930s. He was "one of the first West Indian writers to set the pattern of emigration in the face of the lack of publishing houses and the small reading public in the West Indies." Mendes' experiences in World War I were the inspiration for the 2019 film 1917, written and directed by his grandson Sam Mendes.