Tales from the Canal

Tales from the Canal is the life's work of Alfie Jack Brown. Thank you for picking up this book and delving into Alfie's magical world. For just under half of his life, Alfie was working on this grand, fantastical vision. He was determined to write an ambitious, provoking, and original novel that would thrill his readers and change how they thought about the world. Alfie died of a cardiac arrest in 2020, at the age of twenty-three. He hadn't yet f inished writing his book, but this is a collection of tales, demonstrating Alfie's vivid imagination, brilliant characters, and emerging storylines. The title is lifted from the book itself. One of Alfie's characters compiles a set of stories under that name, and we thought it fitting to give this collection the same title. It is also a nod to the winding waterways of Birmingham that were an inspiration to Alfie, and to his fondness for writing about writers. One of Alfie's characters, not developed in much detail, is The Author, who is writing the events of the story. He is rushing to finish the story, as he is ill and doesn't have much time. You will see that some of Alfie's tales in this collection also remain unfinished. We will never have the pleasure of reading Alfie's masterpiece in its entirety, but by reading these pages, know that you are helping to fulfil Alfie's lifelong dream: that his story be told to the world.