Guillermo O 'Joyce or William Joyce as he is sometimes known is a Poet, Novelist, Short story writer,

Critic and Essayist. His work is brimming with passion, courage, humour, anger and creativity. 

He puts forward a lethal concoction of freedom and fun mixing the ludicrous with the real in a universe

as playful as it is a killer.

"Slow down" Guillermo says, get into the groove, feel the rhythm of your own body and just play.

Loosen up and listen to Nature or music. Laugh at the absurdity of the Mob and give yourself a 

chance to create a place for yourself in the world.Nobody else is going to do it for you even if they

did care. Fight if you have to,don't be soft, but never be too hard, energy my friend, energy.

I came across Guillermo through the utterly magnificent 'Miller, Bukowski and their enemies' 2nd Edition.

A book of critical essays as explosive as they are essential.

The first time I read it I was blown away. The second time I got even more out of it. 

I came across essays on Miller and Bukowski that I think are definitive, but I also got 

introductions to Authors I'd never heard of and advice I never imagined I needed. 

I jumped on these new leads with a vengeance because I always read.

I started with Bohumil Hrabel's 'Too loud a Solitude', then Richard Yates 'Eleven kinds of Loneliness' on to

Albert Cossory, B. Traven, Jean Giono. I was in a new world. Irving Stettner put me over the edge.

I returned to Miller like a long lost friend and saw with better informed eyes the reason he was still in

my head talking away five minutes after I had put his book down.

I was shocked at how good Dick Gregory's biography was, and so at last I went looking for Guillermo's 

other works....

I found out he wrote as William Joyce and had a novel 'First Born of an Ass'.

A stupendous read about 'Gorm' who transforms his body (And life) through weightlifting and

an obsession with his own feces, all the while showing up the killing machine at the heart of US

steel towns of the 1950's. Our hero creating his own world because he has to, while leading us through

a ludicrous but wholly realistic journey to the epicentre of american values.

I read 'The Recorder of Births and Deaths’ A collection of short stories which only impressed me

even more. Funny and thought provoking while looking at the shadows in life that follow us all.

The point was that one man and one book had changed how, what and why I read, had made my life

more enjoyable and funnier, not to mention more my own. I wrote an email to an address I found

just to say a well deserved thank you while expecting no reply or acknowledgement.

A day or two later William replied and we have kept up contact ever since.

I read his poetry, got some of his back story, and gratefully learned that he is still writing.

He is currently working on a memoir of his time in Cuba which is as daring and provocative 

as one would expect from a human being so committed to freedom and joy.

I gained a friend and made contact with a truly unique and gifted human being.

A wise, talented, supportive person who has so far been disgracefully ignored and consciously

hindered by an industry that cannot face itself or its ongoing legacy of failure to be fit for purpose.

We have fallen into a vacuum of conceit where technique is somehow more valued than talent,

luck plays more importance than ever and the 'Market' has forgotten its basis for existence.

The invisible hand swats rather than helps.




Guillermo must be read to keep us all sane.

So this blog is about his writing and my thoughts on it as well as the words of other

Joyce enthusiasts on the subject.

Please feel free to contribute or write to William himself at  guillermojoyce@gmail.com