soc.culture.welsh FAQ



5. Literature

5.1 Places to search for information

5.1.1 National Library of Wales

Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru
Aberystwyth
Ceredigion
SY23 3BU
Cymru
- - - - - - - - -
Ffôn/Phone: +44 (0)1970 623816
Ffacs/Fax: +44 (0)1970 615709

Mae gan wefan Llyfrgell Cenedlaethol Cymru wybodaeth eang ar deitlau a chynnwys llyfrau rhyddiaith a barddoniaeth.

The National Library of Wales's website has information on titles and contents of a wide range of prose and poetry books.


5.1.2 Lists and places to buy books

Chris Grooms has fascinating pages, which teem with knowledge of the above, and much more.


William Taylor writes

I am an e-mail bookshop dealing with medieval and renaissance topics, and am interested in looking for anyone's wants on historic Wales, free of charge. If I don't have the title in my database, I'm glad to have someone tell me about it. I'm linked to 1,500 other used bookstores via a closed net, and can search an inventory of 1,900,000 books. There is currently a set of Celtia available, a bibliography of books related to Welsh studies, only 500 copies printed.

William Taylor G. F. Armoury Books (medievalbk@aol.com)


5.1.3 Where can I get a good map of Wales and a history?

answer from Lin Sherman

The David Morgan Co. in Seattle carries a selection of maps and a couple of the more famous books about Welsh history (in English). There is more information on their web site:

Or call 1-800-324-4934, 9am-5pm Pacific Time

I suggest that you call and ask them to send their catalog: their web site is not the easiest to use and seems to have a few bugs in it. Also, it doesn't list the entire catalog.

A better source of Wales-related books, but not of maps, is Celtic Alternatives in Forest Park, IL. Phone: 708-771-7309. Their e-mail address is celticalt@aol.com

If you're in the San Francisco area, you can look for maps at:

  1. The Rand McNally store at Market & 3rd in the City.
  2. The map place on Jackson Street just east of Columbus Ave. (I can never remember the name, but it's been there for years)
  3. The map place in the Stanford Mall in Palo Alto (I can't remember its name either), although I never had much luck with this particular establishment.

5.2 Poets

5.2.1 Does anyone know of any Web sites for modern Welsh poetry?

The first volume of poetry in the Welsh language to be published on the Web is "Rebel ar y We" by Robin Llwyd ap Owain, winner of the chair at the 1991 National Eisteddfod.

There's a volume of poetry by the students of The Groves School, Wrexham on their website.

A collection of young people's entries (age about 15-25, prose and poetry) in a competition at the Urdd Gobaith Cymru National Eisteddfod 1995 can be seen here.

There is a poetry anthology by the pupils of The Groves (comprehensive) School, Wrexham on their website.

Poetry by Dylan Thomas


5.2.2 What knowledge is available about Welsh poets?

answer by Leslie Sitek; some additions DPJ.

List of Welsh poets/poems:

Dydw i ddim wedi rhestru'r beirdd hynny a anwyd ar ôl 1950. Mae nifer fawr ohonynt, ac mae rhai yn sicr o'u lle ymhlith beirdd mwyaf Cymru. Mae gormod i'w rhestru i gyd, a dydw i ddim yn fodlon creu rhestr fyrrach, fympwyol. - DPJ

I have not listed poets born after 1950. There is a large number of them, and some are assured a place amongst Wales' greatest poets. There are too many to list them all, and I am not prepared to create a shorter list based on my own whims. - DPJ


5.2.3 Anglo-Welsh poets - Welsh poets who write in English.

The magazine "Planet" has poetry by modern Anglo-Welsh poets. Some Anglo-Welsh poets, mainly from earlier this century:


5.3 Useful introductions

5.3.1 Which books in English would make a good introduction to Wales/Welsh?

suggestions by John T. Lewis

The Mabinogion, W.H Davies
Selected Poems, Oxford Paperbacks (ISBN 0-19-281432-X)
The Oxford Book of Welsh Verse in English (ISBN 0-19-281397-8)

Read: An Introduction to Welsh Literature; (ISBN 0-7083-1130-X) University of Wales Press


Novels by Raymond Williams and Emyr Humphreys.

"One Full Moon", a translation of Caradog Prichard's "Un Nos Ola Leuad", which portrays life in a North Wales village very vividly, as seen through the eyes of a young boy whose mother is losing her sanity.

The plays and autobiographies ("George", "Emlyn" and "George Emlyn") of Emlyn Williams.

Interesting insights into Welsh traditional tales, and into Welsh life can be found in Saunders Lewis' plays, many of which have been translated.

Modern poetry:

"Parables and Faxes" - Gwyneth Lewis ; Bloodaxe Books 1995. (ISBN: 1 85224 319 8)

"Eucalyptus" - Detholiad o Gerddi - Menna Elfyn; Selected Poems 1978-94. Gomer. 1995. (ISBN 1 85902 189) 1.

"Cell Angel" - Menna Elfyn; Welsh-English Bilingual Edition. Bloodaxe Books. 1996. (ISBN 1-85224-384-8) 1.

Books published by the Welsh Folk Museum at Sain Ffagan, Cardiff, are very good on Welsh traditions and folk history.

DPJ


5.4 Folklore

5.4.1 Are there versions of Mabinogi stories available, which are good for children?

Gwasg Prifysgol Cymru (the University of Wales Press) - see below - have published an excellent adaptation of Mabinogi stories by Gwyn Thomas. Available in Welsh and English.

There's also a book with smaller pages but more text and fewer (though good) pictures, which consists of parts of each Mabinogi story, adapted by Rhiannon Ifans. That's published by Y Lolfa, and is also available in Welsh and English.

Addresses etc:

Gwasg Prifysgol Cymru (University of Wales Press)
6 Stryd Gwennyth,
Cathays,
Caerdydd
Cymru
UK
- - - - - - - - -
Ffôn/Phone: +44 (0)1222 231919
Y Lolfa Cyf
Talybont,
Ceredigion
SY24 5HE
- - - - - - - - - -
Ffôn/Phone: +44 (0)1970 832304
Ffacs/Fax: +44 (0)1970 832782
E-bost/E-mail:
ylolfa@netwales.co.uk
Y We/Web: www.ylolfa.wales.com

BTW, the above URL (Y Lolfa) leads to a lot of pages with information about Welsh publishers, bookshops, theatres, media, travel, etc., etc.

The story of Rhiannon is beautifully presented in a series of pages by Rhiannon (Rhi) Kerins from Maryland.

DPJ


Barry Taylor contributed

Llanerch Publishers. They publish or supply quite a few books on this sort of theme, and I have bought stuff like the Black Book of Carmarthen, Taliesin poems, Brut y Tywysogion etc. from them. Write and ask for a catalogue. Their prices tend to be pretty reasonable.

Llanerch Publishers,
Felinfach,
Llanbedr Pont Steffan,
Dyfed
SA48 8PJ
United Kingdom.

5.4.2 Does anyone know of good Web pages for folklore?

answer from Ben Brick


5.5 Cynghanedd

5.5.1 Cyffredinol

Two academic articles in English about Cynghanedd (strict metres in Welsh poetry) by Toby D. Griffen may be found on his web pages.


5.5.2 Article by Colin Batchelor

Barry Taylor suggested the inclusion of the following English englyn in this section. It was written by Gerallt Lloyd Owen. Read it aloud. Cynghanedd, like most music, is designed for the ear.
DPJ

Passing the Graveyard
On every grave I hear a groan,
A sigh as old as creation,
Unmeasured in emotion -
Could it be, maybe, my own?

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