Author Heralded as “Welsh Irvine Welsh” is a Hit in America

A Welsh author who was described in the men magazine Red Handed as “Wales’ answer to Irvine Welsh” has tasted success out of his native Wales. Cardiff Based Llwyd Owen’s first English novel Faith Hope and Love received a starred review in America’s Publishers Weekly. Within three months of publishing the book Alcemi, Y Lolfa’s literary fiction imprint, have had to reprint due to the demand from the US.

Garmon Gruffudd on behalf of Y Lolfa said,

“The book has sold more copies in the US than in Britain. Llwyd’s gritty ground-breaking urban thrillers in Welsh have cerinaly raised eyebrows over the past few years drawing a younger audience to read Welsh fiction. It’s great to see his first attempt in English getting the praise and sales he deserves.”

Faith Hope and Love is an adaptation of Llwyd Owen’s second Welsh novel that won him the Welsh book of the year award in 2008. He will be publishing his fifth Welsh novel Un Ddinas Dau Fyd (One City Two Worlds) in March. Faith Hope and Love, Alcemi, is priced at £9.99

Selected quotations from critics


"[Starred Review]*. Scalding... [this] savage indictment of Britain's welfare programs... packs real emotional punch. Owen unflinchingly reveals how easy it will be to 'rage, rage, against the dying of the light'." --Publishers Weekly, Starred Review


“A well-paced and tightly plotted novel that holds a magnifying glass to the middle classes to highlight their dark underbelly. Full of memorable characters and containing a powerful message, the author has created an unconventional thriller that will linger long in the memory.” --Lloyd Jones


“Deftly plotted and pitch-perfect in its pacing... as with any good thriller or tragedy, we watch, mesmerised, as the circle closes... should bring [Owen] the wider readership and acclaim he deserves.” --Suzy Cellan Hughes, New Welsh Review

"Peppered with contemporary references, the intricately-woven narrative is alive with the pitch perfect voices of a host of characters... an affecting and haunting tale." - Wales Literature Exchange

"Not unlike the Mike Leigh of Secrets and Lies, who points out the black holes in family life. An outright talent and natural storyteller." – Taliesin

“Fast becoming Wales’s anwser to Irvine Welsh” – Red Handed

“A remarkable and intriguing read that shouldn't be missed” – Midwest Book Review