AmeriCymru at Wordstock - Event Floorplan

We are very excited to announce that our stall at the prestigious Wordstock Literary Festival has been assigned. Please see the floor plan below for our precise location ( stall 302 ). This is a great opportunity to showcase Welsh writers and Welsh literature in the Pacific Northwest. Anyone, author, publisher,...who is interested in being featured at our stall should contact americymru@gmail.com asap.

"Rhapsody" - Dorothy Edwards ( Parthian/Library of Wales )

"I am killing myself because I have never sincerely loved any human being all my life. I have accepted kindness and friendship, and even love, without gratitude and given nothing in return." Cardiff Times 13th January 1934 So read the suicide note found on Dorothy Edwards' body after her tragic death in January 1934. This fine collection of short stories amply demonstrates why, had she lived longer, she might have gone on to become the Welsh Chekhov. Each one is a finely crafted gem although none of them could count as cheery companions for a vacation trip. Indeed many of her characters evince the same eerie and unsettling sense of detachment from the circumstances of their own lives which she hints at in her suicide note quoted above. They are frequently consumed with a passion for music which seems to act as a surrogate for genuine emotional attachments. Their enthusiasm for the "life of the mind" seems to preclude and eclipse meaningful human relationships. It was fashionable in the early 70's to evaluate artists and authors in terms of psychological diagnostic categories and many including Sylvia Plath and even Dylan Thomas were labeled as 'schizoid' by some literary critics of that era.. However flawed such critical practices may be the label does seem to throw some light on both Dorothy Edwards and many of her her characters. In the first of these tales, the eponymously titled "Rhapsody", George Everett is introduced in the following terms:- "His face wore a curious expression, as if he were listening all the time to something intensely illuminating but scarcely audible, or as if he were experiencing some almost intolerably sweet emotion, and he seemed to be imploring you 'Please don't interrupt me for a moment; it will soon be over.' Later in the book after his wife's death his reaction to this tragic event is characterized thus:- " Everett behaved at her death very much as he had behaved when she was ill. He was vaguely sorry for her, but he did not altogether understand what was expected of him." This collection, which includes three stories not published or excluded from the original 1927 edition, abounds with characters who are similarly emotionally crippled or repressed. As Christopher Meredith says in his excellent introduction to this Parthian/Library of Wales edition:- " Fashion for re-readings according to various theories have helped critics to rediscover her from time to time, but I believe that Dorothy Edwards is a great deal more than an interesting literary case. She's an important, utterly original modernist. Whichever way you read her, she's the extraordinarily accomplished author of powerful and suggestive fictions." In echoing these sentiments I can only add that as an avid fan of the short story genre these must rank amongst the finest I have read in many years. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ For the morbidly curious the approximate site of her tragic death can be viewed in the Google Map linked below. Railway Terrace and the "Allotments" ( Community Gardens ) referred to in the "Cardiff Times" article linked above are still there. To the best of my knowledge there is no plaque to mark the spot. Perhaps there should be? Google Map

A Report from the Hay Literature Festival - David Williams

Welsh writers were out in force at the recent Hay Literature Festival beating off TV cooks and broken down politicians for the attention of enthusiastic audiences. The highlight was the announcement of the Wales Book of the Year shortlists. Poet Damian Walford Davies from Aberystwyth University chaired an evening in which the three English language and three Welsh language authors were invited to read from and discuss their work.

The English language shortlist consisted of Gee Williams (Blood etc), Deborah Kay Davies (Grace, Tamar and Lazlo the Beautiful) and Samantha Wynne-Rhydderch (Not In These Shoes) pictured above from left to right. The Welsh language authors were Hefyn Wyn (Pentigily), William Owen Roberts (Petrograd) and Geraint V Jones (Teulu Lord Bach).

Later, Damian Walford Davies teamed up with Richard Marggraf Turley and presented a son-et-lumiere evening of poetry and imagery and another Welsh success: during the course of the festival Flur Dafydd was presented with the Oxfam Emerging Writer of the Year prize.

Pictured below with shortlisted authors is Dominic Williams representing Parthian who can claim two thirds of the Wales Book of the Year list. WTG Parthian!

Vote Now!...in the Wales Book of The Year Award 2009 Poll.

An Interview With Chris Keil

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN MOVED TO

THE WELSH AMERICAN BOOKSTORE

'AN INTERVIEW WITH CHRIS KEIL'

Seren Books, Bridgend, Wales

Seren Books, described by one myspace admirer as a, "tidy lil publisher," is an independent publisher specializing in Welsh writers in English. Following a string of nominations and awards to its writers, Seren is currently enjoying what is hopefully only the beginning of great success: Sea Holly, by Robert Minhinnick, was shortlisted for the Ondaatje Prize; poet John Haynes won the 2007 Costa Poetry prize; a translation of an Albanian novel – The Loser by Fatos Kongoli – was shortlisted for the Index on Censorship Freedom of Expression award 2008; To Babel and Back, by Robert Minhinnick won the Welsh Book of the Year in 2006, Mr Cassini by Lloyd Jones in 2007 and Blue Sky July by Nia Wyn is on this year's long list.

Founded in 1981 by Mick Felton, its current editor, Seren titles itself "Wales' leading literary publisher," and is described on its website as: "... an independent literary publisher, specialising in English-language writing from Wales. Our diverse and eclectic list has something to offer anyone with an interest in excellent writing. Our aim is not simply to reflect what is going on in the culture in which we publish, but to drive that culture forward, to engage with the world, and to bring Welsh literature, art and politics before a wider audience."

In addition to being able to sign up for membership, read articles and profiles of Seren's very impressive stable of writers on its website, you can experience live poetry readings from Seren authors on their youtube page and learn more about Seren on its myspace profile.

Seren offers an amazing list of works and writers, including literature, poetry, photography and art, including:

LLOYD JONES, Mr Cassini, Mr. Vogel. "Former farm-worker, newspaper editor, chamber-of-horrors employee and lecturer, Lloyd Jones lives in Llanfairfechan, on the north Wales coast. Following a bout of alcoholism which nearly killed him, he set off on an epic walk around Wales, the inspiration for his novel, Mr Vogel."


ROBERT MINHINNICK, Sea Holly, Badlands, (many more titles). Robert Minhinnick is a prolific multi-award winning poet and author, former editor of Poetry Wales and co-founder of Sustainable Wales


NIA WYN, Blue Sky July. Journalist Nia Wyn's autobiographical memoir of the first seven years of her son, Joe's, life with cerebral palsy.

Madoc and Literature: Restore the Madoc Plaque! Sign the petition HERE!

Not many historical incidents/legends have inspired not one but two epic poems! The Madoc story is one such. Robert Southey and Samuel T. Coleridge once intended to follow in Madocs footsteps. They were planning to cross the Atlantic and live amongst the Indians in a commune or "Pantisocracy". When this plan failed to materialize Southey's fascination with Madoc was displaced into his literary creations. The epic poem he wrote on this theme may not be one of the greatest products of 19th century English literature but it is a significant product of the Romantic imagination.

Southey published "Madoc" in 1805. But he is not the only author who was inspired by the legend.

Nearly 200 years later Paul Muldoon published his "Madoc: A Mystery" which is likewise based upon the Madoc legend. Both works deal with the theme of colonialism amongst others and can be regarded as political poems ( "Madoc" impilicitly and "Madoc: A Mystery" explicitly ).

Other authors who have drawn inspiration from this tale include:-

Madeleine l'Engle 'A Swiftly Tilting Planet' 1978
Pat Winter 'Madoc' (Madoc Saga, Book 1)' 1990
James Alexander 'The Children of First Man' 1994
Sanders Anne Laubenthal 'Excalibur' 1973

Surely this event/myth is worth a plaque for its effect on the literary imagination alone!


ROBERT SOUTHEY 'MADOC' 1805 ( text reproduced on iPaper )

Read this doc on Scribd: Madoc

Sign the petition HERE

What is Anglo-Welsh Literature and why Should Anyone Care?

( This article was originally contributed to Manuel Marino's Arts Weblog. Reviews of some of the authors and works mentioned in the article can be found on the Americymru Book Reviews pages.)

As a Welsh ex-pat currently residing in the USA I have noticed a profound disparity between the notion of Wales that many Americans of Welsh descent entertain and the reality that I left behind seven years ago. Nowhere is this more evident than in the literary field. The triumphs of yesteryear are rightly held in high regard but modern literary trends and authors are sadly neglected. The legacy of Dylan and R.S. Thomas is , of course, sacred to us all, but Wales has moved on and a new genertaion of writers reflect that fact.In recent decades we have witnessed a flowering of literary culture in Wales and stereotypical Welsh writing so famously satirized by Harri Webb in his poem "Synopsis of the Great Welsh Novel" has been left far behind. We have seen the emergence of Welsh noir ( Niall Griffiths, Malcolm Pryce, John Williams ) which continues to be popular and other major talents such as Lloyd jones, Rachel Trezise, Trezza Azzopardi, Rhys Hughes, Gee Williams and Owen Sheers have made their presence felt.

But what is Anglo-Welsh literature and why should anyone care? I would argue that at its best it provides a unique perspective (in the English speaking world at least) on modern ideas of national, cultural and personal identity. As Gwyn Williams once famously said:- "The Welsh as a people have lived by making and remaking themselves in generation after generation, usually against the odds, usually within a British context." Both Welsh-language and Anglo-Welsh literature have played a prominent role in that process. It is not a literature of rage. At the risk of offending a portion of my audience I will say that English colonial rule has for the most part been far too benign to produce a majority violent reaction but it is a literature of self-assertion and defiance, albeit sometimes confused and unfocused.

These themes are explored in a number of fascinating works by contemporary Welsh writers. Owen Sheers' magnificent debut novel 'Resistance' is set in an alternate universe in which the Nazis invade and conquer Britain during World war II. It focuses in large part on the struggle to reinvent oneself, adapt and survive in the face of extreme adversity. The book ends with both protagonists facing a stark choice which is really no choice at all. In order to survive they must turn their backs on everything they have known and attempt to find personal salvation in a future that is as uncertain as it is dangerous.The novel hints at the special relationship which the Welsh people have with their landscape. The hills of Wales are indeed magnificent but they pale into insignificance, at least in topographical terms, when compared with the European Alps or the North American Cascades. Their special gravity and power lies in the fact that every nook and cranny, every fold and crevice, is invested with some human significance. The sum of history and legend which the landscape reveals is almost an externalization of Welsh identity itself. It is against this backdrop that Sarah, the heroine of this novel, must strive to uproot herself and accept the evolutionary challenge.

A far more extreme adaptation and 'remaking' (or failure to adapt) can be found in the pages of 'Niall Griffiths' stark and brutal novel.."Sheepshagger". Here we see what happens when ancient tribal resentments, personal greivance and drug-addled inarticulacy combine to prevent 'personal growth'. The desperate and bestial acts of violence committed by the novels anti-hero are the products of a sense of loss and a seething resentment directed against those who have deprived him. He is unable to articulate his impotent rage by any other means. He asserts himself as a serial-killer. It should be pointed out that this exploration of the darker side of the Welsh 'psyche', whilst magnificent, also contains passages of graphic violence which would make Brett Easton Ellis blush.

The fact that the Welsh are a naturally restless people and constantly searching for a lost identity or fashioning a new one is perhaps more happily exemplified in Lloyd Jones extraordinary "Mr Vogel". This novel which is by turns baffling and inspiring recounts an epic journey around Wales made by a delusional alcoholic. To say that the narrative is not straightforward would be an understatement but what this novel lacks in simplicity it makes up for in many other ways. We are never quite sure what the nature of the quest is but the journey is perhaps its own justification. Toward the end of the book, when his epic perambulation is almost complete, Mr. Vogel finds himself in a mental hospital where he offers the following observation to one of his fellow patients:-

"When was Wales? Wales has never been, it has always been." he rambled on to his next victim, Myrddin the schizophrenic, who fortunately) was asleep. "I'll tell you something for nothing." he said, "true Wales is never more than a field away, and true Wales is always a field away, like Rhiannons horse in the Mabinogi. Got it?"

Jones' work is a tribute to the transformative and redemptive power of the imagination and its ability to refashion national, cultural and personal identity.

None of the above should be taken to suggest that Anglo-Welsh literature concerns itself solely with these themes or that other literary traditions neglect them. I would contend however that owing to Wales unique history,a history in which its cultural identity has constantly been threatened with absorption by that of its much more powerful neighbour,they are much more acutely focused in the Anglo-Welsh literary tradition.

Books Referenced in the Text:-

“When Was Wales” Gwyn Williams Penguin Books 1985

“Resistance” Owen Sheers Faber and Faber 2007

“Sheepshagger” Niall Griffiths Vintage 2002

“Mr. Vogel” Lloyd Jones Seren 2004

Confessions Of A Romano-Celt?

As a Welshman and a student of Welsh history I am in the habit of raising a glass or two on significant dates in the Welsh calendar. In order to facilitate my predeliction I am in the process of developing an easy reference for celebrants of the Cymric heritage on these pages at Americymru.com. The concept of 'significant dates' is interpreted very liberally both in order to fill the available spaces and of course to maximise excuses for revelry.

I am endebted to the memory of Arthur Machen for one such recent opportunity. He was born on March 3rd 1863. Anyone not acquainted with the works of Arthur Machen should seek to remedy that deficiency immediately. There are a number of relevant links on this calendar page. He wrote several masterpieces of Gothic whimsy outstanding amongst which is "The Three Impostors" (1895). He is regarded as the 'missing link' between M.R. James and H.P. Lovecraft by many afficianados of the genre. He is also the author of "The Hill Of Dreams" a semi-autobiographical novella which is by turns one of the most sublime, profound and hilarious products of late Victorian literature. Additionally his work offers fascinating insights into the social mores and customs of provincial life in late 19th century Gwent.

When I was an undergraduate, many decades ago, I had the pleasure and privilege to be tutored by the late great Gwyn A. Williams author of "When Was Wales", one of the definitive works on the subject of Welsh history and national identity. He was fond of referring to the present day inhabitants of Wales as "Romano-Celts", suggesting perhaps that the Welsh are in some way the beleaguered remnants of the once mighty Roman empire. Certainly pockets of something resembling Late Roman civilization may have lingered for a few centuries in places like Caerwent and Caerleon but for the most part I remained sceptical. It seems doubtful that the Roman influence penetrated the Welsh hinterland extensively and may only really have been significant in the immediate environs of the legionary forts and civitas capitals. Most of Wales' modern day inhabitants, in the South at least, are descendants of the English, Scots and Irish immigrants who came looking for work during the 'coal rush' from the 1850's onwards. It seemed fanciful to imagine that anything of Romano-Celtic vintage could have survived into the modern age.

Then I came across this fascinating passage in a volume by Machen:-

"When I was a boy, which is a good many years ago, there was a very queer celebration on New Year's Day in the little Monmouthshire town where I was born, Caerleon-on-Usk. The town children—village children would be nearer the mark since the population of the place amounted to a thousand souls or thereabouts—got the biggest and bravest and gayest apple they could find in the loft, deep in the dry bracken. They put bits of gold leaf upon it. They stuck raisins into it. They inserted into the apple little sprigs of box, and then they delicately slit the ends of hazel nuts, and so worked that the nuts appeared to grow from the ends of the box-leaves, to be the disproportionate fruit of these small trees. At last, three bits of stick were fixed into the base of the apple, tripod-wise; and so it was borne round from house to house; and the children got cakes and sweets, and—those were wild days, remember—small cups of ale. And nobody knew what it was all about.

And here is the strangeness of it. Caerleon means the fort of the legions, and for about three hundred years the Second Augustan Legion was quartered there, and made a tiny Rome of the place, with amphitheatre, baths, temples, and everything necessary for the comfort of a Roman-Briton. And the Legion brought over the custom of the strena (French, étrennes) the New Year's gift of good omen. The apple, with its gold leaf, raisins and nuts, meant: 'good crops and wealth in the New Year.' It is the Latin poet, Martial, I think, who alludes to the custom. He was an ungrateful fellow; somebody sent him a gold cup as a New Year's gift, and he said that the gold of the cup was so thin that it would have done very well to put on the festive apple of the day.

 

Well, I suppose the Second Augustan was recalled somewhere about a.d. 400. The Saxon came to Caerleon, and after him the Dane, and then the Norman, and then the modern spirit, the worst enemy of all, and still, up to fifty years ago, the Caerleon children kept New Year's Day, as if the Legionaries were yet in garrison. And I suppose that Caerleon was the only place south of the Tweed where people took any festal notice at all of the first day in the year. For it is not an old English festival at all. It is distinctly Latin in origin."

So, it appears that in one small corner of Wales an ancient Roman tradition survived until the late 19th century...nearly 1600 years! A small thing, granted, but nevertheless perhaps I should raise a glass to Gwyn Williams on September 30th ( his birthdate) this year.

( The above quote is from "Why New Year?" anthologised in "Dog And Duck" by Arthur Machen. The complete text can be found on Project Gutenberg Here.)