Gwyn Thomas (2 September 1936 – 13 April 2016) was a Welsh poet and academic. He was the second
National Poet of Wales
The post of National Poet of Wales ( cy, Bardd Cenedlaethol Cymru) was established in May 2005 by Academi – the Welsh National Literature Promotion Agency and Society for Writers. The current holder of the position is Hanan Issa, who was appoin ...
, holding the role between 2006 and 2008.
Early life and education
Born in
Tanygrisiau
Tanygrisiau is a village and area within Blaenau Ffestiniog in the upper end of the Vale of Ffestiniog in the county of Gwynedd, north-west Wales (). It can be found along the southern side of the Moelwyn mountain range and dates to around 1750 ...
,
Gwynedd
Gwynedd (; ) is a county and preserved county (latter with differing boundaries; includes the Isle of Anglesey) in the north-west of Wales. It shares borders with Powys, Conwy County Borough, Denbighshire, Anglesey over the Menai Strait, and C ...
, and brought up there and in
Blaenau Ffestiniog
Blaenau Ffestiniog is a town in Gwynedd, Wales. Once a slate mining centre in historic Merionethshire, it now relies much on tourists, drawn for instance to the Ffestiniog Railway and Llechwedd Slate Caverns. It reached a population of 12,00 ...
, Thomas was educated at Ysgol Sir Ffestiniog,
University of Wales, Bangor
Bangor University ( cy, Prifysgol Bangor) is a Public university, public university in Bangor, Gwynedd, Bangor, Wales. It received its Royal charter, Royal Charter in 1885 and was one of the founding institutions of the federal University of Wales ...
and
Jesus College, Oxford
Jesus College (in full: Jesus College in the University of Oxford of Queen Elizabeth's Foundation) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is in the centre of the city, on a site between Turl Street, Ship St ...
;
Prof Thomas was Emeritus Professor of Welsh at the
University of Wales, Bangor
Bangor University ( cy, Prifysgol Bangor) is a Public university, public university in Bangor, Gwynedd, Bangor, Wales. It received its Royal charter, Royal Charter in 1885 and was one of the founding institutions of the federal University of Wales ...
.
Career
Thomas published 16 volumes of poetry, several volumes of work as a literary and cultural critic and also translated the
Mabinogion
The ''Mabinogion'' () are the earliest Welsh prose stories, and belong to the Matter of Britain. The stories were compiled in Middle Welsh in the 12th–13th centuries from earlier oral traditions. There are two main source manuscripts, create ...
into English. His first work as a poet ''Chwerwder yn y Ffynhonnau'' ("''Bitterness in the Fountains''") was published in 1962, while his last, ''Hen Englynion - Diweddariadau'', was published in 2015 by Barddas. As a literary and cultural critic, he published several volumes of essays, critiques, adaptations and translations, including the classic ''Y Traddodiad Barddol'' – a study of the classic poetic tradition of Wales. Thomas was also involved with the film industry in Wales, and helped pioneer techniques to combine poetry and film.
In 2006, Thomas published his autobiography, entitled ''Bywyd Bach'' (Small Life), having been asked to contribute to the series ''Cyfres y Cewri'' (Series of the Giants).
Also in 2006, Thomas was appointed
National Poet of Wales
The post of National Poet of Wales ( cy, Bardd Cenedlaethol Cymru) was established in May 2005 by Academi – the Welsh National Literature Promotion Agency and Society for Writers. The current holder of the position is Hanan Issa, who was appoin ...
by
Academi
Blackwater was an American private military company founded on December 26, 1996 by former Navy SEAL officer Erik Prince. It was renamed Xe Services in 2009 and known as Academi since 2011 after it was acquired by a group of private investors. ...
, replacing Wales first national poet
Gwyneth Lewis
Gwyneth Denver Davies (born 1959), known professionally as Gwyneth Lewis, is a Welsh poet, who was the inaugural National Poet of Wales in 2005. She wrote the text that appears over the Wales Millennium Centre.
Biography
Gwyneth Lewis was b ...
. Thomas said he would use the 12-month appointment to draw attention to the work of Welsh poets.
Thomas provided the words for many "inspirational" books and added his touch to a photographic book entitled ''Blaenau Ffestiniog''.
As Welsh National Poet, Thomas was commissioned to write five stanzas celebrating the opening in June 2009 of ''Hafod Eryri'', the new summit building at the top of
Snowdon
Snowdon () or (), is the highest mountain in Wales, at an elevation of above sea level, and the highest point in the British Isles outside the Scottish Highlands. It is located in Snowdonia National Park (') in Gwynedd (historic ...
. Inscribed on the buildings and windows, in both English and Welsh, they read:
WalesOnline - Snowdon summit visitor centre opens
/ref>
Thomas and Margaret Jones won three annual Tir na n-Og Award
The Tir na n-Og Awards (abbreviated TnaO) are a set of annual children's literary awards in Wales from 1976. They are presented by the Books Council of Wales to the best books published during the preceding calendar year in each of three awards cat ...
s from the Welsh Books Council
The Books Council of Wales (previously known as the Welsh Books Council) or Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru was established in 1961. Today it is funded by the Welsh Government. The council's aims are to promote the interests of Welsh language books and Engl ...
for the previous year's best Welsh-language children's nonfiction book. Their award-winning collaborations were
''Culhwch ac Olwen'' in 1989, ''Chwedl Taliesin'' in 1993, and ''Stori Dafydd ap Gwilym'' in 2004. The first two were published by Gwasg Prifysgol Cymru (University of Wales Press
The University of Wales Press ( cy, Gwasg Prifysgol Cymru) was founded in 1922 as a central service of the University of Wales. The press publishes academic journals and around seventy books a year in the English and Welsh languages on six general ...
), the latter by Y Lolfa
Y Lolfa (Welsh for ''The Lounge'', ) is a Welsh printing and publishing company based in Tal-y-bont, Ceredigion, in Mid-Wales. It publishes a wide variety of books in Welsh and English. It also provides a commercial print service. Y Lolfa was est ...
.["Tir na n-Og awards Past Winners"]
. Welsh Books Council. Retrieved 2013-09-12. Works published during the preceding calendar years.
Works
Poetry
*''Chwerwder yn y Ffynhonnau'' ('Bitterness in the Wells') (1962)
*''Y Weledigaeth Haearn'' ('The Iron Vision') (1965)
*''Ysgyrion Gwaed'' ('Blood Splinters') (1967)
*''Enw'r Gair'' ('The Name of the Word') (1972)
*''Y Pethau Diwethaf a Phethau Eraill'' ('The Last Things and Other Things') (1975)
*''Cadwynau yn y Meddwl'' ('Chains in the Mind')
*''Croesi Traeth'' ('Crossing a Beach') (1978)
*''Symud y Lliwiau'' ('Moving the Colours') (1981)
*''Living a Life: Selected Poems 1962-1982''; selected and introduced by Joseph P. Clancy with translations by Joseph P. Clancy and Gwyn Thomas) (1982)
*''Wmgawa'' ('Umgawah' an attempt to convey Tarzan's sound) (1984)
*''Am Ryw Hyd'' ('For an Allotted Time') (1986)
*''Gwelaf Afon'' ('I see a River') (1990)
*''Darllen y Meini'' ('Reading the Stones') (1998)
*''Gweddnewidio: Detholiad o Gerddi 1962-1986'' ('Changing Appearance: Selected Poems 1962-1986') (2000)
*''Apocalups Yfory'' ("''Apocalypse Tomorrow''") (2005)
*''Teyrnas y Tywyllwch'' ('The Kingdom of Darkness') (2007)
*''Murmuron Tragwyddoldeb a Chwningod Tjioclet'' ('Murmurings of Eternity and Chocolate Bunnies') (2010)
*''Profiadau Intergalactig'' ('Intergalactic Experiences')
See also
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Gwyn
1936 births
2016 deaths
People from Blaenau Ffestiniog
Alumni of Bangor University
Alumni of Jesus College, Oxford
Welsh-language poets
Welsh-speaking academics
Academics of Bangor University
21st-century Welsh poets
21st-century Welsh writers