William Ronald Rhys Jones (26 December 1915 – 22 May 1987), who used the name Keidrych Rhys, was a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

literary journalist and editor, and a

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems ( oral or wri ...

. He was editor of the periodical, ''

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

'', published from 1937 to 1949 and from 1958 to 1960.

Biography

William Ronald Rhys Jones was born in Wales in 1915, at

Bethlehem, Carmarthenshire Bethlehem is a tiny farming village in the county of Carmarthenshire, Wales, lying in the Tywi Valley northeast of Llandeilo and southwest of Llangadog but on the opposite side of the river from the busy London to Haverfordwest road, the A40. T ...

. In 1937 he began the publication of the literary periodical,

. He remained editor of the periodical throughout its life, from 1937 to 1949 and from 1958 to 1960. in 1939 he married the poet

Lynette Roberts Evelyn ('Lynette') Beatrice Roberts (4 July 1909 – 26 September 1995) was a Welsh poet and novelist. Her poems were about war, landscape, and life in the small Welsh village where she lived. She published two poetry collections: ''Poems'' ( ...

. Throughout the 1940s they lived at Llanybri, Carmarthenshire, and had two children - their daughter, Angharad (born 1945) and their son, Pridein (born 1946). During this period Faber published his collection of poems, ''The Van Pool'' (1942) and his wife's ''Poems'' (1944). In 1949 he and his wife divorced. In that year publication of the periodical,

, was discontinued, and did not resume until 1958, by which time Rhys was living in London. He lived at Penybont farm, Llangadock,

Carmarthen Carmarthen (, RP: ; cy, Caerfyrddin , "Merlin's fort" or "Sea-town fort") is the county town of Carmarthenshire and a community in Wales, lying on the River Towy. north of its estuary in Carmarthen Bay. The population was 14,185 in 2011, ...

. He died on 22 May 1987. An archive of his manuscripts is held at the National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth. Photographic portraits of Rhys by

Howard Coster Howard Sydney Musgrave Coster (27 April 1885 – 17 November 1959) was a British photographer, opening a London studio in 1926. He was a self-styled 'Photographer of Men'. Collections After a childhood in the Isle of Wight, he was introduced t ...

and Ida Kar are held by the National Portrait Gallery, London.

''Wales'' magazine

''See main article Wales (magazine)'' From 1937 to 1949 and from 1958 to 1960 his editorship of the magazine, ''Wales'', made it a channel for English-language writing in Wales. In the magazine Rhys published articles, stories and poems by Welsh writers or writers involved with Wales, such as Alun Lewis,

Saunders Lewis Saunders Lewis (born John Saunders Lewis) (15 October 1893 – 1 September 1985) was a Welsh politician, poet, dramatist, Medievalist, and literary critic. He was a prominent Welsh nationalist, supporter of Welsh independence and was a co-founde ...

, Dylan Thomas, Glyn Jones and

. The magazine was an attempt to provide a platform for "younger progressive Welsh writers" who felt that their contribution to British culture was marginalised,Wales No. 1 (1937), inside back cover
/ref> and contributed to the creation of the concept of

Anglo-Welsh literature Welsh writing in English ( Welsh: ''Llenyddiaeth Gymreig yn Saesneg''), (previously Anglo-Welsh literature) is a term used to describe works written in the English language by Welsh writers. The term ‘Anglo-Welsh’ replaced an earlier atte ...

or Welsh writing in English. The poet Robert Graves wrote to Rhys and

that he hoped that the periodical ''

'' might be a 'record-vehicle' for a new movement of tradition-minded yet modern Celtic poets. Drafts of parts of his book on mythology, ''

The White Goddess ''The White Goddess: a Historical Grammar of Poetic Myth'' is a book-length essay on the nature of poetic myth-making by author and poet Robert Graves. First published in 1948, the book is based on earlier articles published in ''Wales'' magaz ...

'', were published there in 1944 and 1945 as three articles, 'Dog', 'Roebuck' and 'Lapwing'. The magazine is being digitized by the ''Welsh Journals Online project'' at the National Library of Wales.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rhys, Keidrych British male journalists British literary critics 1915 births 1987 deaths Welsh literary critics Welsh journalists Anglo-Welsh poets 20th-century Welsh poets Welsh male poets 20th-century British male writers

Biography

''Wales'' magazine

Further reading

Notes