Meic Stephens (23 July 1938 – 2 July 2018)
was a Welsh
literary editor A literary editor is an editor in a newspaper, magazine or similar publication who deals with aspects concerning literature and books, especially reviews. ,
journalist
A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalis ...
, translator, and poet.
Birth and education
Meic Stephens was born on 23 July 1938 in the village of
Treforest
Treforest ( cy, Trefforest) is a village in the south-east of Pontypridd, in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. It is situated in the Treforest electoral ward, along with the village of Glyntaff (or Glyn-Taf). It is part of the P ...
, near
Pontypridd
() ( colloquially: Ponty) is a town and a community in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales.
Geography
comprises the electoral wards of , Hawthorn, Pontypridd Town, 'Rhondda', Rhydyfelin Central/Ilan ( Rhydfelen), Trallwng ( Trallwn) and Treforest (). ...
,
Glamorgan. He was educated at
Pontypridd Boys' Grammar School and then studied at the
University College of Wales
, mottoeng = A world without knowledge is no world at all
, established = 1872 (as ''The University College of Wales'')
, former_names = University of Wales, Aberystwyth
, type = Public
, endowment = ...
,
Aberystwyth, graduating in 1961, at the
University of Rennes
The University of Rennes is a public research university which will be officially reconstituted on 1 January 2023 and located in the city of Rennes, in Upper Brittany, France. The University of Rennes has been divided for almost 50 years, before ...
,
Brittany
Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica during the period ...
, and the
University College of North Wales
, former_names = University College of North Wales (1884–1996) University of Wales, Bangor (1996–2007)
, image = File:Arms_of_Bangor_University.svg
, image_size = 250px
, caption = Arms
...
,
Bangor,
Gwynedd.
Career
From 1962 to 1966 he taught French at
Ebbw Vale,
Monmouthshire. In
Merthyr Tydfil he established the Triskel Press and in 1965 he began the periodical, ''
Poetry Wales
''Poetry Wales'' is a triannual poetry magazine published in Bridgend, Wales. Founded by Meic Stephens and now published by Seren, it is edited by Zoë Brigley. Since its first publication in 1965, the magazine has built an international repu ...
''. He learnt Welsh as an adult, and became a member of the
Welsh Language Society
The Welsh Language Society ( cy, Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg, often abbreviated to Cymdeithas yr Iaith or just Cymdeithas) is a direct action pressure group in Wales campaigning for the right of Welsh people to use the Welsh language in every as ...
( cy, Cymdeithas yr Iaith Cymraeg) and of
Plaid Cymru
Plaid Cymru ( ; ; officially Plaid Cymru – the Party of Wales, often referred to simply as Plaid) is a centre-left to left-wing, Welsh nationalist political party in Wales, committed to Welsh independence from the United Kingdom.
Plaid wa ...
.
After working for the ''
Western Mail'' for almost a year, from 1967 to 1990 Stephens was literature director of the
Welsh Arts Council
The Arts Council of Wales (ACW; cy, Cyngor Celfyddydau Cymru) is a Welsh Government-sponsored body, responsible for funding and developing the arts in Wales.
Established within the Arts Council of Great Britain in 1946, as the Welsh Arts ...
. Before retiring he was professor of Welsh Writing in English at the
University of Glamorgan
, image_name = University of Glamorgan arms.png
, image_size = 220px
, caption = University of Glamorgan coat of arms
, motto = Success Through Endeavour
, established =
, closed =
, administrative_staff =
, chancellor = John Morris ...
. He was also a visiting professor in the English department of
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-d ...
in
Provo, Utah.
Stephens is credited as the first person to create the graffiti near
Llanrhystyd
Llanrhystud is a seaside village and electoral division on the A487 road in the county of Ceredigion, in Wales, 9 miles (14 km) south of Aberystwyth, and 7 miles (11 km) north of Aberaeron. It takes its name from an early Welsh saint. ...
,
Ceredigion
Ceredigion ( , , ) is a county in the west of Wales, corresponding to the historic county of Cardiganshire. During the second half of the first millennium Ceredigion was a minor kingdom. It has been administered as a county since 1282. Cer ...
.
This painted slogan has come to be regarded as an unofficial "national landmark" commemorating
Capel Celyn
Capel Celyn was a rural community to the northwest of Bala in Gwynedd, Wales, in the Afon Tryweryn valley. The village and other parts of the valley were flooded in 1965 to create a reservoir, Llyn Celyn, in order to supply Liverpool and Wirra ...
, a Welsh-speaking village near
Bala, which was destroyed by the construction of the
Llyn Celyn
Llyn Celyn () is a reservoir constructed between 1960 and 1965 in the valley of the River Tryweryn in Gwynedd, Wales. It measures roughly long by wide, and has a maximum depth of . It has the capacity to hold of water.
It was originally ...
reservoir in the early 1960s.
Writings
Stephens wrote many articles about literature in Wales for the ''Western Mail'', as well as obituaries of eminent Welsh people for ''
The Independent
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...
''.
He took a particular interest in the life and work of
Rhys Davies, the novelist and short story writer, and founded and served as secretary of the Rhys Davies Trust, which promoted the writing of short fiction in Wales.
Stephens's works include:
*''Linguistic Minorities in Western Europe'' (1976. J. D. Lewis )
*''Green Horse'' (1978. )
*
d.''The Oxford Companion to the Literature of Wales'' (1986; republished in 1998 as ''The New Companion to the Literature of Wales''. Oxford University Press )
*''Illuminations: An Anthology of Welsh Short Prose'' (1998. Welsh Academic Press )
*''A Most Peculiar People: Quotations About Wales and the Welsh'' (1992. University of Wales Press )
*''Little Book of Welsh Quotations'' (1997. Appletree Press )
*''A Pocket Guide Series: Wales in Quotation'' (1999. University of Wales Press )
*''Welsh Names for Your Children: The Complete Guide'' (2000. Y Lolfa )
*''The Literary Pilgrim in Wales: A Guide to the Places Associated with Writers in Wales'' (2000. Gwasg Carreg Gwalch )
*''A Semester in Zion: A Journal with Memoirs'' (2003. Gwasg Carreg Gwalch )
*''Yeah, Dai Dando'' (2008. Cinnamon ')
*''A Bard for Highgrove: A Likely Story'' (2010. Cambria Books )
*''Cofnodion – Hunangofiant'' (2012. Y Lolfa )
*''Welsh Lives – Gone but Not Forgotten'' (2012. Y Lolfa )
* (2013. Parthian Books )
*''Wilia – Cerddi 2003–2013'' (2014. Cyhoeddiadau Barddas )
*''My Shoulder to the Wheel'' (2015. Y Lolfa )
*''The Old Red Tongue: An Anthology of Welsh Literature'' (2017. Francis Boutle Publishers )
*''More Welsh Lives'' (2018. Y Lolfa )
*
Luis Núñez Astrain, ''The Basques: Their Struggle for Independence'' (translation) (1997. Welsh Academic Press )
Honours
Stephens was honoured as a
Fellow
A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context.
In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements.
Within the context of higher education ...
of
Aberystwyth University in 2018.
Death
Stephens died in
Cardiff
Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...
on 2 July 2018.
[GRO Death Index. Stephens, Meic. DOR Q3/2018 in Cardiff (890-1D). Entry Number: 517558573.] He had four children; his son
Huw Stephens
Huw Meredydd Stephens (born 25 May 1981) is a Welsh radio and television presenter, currently broadcasting on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio 6 Music.
Stephens founded the Sŵn music festival with John Rostron and the yearly s ...
is a radio presenter.
References
External links
Rhys Davies Trust – official websiteMeic Stephens, profile – ''Seren Books''Tributes – ''WalesOnline''Catalogue of publications – WorldCat
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stephens, Meic
1938 births
2018 deaths
Academics of the University of Glamorgan
Alumni of Aberystwyth University
Alumni of Bangor University
Bards of the Gorsedd
People educated at Pontypridd High School
Welsh-speaking academics
People from Pontypridd
20th-century Welsh historians
21st-century Welsh poets
21st-century British male writers
21st-century Welsh historians