Siân James (20 September 1930 – 21 July 2021) was a Welsh

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others asp ...

, academic and translator, who wrote in English. Her third novel, '' A Small Country'', is seen as a classic of Anglo-Welsh literature. Her 1996 short-story collection '' Not Singing Exactly'' won the English-language category in

Wales Book of the Year The Wales Book of the Year is a Welsh literary award given annually to the best Welsh and English language works in the fields of fiction and literary criticism by Welsh or Welsh interest authors. Established in 1992, the awards are currently ad ...

, the first book by a woman to do so.

Birth and academic posts

James, born in Coed-y-bryn in

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 ...

, attended the

University of Wales, Aberystwyth , 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 = ...

. She was a Fellow of the University of Wales, Aberystwyth, and of the Welsh Academy. She taught on 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 ...

's Masters' degree in Creative Writing. She was later awarded an honorary doctorate by the university for her contribution to literature in Wales.

Writing career

Siân James twice won the ''

Yorkshire Post ''The Yorkshire Post'' is a daily broadsheet newspaper, published in Leeds in Yorkshire, England. It primarily covers stories from Yorkshire although its masthead carries the slogan "Yorkshire's National Newspaper". It was previously owned by ...

'' Prize, for her first and second novels ''One Afternoon'' and ''Yesterday''. ''One Afternoon'' was republished in 2023. Her third novel ''A Small Country'', has come to be regarded as a classic 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 ...

. In 2006, ''A Small Country'' was adapted as a Welsh-language TV series, ''Calon Gaeth'', which won the 2007 Bafta Cymru award for Best Drama/Drama Serial for Television. James translated Kate Roberts's novel ''Y Byw Sy'n Cysgu'' into English as ''The Awakening''. She also published a memoir, ''The Sky Over Wales'', in 1997. In the same year, her short-story collection ''Not Singing Exactly'' won the

award.

Family

In 1958 Siân James married the Welsh Shakespearean actor

Emrys James Robert Emrys James (1 September 1928 – 5 February 1989) was a Welsh Shakespearean actor. He also performed in many theatre and TV parts between 1960 and 1989, and was an Associate Artist of the Royal Shakespeare Company. He was born in Machyn ...

and set up a home with him in London and later

Worcestershire Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a county in the West Midlands of England. The area that is now Worcestershire was absorbed into the unified Kingdom of England in 927, at which time it was constituted as a county (see H ...

. They had four children, William, Owen, Jo and Anna. Emrys James died in 1989.

Works

*''One Afternoon'' (1975) *''Yesterday'' (1978) *''A Small Country'' (1979) *''Another Beginning'' (1979) *''Dragons and Roses'' (1983) *''A Dangerous Time'' (1984) *''Love and War'' (1994) *''Storm at Arberth'' (1994) *''Not Singing Exactly'' (collected short stories, 1996) *''Two Loves'' (1997) *''The Sky Over Wales'' (memoir, 1997) *''Summer Storm'' (1998) *''Second Chance'' (2000) *''Outside Paradise'' (short stories, 2001) *''Summer Shadows'' (2004) *''Return to Hendre Ddu'' (2009)

References

External links

A Small Country used in postgraduate English courses
1930 births 2021 deaths Welsh novelists Alumni of Aberystwyth University People from Ceredigion {{Wales-writer-stub