Tony Conran (7 April 1931 – 14 January 2013) was an Anglo-

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 ...

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 writte ...

and

translator Translation is the communication of the Meaning (linguistic), meaning of a #Source and target languages, source-language text by means of an Dynamic and formal equivalence, equivalent #Source and target languages, target-language text. The ...

poetry. His own poetry was mostly written in English and Modernist in style but was very much influenced by Welsh poetic tradition, Welsh culture and history. To some extent there are parallels in Conran's writing with that of

R. S. Thomas Ronald Stuart Thomas (29 March 1913 – 25 September 2000), published as R. S. Thomas, was a Welsh poet and Anglican priest ( Church of Wales) noted for nationalism, spirituality and dislike of the anglicisation of Wales. John Betjeman, introduc ...

, but Conran can also be seen in the line of Pound, Bunting and

MacDiarmid McDiarmid, also MacDiarmid, is an Irish surname originating from a high king of Ireland circa 657 AD, popular in Scotland. People Notable people with this surname include: McDiarmid * Archie McDiarmid (1881–1957), Scottish-born Canadian tra ...

. He was born in

Kharagpur Kharagpur () is a planned urban agglomeration and a major industrial city in Paschim Medinipur district of West Bengal, India. It is the headquarters of the Kharagpur subdivision. It is the largest, most populated, multicultural and cosmopol ...

Bengal Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...

, India], but, because he suffered from cerebral palsy, he was brought to the UK in 1933 and largely brought up by his grandparents in

Colwyn Bay Colwyn Bay ( cy, Bae Colwyn) is a town, community and seaside resort in Conwy County Borough on the north coast of Wales overlooking the Irish Sea. It lies within the historic county of Denbighshire. Eight neighbouring communities are incorpo ...

, being separated from his parents by the Second War. He was educated at Colwyn Bay High School, took his degree at Bangor and other than a brief spell working at a factory in

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

, Conran spent most of his working life in Bangor,

North Wales , area_land_km2 = 6,172 , postal_code_type = Postcode , postal_code = LL, CH, SY , image_map1 = Wales North Wales locator map.svg , map_caption1 = Six principal areas of Wales common ...

. Until 1983, he taught at the

Bangor University , 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 ...

, where he was tutor in the English Department. Academically, he took a particular interest in Welsh poetry, both in Welsh and English; also in traditional folksong and ballads. After retiring from academic life, Conran continued to develop his own poetic art, often combining dramatic presentation of his work in conjunction with visual and performance artists. Conran's first collection of original poetry was ''Formal Poems'' (1958). His numerous other collections include ''Stelae and Other Poems'' (1965), ''Spirit Level'' (1974), and ''Life Fund'' (1979). He has also written many critiques of Welsh literature, including a collection of essays entitled ''The Cost of'' ''Strangeness'' (Gomer Press, 1982). In 1967, he produced a celebrated collection of Welsh language poetry in translation, ''Welsh Verse'' (Penguin). This collection was re-published in 1982 by Poetry Wales Press with an extensive and influential introductory essay by Conran. He has also edited a collection of poetry by

South Wales South Wales ( cy, De Cymru) is a loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire, south Wales extends westwards ...

poet

Idris Davies Idris Davies (6 January 1905 – 6 April 1953) was a Welsh poet. Born in Rhymney, near Merthyr Tydfil in South Wales, he became a poet, originally writing in Welsh, but later writing exclusively in English. He was the only poet to cover signific ...

. He was married to Lesley Conran. His daughters are the visual artist Maia Conran and the novelist

Alys Conran Alys Conran is a Welsh writer. Her debut novel ''Pigeon'' won the Wales Book of the Year in 2017. Early life Alys Conran was born in north-west Wales, and is the daughter of the poet and translator Tony Conran. She studied literature in Edin ...

Works

*''Blodeuwedd'' (1988) *''Castles'' (1993) *''All Hallows'' (1995) *''A Gwynedd Symphony'' (1996) *''What Brings You Here So Late?'' (2008)

References

External links

Biography on CREW Welsh Writers Online
*Translated Penguin Book - at
Penguin First Editions
reference site of early first edition Penguin Books.
Lowell Dijkstra
1931 births 2013 deaths Welsh–English translators Writers from Bangor, Gwynedd 20th-century Welsh poets 21st-century Welsh poets 21st-century British male writers 20th-century translators 20th-century British male writers {{Wales-writer-stub