William Samuel Jones (28 May 1920 – 15 November 2007), generally known as W. S. Jones or Wil Sam, was a
Welsh-language
Welsh ( or ) is a Celtic language of the Brittonic subgroup that is native to the Welsh people. Welsh is spoken natively in Wales, by some in England, and in Y Wladfa (the Welsh colony in Chubut Province, Argentina). Historically, it has al ...
author, playwright and scriptwriter.
Life
Jones was born in
Llanystumdwy
Llanystumdwy is a predominantly Welsh-speaking village, community and electoral ward on the Llŷn Peninsula in Wales. It lies in the traditional county of Caernarfonshire but is currently administered as part of the unitary authority of Gwyned ...
, and lived in the
Eifionydd
Eifionydd () is an area in north-west Wales covering the south-eastern part of the Llŷn Peninsula from Porthmadog to just east of Pwllheli. The Afon Erch forms its western border. It now lies in Gwynedd.
The commote of Eifionydd formed the ...
region in north
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 ...
for his entire life. He worked as a mechanic before opening his own garage in the village of Llanystumdwy. He registered as a
conscientious objector during the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
, working in food distribution.
He began writing as a young man and, from 1963 onwards, wrote plays to be performed at the Theatr y Gegin in
Criccieth
Criccieth ( cy, Criccieth ) is a town and community on the Llŷn Peninsula in the Eifionydd area of Gwynedd in Wales. The town lies west of Porthmadog, east of Pwllheli and south of Caernarfon. It had a population of 1,826 in 2001, reducing ...
, Gwynedd. In the mid-1970s Jones began writing for television and radio and later becoming a full-time writer writing for television and national newspapers as well as for the stage.
Jones was known for the use of comedy and dialect in his work. Many of his plays contained elements of absurdity and symbolism, leading critics to make connections with the works of Beckett, N. F. Simpson and Ionesco.
His most famous character, Ifas y Tryc ('Evans the Truck'), was played by Stewart Jones, a Bafta-Cymru winning actor.
Among his most famous works are his plays, Dinas Barhaus (''"Abiding City"'') (1969), Bobi a Sami (''"Bobi and Sami"'') and Y Sul Hwnnw (''"That Sunday"'') (1981). Other writings include his lecture on the state of Welsh theatre, Y Toblaron (''"The Toblarone"'') (1975), a selection of stories, Dyn y Mwnci (''"The Monkey Man"'') (1979) and a selection of his comic verse, Rhigymau Wil Sam (''"The Rhymes of Wil Sam"'') (2005).
Jones's last work was a Welsh translation and adaptation of ''The Weir'' by Conor McPherson which was performed by Cardiff-based company Sherman Cymru in 2009.
Works
* ''Tair Drama Fer'' (1962)
* ''Pum Drama Fer'' (1963)
* ''Tŷ Clap'' (1965)
* ''Dau Frawd'' (1965)
* ''Y Fain'' (1967)
* ''Dinas Barhaus: a thair drama arall'' (1968)
* ''Mae Rhywbeth Bach'' (1969)
* ''Y Toblarôn'' (1975)
* ''Dyn y Mwnci'' (1979)
* ''Mewn Tri Chyfrwng'' (1979)
* ''Y Sul Hwnnw'' (1981)
* ''Ifas y tryc'' (1983)
* ''Ifas eto fyth!'' (1987)
* ''Deg drama Wil Sam'' (1995)
* ''Llifeiriau'' (1997)
* ''Ifas Eto Fyth'' (2000)
* ''Rhigymau Wil Sam'' (2005)
* ''Newyddion Ffoltia Mawr'' (2005)
* ''Mân bethau hwylus: cymeriadau Eifionydd'' (2005)
References
Sources
*W. S. Jones ''Wil Sam'', ed. Gwenno Hywyn (Cyfres y Cewri 5) (Caernarfon:Gwasg Gwynedd, 1985)
Obituary, The Independent, 20 November 2007 Obituary, BBC News, 16 November 2007 (Welsh language)BBC News, 26 July 2011
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, W. S.
1920 births
2007 deaths
Welsh conscientious objectors
Welsh writers
Welsh-language writers
20th-century Welsh dramatists and playwrights