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 wage, living writing novels and other fiction, while other ...

, 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 first book by a woman to do so.

Birth and academic posts

James, born in Coed-y-bryn in

Ceredigion Ceredigion (), historically Cardiganshire (, ), is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the West Wales, west of Wales. It borders Gwynedd across the River Dyfi, Dyfi estuary to the north, Powys to the east, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire t ...

, attended the

University of Wales, Aberystwyth Aberystwyth University () is a public research university in Aberystwyth, Wales. Aberystwyth was a founding member institution of the former federal University of Wales. The university has over 8,000 students studying across three academic facul ...

. She was a Fellow of the University of Wales, Aberystwyth, and of the

Welsh Academy Literature Wales, formerly named the Academi, is the Welsh national literature promotion agency and society of writers, existing to promote Welsh-language literature, Welsh-language and Welsh literature in English, English-language literature i ...

. She taught on the

University of Glamorgan The University of Glamorgan () was a public university based in South Wales, that merged with University of Wales, Newport to form the University of South Wales in April 2013. The university was based in Pontypridd, in Rhondda Cynon Taf, with ...

'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, 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. 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 Wales Book of the Year award.

Family

In 1958 Siân James married the Welsh Shakespearean actor Emrys James and set up a home with him in London and later

Worcestershire Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Shropshire, Staffordshire, and the West Midlands (county), West ...

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

Works

*''One Afternoon'' (1975) (Reprinted by

Persephone Books ''Persephone Books'' is an independent publisher based in Bath, England. Founded in 1999 by Nicola Beauman, Persephone Books reprints works largely by women writers of the late 19th and 20th century, though a few books by men are included. Th ...

in 2023) *''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