Praise Above All

This text explores the theme of praise in the Welsh poetic tradition. It reveals a persistence in the appearance of this theme in writings ranging form the ninth century to the present day. The first part of the work gives an introductory overview of the tradition while the second part offers more detailed studies of aspects of this theme. Particular attention is given to the 18th-century works of Ann Griffiths and Williams Pantycelyn but there is also much illuminating discussion of 20th-century writers including Saunders Lewis, Gwenallt, Waldo Williams, Euros Bowen, Bobi Jones and Gwyn Thomas. In these studies the author develops contrasts and comparisons between the Welsh tradition and those of other nations and thus enables us to percieve its specific quality in a European and international context.