Meic Stephens – författare

Rhys Davies (1901-1978) dedicated his life entirely to writing and is now generally regarded as one of the most prolific and accomplished of Welsh prose-writers in English. In addition to writing over one hundred short stories, his many novels included The Withered Root (1927), The Black Venus (1944) and The Perishable Quality (1957). While he has long been thought of as a master of the short story form, his novels are now considered to be among the finest written by a Welsh writer in English and a critical re-assessment of his career is long overdue. Rhys Davies: Decoding the Hare contains essays on the major aspects of Rhys Davies's life and work, from the literary, social and national contexts within which he wrote to issues of gender, sexuality and race. Published to mark the centenary of Rhys Davies's birth, Decoding the Hare is the first substantial study of his work and will be essential reading for all those interested in twentieth-century Welsh writing in English and in this complex and elusive writer in particular.

This work forms part of the tenth-anniversary celebrations of the University of Glamorgan. It traces the institution's development from its beginnings as the South Wales and Monmouthshire School of Mines to its present-day status as a university and sets that history in the context of the university's environment. The opening chapter by Meic Stephens looks at the growth of Pontypridd from a hamlet into an industrial town and describes the cultural and social context leading up to the opening of the School of Mines. This is followed by studies from Peter Harris on the period from 1913-39 and Basil Isaac on the period 1939-92. There are also chapters on adult education (Keith Davies), the social and economic context in which the university now operates (David Adamson), and an epilogue by Adrian Webb which outlines the institution's present role and its future mission.

This landmark publication of more than 300 poems reflects the sixty plus year publishing life of the late Leslie Norris, who died in 2007, aged 86. Norris was best known as a nature poet and elegist of passion and rare expression. Lyrical and individual, to his closely observed poems, each word weighted and in its correct place, Norris introduces a strong metaphysical element which makes the poems, as Edward Lucie-Smith noted, "much larger than the sum of their parts".Arranged chronologically, and including poems never before published, the reader follows the developments of subject and style from an early enthrallment with Dylan Thomas, through the mediation of Edward Thomas and Robert Frost, to the percolation of American styles which spending the last twenty years of his life in Utah inevitably brought. Norris paints a vivid world full of striking descriptive detail and extraordinarily realised people. Whether it is his native south Wales, the southern England of his early working life, or the majesty of the American west, Norris is fully engaged with his surroundings and their import.To this core of work The Complete Poems adds his renderings of Welsh poet Dafydd ap Gwilym, and poems for children to produce the full range of this marvellous writer and his enduring work.Leslie Norris was born in Merthyr Tydfil, south Wales, in 1921. Formerly a teacher and headmaster, he taught literature and creative writing for many years at a variety of American universities, most recently Brigham Young, where he was Christiansen Professor of Poetry. In addition to his many poetry collections he published two much admired volumes of short stories and three books for children. In the US he was published by Little, Brown and Farrar, Straus & Giroux.Meic Stephens is the editor of numerous anthologies and works of reference including The Companion to Welsh Literature.

The most legendary names in poetry from Wales - David Jones, Idris Davies, Vernon Watkins, RS Thomas, Dylan Thomas and Alun Lewis - are featured here alongside many living greats such as Dannie Abse, Tony Conran, Gillian Carke, Tony Curtis, Robert Minhinnick and Gwyneth Lewis. Every decade of the century is featured, as is almost every part of Wales - urban, industrial and rural - and many of the poems reflect our history from Edwardian times to the post-industrial present. Biographical notes are provided for all the poets. A few lesser names have been selected to suggest continuity and the changing literary scene over the century. Wales now has a rich, vibrant and varied literature in English and this anthology reflects it comprehensive, authoritative and lively way.

This is the most comprehensive guide ever compiled and comprises over 2,000 Welsh first names. This third edition contains over 100 additional names. Welsh is a Celtic language and is spoken by over a million people world-wide. It is the oldest living language in Europe and has a rich, diverse and distinctive collection of personal names, of which several, such as Dylan, Megan, Arthur and Sian, are internationally recognised. More and more parents are making a positive choice and giving a Welsh name to their children and in doing so handing down their Welsh heritage to the next generation. This book is the complete guide to making that choice. Names are arranged according to the English alphabet and, in many instances, an explanation of the name's meaning and a brief word about illustrious bearers of the name are also provided. For those not familiar with the Welsh language, the book also has a section on pronunciation.

Writers, politicians, visitors, insiders and outsiders of all kinds have tried to grasp the elusive nature of the Welsh character, that subtle creation of history, geography, language and social custom which makes the self-images of the Welsh so different from the impressions of outside observers. In this book Meic Stephens presents a collection of more than 2,300 quotations about Wales and the Welsh, drawn from sources both native and foreign, literary and demotic, favourable and hostile. About 700 authors are represented, from Julius Caesar to Dafydd Elis Thomas, on topics ranging from landscape, language, and religion to politics, broadcasting, and the arts. Welsh nationality and nationhood are the broad topics which receive most attention. This book, which reflects its compiler's wide reading over some thirty years, is as entertaining as it is informative. It will serve not only as a rich source-book for the student, but also as a stimulating guide for the general reader with an interest in Welsh affairs. But a word of warning from Trevor Fishlock: Wales, though small, cannot be tidily parcelled. Just as you think you have the picture right, somebody gives the kaleidoscope a nudge and moves the bits.' Not only an essential reference book for Welsh people and those with Welsh blood but also a fascinating and amusing read. The chronological sequence of the quotes allows a study of changing attitudes and it will be of use to students of social history and nationalism.Writers, politicians, visitors, insiders and outsiders of all kinds have tried to grasp the elusive nature of the Welsh character, that subtle creation of history, geography, language and social custom which makes the self-images of the Welsh so different from the impressions of outside observers.

A new edition of an essential directory of Welsh literature and English literature in Wales from the 6th to the 20th century, including four hundred additions.

This volume provides a reference to Anglo-Welsh and Welsh literature. It has been corrected, updated and revised since its original printing in 1986 and includes over 150 new pages, 400 new sections including contemporary writers, and features over 320 contributors and 3300 entries.

This volume offers a kaleidoscopic view of the Welsh literary scene in the 20th century. The eight essays discuss various aspects of the literature of Wales in both Welsh and English.

This work forms part of the tenth-anniversary celebrations of the University of Glamorgan. It traces the institution's development from its beginnings as the South Wales and Monmouthshire School of Mines to its present-day status as a university and sets that history in the context of the university's environment. The opening chapter by Meic Stephens looks at the growth of Pontypridd from a hamlet into an industrial town and describes the cultural and social context leading up to the opening of the School of Mines. This is followed by studies from Peter Harris on the period from 1913-39 and Basil Isaac on the period 1939-92. There are also chapters on adult education (Keith Davies), the social and economic context in which the university now operates (David Adamson), and an epilogue by Adrian Webb which outlines the institution's present role and its future mission.

Perhaps nothing captures the zeitgeist of a person or their society than their obituary. Necrologies – as the French call them – is a gathering of sixty obituaries written by Meic Stephens for The Independent of "writers, historians, artists, broadcasters, political activists, cultural mandarins, educationalists and cranks" which holds up a mirror to Wales's (and in some ways Britain's) cultural life.Recognised as one of the most trenchant commentators in Wales, Stephens' embracing knowledge of Wales in both languages provides a broad context in which to place his subjects and analyse their significance to their country.Celebration, assessment, occasional vilification, the obituary is read by the knowledgeable and the inquisitive, the expert and – dare we say it – the nosey. As such it is a unique writing form, which Necrologies brings into the mainstream of book publishing. Stephens includes an Introduction to the purpose and art of the obituary, the writing of which is now taught as part of journalism courses at most UK universities. His subjects include: Alexander Cordell, Susan Williams-Ellis, Kyffin Williams, Gwynfor Evans, Gwyn Alf Williams, and David Tinker.Meic Stephens, was born at Treforest, near Pontypridd, in 1938. Educated at University College, Aberystwyth, he was a French teacher and journalist before becoming Literature Director of the Welsh Arts Council in 1967. He founded Poetry Wales in 1965 and edited the magazine for eight years. A poet and editor of numerous books, he has become a university lecturer and a literary agent since retiring from the Arts Council. He is the editor of the Oxford Companion to the Literature of Wales (1986) and A Rhondda Anthology (1993), and translator of Gwynfor Evans' autobiography (1996).