Capel Sion

Seren Classics

by Caradoc Evans

Leopold is delighted to publish this classic book as part of our extensive Classic Library collection. Many of the books in our collection have been out of print for decades, and therefore have not been accessible to the general public. The aim of our publishing program is to facilitate rapid access to this vast reservoir of literature, and our view is that this is a significant literary work, which deserves to be brought back into print after many decades. The contents of the vast majority of titles in the Classic Library have been scanned from the original works. To ensure a high quality product, each title has been meticulously hand curated by our staff. This means that we have checked every single page in every title, making it highly unlikely that any material imperfections – such as poor picture quality, blurred or missing text - remain. When our staff observed such imperfections in the original work, these have either been repaired, or the title has been excluded from the Leopold Classic Library catalogue. As part of our on-going commitment to delivering value to the reader, within the book we have also provided you with a link to a website, where you may download a digital version of this work for free. Our philosophy has been guided by a desire to provide the reader with a book that is as close as possible to ownership of the original work. We hope that you will enjoy this wonderful classic work, and that for you it becomes an enriching experience. If you would like to learn more about the Leopold Classic Library collection please visit our website at www.leopoldclassiclibrary.com

Genres: Fiction

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1916

About the author

David Caradoc Evans was a Welsh novelist, short-story writer, and playwright who wrote in English. He was married to writer Oliver Sandys.

Reviews

[Nicky · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wish I could honestly say I enjoy Caradoc Evans' writing. I feel like my emotions get in the way with Caradoc's work, though. I find him inflammatory, reductive, insensitive... And yet, I know that he was one of the fathers of Welsh writing in English, that his style is amazing and his manipulation of the English language masterful for someone who didn't speak it as his native tongue. I know that he was trying to free Wales of what he saw as parasites.

I still can't enjoy his work.

I enjoyed Capel Sion less than My People, even knowing that. My People had something original about it, and it didn't feel as plain nasty as some of the stories in Capel Sion do. Also, I think in My People the intent is clearer, and the dialect less incomprehensible. Caradoc flies off further in search of weird ways to express himself, here, until sometimes I'm not entirely sure I understand the story at all.

I'm somewhat glad this class isn't running, as I would continue to find Caradoc Evans completely fascinating and completely incomprehensible, and become even more irritated. If you're curious, skip Capel Sion and just read the original collection, My People. This edition does come with a good introduction about Capel Sion, though, which is pretty helpful in understanding Caradoc's intent and the point of the stories.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written in short story format, Evans controversial work provides a brutal depiction of rural life in West Wales at the start of the 20th century. He holds Liberal-Non Conformism, and it's preachers and powerful supporters responsible for what he believes, was the crushing of the peasantry through pulpits. Evans condemns these forces as tyrannical, corrupt, hypocrites. The stories are dark, ugly, and reveal the basest of human failing. But for Evans, and other like minds, they expressed a reality that needed to be exposed for what it was.

[Caitlin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Capel Sion was just...boring. I really enjoyed Evan's first short story collection My People, I thought it was dark, shocking in ways that are good and I had never read anything like it. While Capel Sion is very much an in the same style as My People, the stories themselves just weren't memorable. From other reviews, it seems some people have an issue with the overdone cruelty in these stories. I for one just found it incredibly dull, rather than disgusting. The introductory essay was probably the most entertaining part, that I do recommend lol.