The Literature of Wales

by Dafydd R. Johnston

A concise and authoritative survey of the Welsh- and English-language literatures of Wales from the earliest period up to the present day. This illustrated guide, containing extracts from original texts with English translations, is a revised version of Professor Dafydd Johnston’s volume in the University of Wales Press Pocket Guide series, and includes a new chapter on contemporary writing.

211 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 1, 2017

Reviews

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good intro to a national literature I knew absolutely nothing about. Review to come.

[Ivan Monckton · Rating 3 out of 5]

A brief run through literature in Wales from the sixth century to 2015, though the definition of what constitutes literature is pretty elastic, with medieval Welsh Law included from early days and travel writing in the 16/1700s. The major emphasis throughout the whole period is on Welsh poetry, with fiction making a belated and skimpy appearance. Although interesting and informative, I found the nationalistic leanings a bit irksome at times. For instance, I fail to understand why writers from outside of Wales writing in Welsh are, rightly, fully included, but writers living in, and writing of,
Wales having been born elsewhere are excluded if they write in English.