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Cyfres yr Onnen: Diffodd y Ser
Nofel hanesyddol yw Diffodd y Sr. Mae'r stori wedi'i seilio ar hanes Hedd Wyn ac mae'r Rhyfel Byd Cyntaf yn gefndir i'r digwyddiadau.
120 pages, Paperback
Published May 17, 2013
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February 20, 2024
Diffodd y Ser (literally 'The Stars Were Extinguished', although the official English translation is titled 'An Empty Chair') is a fictionalised take on the last few months of Hedd Wyn's life, from the perspective of his thirteen-year-old sister Anni.
As an adult, Hedd Wyn is one of those names that you'll hear pretty early on in your Welsh-learning journey, although I'd read World War One literature during my A-levels and had come across the name then. Likewise, this book is one of the set texts at TGAU. The BBC study guide wasn't quite as helpful as the one set for Llinyn Trons, but as Hedd Wyn's life and work is studied quite extensively in Welsh-speaking schools (well, so I've heard) perhaps a full guide isn't necessary for the target audience.
It's made quite obvious from the outset that a book like this won't be a cheery read - and I struggled quite a lot linguistically with this, which made it quite difficult to finish. Set in Trawsfynydd, it's very Gogledd too and some of the terms used weren't easy to glean. When I did get into the flow with it though, it was beautifully written despite the heavy subject matter. I did have one criticism during my read, which was the subplot of Lora and Hywel - if you could call it a subplot. Most of it is off-camera as Anni isn't directly involved, and understandably she's surprised and stung by this revelation when she is eventually let in on things, but I wasn't sure how I as the reader should've felt . Should I have felt sad for Lora, angry for her? Should I have related more to her mother? While I couldn't see the point of the arc at first, particularly given it's an entirely fictional invention, it does eventually lend itself to a . As Anni's doubt of Lora's friendship leads to a domino chain of events earlier in the novel, there's something quite powerful in that gesture of friendship.
All in all, a challenging but rewarding read. Haf Llewelyn also translated this into an official English publication ('An Empty Chair') for Y Lolfa, so that may make a good tool to read with side-by-side. In the meantime, I'll keep this on hand for re-reading at Uwch.
4/5
As an adult, Hedd Wyn is one of those names that you'll hear pretty early on in your Welsh-learning journey, although I'd read World War One literature during my A-levels and had come across the name then. Likewise, this book is one of the set texts at TGAU. The BBC study guide wasn't quite as helpful as the one set for Llinyn Trons, but as Hedd Wyn's life and work is studied quite extensively in Welsh-speaking schools (well, so I've heard) perhaps a full guide isn't necessary for the target audience.
It's made quite obvious from the outset that a book like this won't be a cheery read - and I struggled quite a lot linguistically with this, which made it quite difficult to finish. Set in Trawsfynydd, it's very Gogledd too and some of the terms used weren't easy to glean. When I did get into the flow with it though, it was beautifully written despite the heavy subject matter. I did have one criticism during my read, which was the subplot of Lora and Hywel - if you could call it a subplot. Most of it is off-camera as Anni isn't directly involved, and understandably she's surprised and stung by this revelation when she is eventually let in on things, but I wasn't sure how I as the reader should've felt . Should I have felt sad for Lora, angry for her? Should I have related more to her mother? While I couldn't see the point of the arc at first, particularly given it's an entirely fictional invention, it does eventually lend itself to a . As Anni's doubt of Lora's friendship leads to a domino chain of events earlier in the novel, there's something quite powerful in that gesture of friendship.
All in all, a challenging but rewarding read. Haf Llewelyn also translated this into an official English publication ('An Empty Chair') for Y Lolfa, so that may make a good tool to read with side-by-side. In the meantime, I'll keep this on hand for re-reading at Uwch.
4/5
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