Story of Wales, The - Histories and Ballads

by Myrddin ap Dafydd

A collection of stories and ballads that take us to every period in Welsh history, and to every corner of the land.

168 pages, Hardcover

Published May 9, 2017

About the author

Myrddin ap Dafydd is a Welsh poet and editor who has won the Chief Bard's chair at the National Eisteddfod on two different occasions, in 1990 and in 2002. He was appointed Bard for the Children of Wales (Bardd Plant Cymru) in 2000, the first to be honoured with that distinction.

He is a former alumnus of Aberystwyth University and founder of the Gwasg Carreg Gwalch press.

Reviews

[Sophie Toovey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated, this book is made up of short chapters detailing significant events and people in Wales' history. Incidents such as the betrayal of the long knives and the first eisteddfod are described with accompanying ballads. There are many little-known stories of unsung heroes; having lived in Wales most of my life, I knew very few of these stories so I found it intriguing and compelling. It helped me understand the importance of the Welsh language and why there is so much resentment against English suppression of the language. The history is coloured by this perspective, but history is never objective anyway. The book suits 8-12 year olds in tone but I think adults can equally enjoy the anecdotal style too.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book looked like a great way to delve into Welsh history and it has got great stories. Some I knew, others new.
Maybe it was lost in translation but I didn't find the ballads and poetry to go with each story so inspiring. I think I would have preferred ballads written nearer the time if available and written in original language as well as perhaps a modern version.
Nice idea and interesting but not the book I was hoping for.