Gwyn Thomas (novelist)
Encyclopedia
Gwyn Thomas was a Welsh
writer
who has been called 'the true voice of the English-speaking valleys'.
in the Rhondda
Valley, the youngest of 12 children to coalminer Walter Morgan Thomas and his wife. His mother died when he was aged six, and he was resultantly brought up by his sister, often with handouts from the local soup kitchen
.
After winning a scholarship, Thomas studied Spanish
at the University of Oxford
. Plagued by mysterious health problems, terribly poor and depressed, it was only after spending a summer and a term at the end of his second year at Complutense University of Madrid
, thanks to a miners' scholarship, that he decided to complete his studies. Thomas was diagnosed at the age of 23 with an undiagnosed thyroid
malfunction that had been poisoning him for years, which was operated on to avoid his death.
He married his childhood friend Lynn Williams in Pontypridd Registry Office on 5 January 1938. Failing to pass the British Army
medical at the outbreak of World War II
thanks to 20years of smoking, he returned to Wales in 1940 and taught at the WEA
. He then became a schoolteacher, first teaching French
in Cardigan
, and then Spanish in Barry at Barry County Boys School for 20 years.
Post war, his wife decided to send some of his short stories to three publishers, who all accepted the scripts for publication. Approached in 1951 by a BBC Radio Wales
producer to write for the radio, he returned to his childhood memories of 1920s South Wales to create Gazuka!
A prolific novelist and short-story writer, he became a regular on chat shows such as the Brain's Trust, and after 20 years of teaching in 1962 he became a full-time writer and broadcaster, retiring with his wife to Peterstone
.
However, due to a combination of diabetes, heavy drinking and smoking, his health began to fail in the late 1960s. In 1981 Thomas collapsed and was taken to the University Hospital of Wales
in Cardiff, where he died on 13 April, shortly before his 68th birthday.
portrayed Thomas in a BBC Wales
television production 'Selected Exits' adapted by Alan Plater and based on his memoir A Few Selected Exits'. Later that year, Hopkins unveiled a bronze bust of Thomas in the foyer of the New Theatre, Cardiff where he spoke about his personal experience of knowing the author who had been a family friend. Thomas was further commemorated at an event in Barry Memorial Hall on Saturday 21 November 2009, when Pride In Barry announced it was placing a Blue Plaque
on the Old College Inn, Barry, where his old school classrooms used to be.
Welsh people
The Welsh people are an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language.John Davies argues that the origin of the "Welsh nation" can be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman departure from Britain, although Brythonic Celtic languages seem to have...
writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
who has been called 'the true voice of the English-speaking valleys'.
Early life
Gwyn Thomas was born in Cymmer, PorthPorth
Porth is a town and a community in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, within the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan, Wales, lying in the Rhondda Valley and is regarded as the gateway to the Rhondda Fawr and Rhondda Fach valleys because both valleys meet at Porth...
in the Rhondda
Rhondda
Rhondda , or the Rhondda Valley , is a former coal mining valley in Wales, formerly a local government district, consisting of 16 communities built around the River Rhondda. The valley is made up of two valleys, the larger Rhondda Fawr valley and the smaller Rhondda Fach valley...
Valley, the youngest of 12 children to coalminer Walter Morgan Thomas and his wife. His mother died when he was aged six, and he was resultantly brought up by his sister, often with handouts from the local soup kitchen
Soup kitchen
A soup kitchen, a bread line, or a meal center is a place where food is offered to the hungry for free or at a reasonably low price. Frequently located in lower-income neighborhoods, they are often staffed by volunteer organizations, such as church groups or community groups...
.
After winning a scholarship, Thomas studied Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
at the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
. Plagued by mysterious health problems, terribly poor and depressed, it was only after spending a summer and a term at the end of his second year at Complutense University of Madrid
Complutense University of Madrid
The Complutense University of Madrid is a university in Madrid, and one of the oldest universities in the world. It is located on a sprawling campus that occupies the entirety of the Ciudad Universitaria district of Madrid, with annexes in the district of Somosaguas in the neighboring city of...
, thanks to a miners' scholarship, that he decided to complete his studies. Thomas was diagnosed at the age of 23 with an undiagnosed thyroid
Thyroid
The thyroid gland or simply, the thyroid , in vertebrate anatomy, is one of the largest endocrine glands. The thyroid gland is found in the neck, below the thyroid cartilage...
malfunction that had been poisoning him for years, which was operated on to avoid his death.
Career
On graduation and wanting to be a writer, Thomas struggled to establish himself during the 1930s depression. He took on part-time lecturing jobs across England, while trying to get his novel Sorrow For Thy Sons published.He married his childhood friend Lynn Williams in Pontypridd Registry Office on 5 January 1938. Failing to pass the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
medical at the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
thanks to 20years of smoking, he returned to Wales in 1940 and taught at the WEA
Workers' Educational Association
The Workers’ Educational Association seeks to provide access to education and lifelong learning for adults from all backgrounds, and in particular those who have previously missed out on education. The International Federation of Workers Education Associations has consultative status to UNESCO...
. He then became a schoolteacher, first teaching French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
in Cardigan
Cardigan, Ceredigion
Cardigan is a town in the county of Ceredigion in Mid Wales. It lies on the estuary of the River Teifi at the point where Ceredigion meets Pembrokeshire. It was the county town of the pre-1974 county of Cardiganshire. It is the second largest town in Ceredigion. The town's population was 4,203...
, and then Spanish in Barry at Barry County Boys School for 20 years.
Post war, his wife decided to send some of his short stories to three publishers, who all accepted the scripts for publication. Approached in 1951 by a BBC Radio Wales
BBC Wales
BBC Cymru Wales is a division of the British Broadcasting Corporation for Wales. Based at Broadcasting House in the Llandaff area of Cardiff, it directly employs over 1200 people, and produces a broad range of television, radio and online services in both the Welsh and English languages.Outside...
producer to write for the radio, he returned to his childhood memories of 1920s South Wales to create Gazuka!
A prolific novelist and short-story writer, he became a regular on chat shows such as the Brain's Trust, and after 20 years of teaching in 1962 he became a full-time writer and broadcaster, retiring with his wife to Peterstone
Peterstone
Peterstone or Peterstone Wentlooge is a small hamlet on the to the south west of the city of Newport, South Wales.- Location :Peterstone Wentlooge lies six miles to the west of Newport, close to the eastern edge of Cardiff....
.
However, due to a combination of diabetes, heavy drinking and smoking, his health began to fail in the late 1960s. In 1981 Thomas collapsed and was taken to the University Hospital of Wales
University Hospital of Wales
University Hospital of Wales , opened in November 1971, is a major 1000-bed hospital situated in the inner city district of Heath in Cardiff, Wales...
in Cardiff, where he died on 13 April, shortly before his 68th birthday.
Memorial
In 1993, Sir Anthony HopkinsAnthony Hopkins
Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins, KBE , best known as Anthony Hopkins, is a Welsh actor of film, stage and television...
portrayed Thomas in a BBC Wales
BBC Wales
BBC Cymru Wales is a division of the British Broadcasting Corporation for Wales. Based at Broadcasting House in the Llandaff area of Cardiff, it directly employs over 1200 people, and produces a broad range of television, radio and online services in both the Welsh and English languages.Outside...
television production 'Selected Exits' adapted by Alan Plater and based on his memoir A Few Selected Exits'. Later that year, Hopkins unveiled a bronze bust of Thomas in the foyer of the New Theatre, Cardiff where he spoke about his personal experience of knowing the author who had been a family friend. Thomas was further commemorated at an event in Barry Memorial Hall on Saturday 21 November 2009, when Pride In Barry announced it was placing a Blue Plaque
Blue plaque
A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person or event, serving as a historical marker....
on the Old College Inn, Barry, where his old school classrooms used to be.
Novels
- A Welsh Eye (Drawings by John Dd. Evans)
- Where Did I Put My Pity?
- The World Cannot Hear You
- Point Of Order
- The Love Man
- Now Lead Us Home
- The Stranger At My Side
- Gazooka
- Ring Delirium 123
- The Dark Philosophers (1946)
- The Alone to The Alone (1947)
- All Things Betray TheeAll Things Betray TheeAll Things Betray Thee, by Gwyn Thomas, is a novel of early industrialism in South Wales. It was first published in 1949, and was republished in 1986 with an introduction by Raymond Williams...
(1949) - A Frost on My Frolic (1953)
- Sorrow For Thy Sons (1986)
Plays
- The Keep (1962)
- Sap (1974)
- The Breakers (1976)
- Loud Organs
- Jackie The Jumper
See also
- Oxford Book of Welsh Verse in EnglishOxford Book of Welsh Verse in EnglishThe Oxford Book of Welsh Verse in English was a 1977 poetry anthology edited by Gwyn Jones. It covered both Welsh poetry, in English translation, and Welsh poets writing in English ....
- Welsh LiteratureLiterature of Wales (English language)Anglo-Welsh literature and Welsh writing in English are terms used to describe works written in the English language by Welsh writers. It has been recognised as a distinctive entity only since the 20th century...
External links
- BBC Wales on his life.
- Thomas's comments after meeting Jacob BronowskiJacob BronowskiJacob Bronowski was a Polish-Jewish British mathematician, biologist, historian of science, theatre author, poet and inventor...