Gwyn Thomas (poet)
Encyclopedia
Professor Gwyn Thomas is a Welsh
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...

 poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...

, academic and a former National Poet for Wales
National Poet for Wales
The post of National Poet of Wales was established in May 2005 by Academi – the Welsh National Literature Promotion Agency and Society for Writers. The post is supported by the Arts Council of Wales’ Lottery fund....

.

Raised in Tanygrisiau
Tanygrisiau
Tanygrisiau is a village in the upper end of the Vale of Ffestiniog in the county of Gwynedd, north-west Wales . It can be found along the southern side of the Moelwyn mountain range and dates to around 1750...

 and Blaenau Ffestiniog
Blaenau Ffestiniog
Blaenau Ffestiniog is a town in Gwynedd, north-west Wales. It has a population of 5,000, including Llan Ffestiniog, which makes it the third largest town in Gwynedd, behind Caernarfon & Porthmadog. Although the population reached 12,000 at the peak of the slate industry, the population fell due to...

, Thomas was educated at Ysgol Sir Ffestiniog, University of Wales, Bangor and Jesus College, Oxford
Jesus College, Oxford
Jesus College is one of the colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is in the centre of the city, on a site between Turl Street, Ship Street, Cornmarket Street and Market Street...

; Prof Thomas is presently Emeritus Professor of Welsh at the University of Wales, Bangor.

Gwyn Thomas has published 16 volumes of poetry, several volumes of work as a literary and cultural critic and has also translated the Mabinogion
Mabinogion
The Mabinogion is the title given to a collection of eleven prose stories collated from medieval Welsh manuscripts. The tales draw on pre-Christian Celtic mythology, international folktale motifs, and early medieval historical traditions...

 into English. Prof Thomas's first work as a poet Chwerwder yn y Ffynhonnau ("Bitterness in the Fountains") was published in 1962, while his latest Apocalups Yfory ("Apocalypse Tomorrow") was published in 2005. Prof Thomas is also a literary and cultural critic and has published several volumes of essays, critiques, adaptations and translations, including the classic Y Traddodiad Barddol – a study of the classic poetic tradition of Wales. Prof Thomas is also involved with the film industry in Wales, and has helped pioneer techniques to combine poetry and film.

In 2006, published his autobiography, entitled Bywyd Bach, having being asked to write this as one of the series Cyfres y Cewri (Series of the Giants).

Also in 2006, Thomas was appointed National Poet for Wales
National Poet for Wales
The post of National Poet of Wales was established in May 2005 by Academi – the Welsh National Literature Promotion Agency and Society for Writers. The post is supported by the Arts Council of Wales’ Lottery fund....

 by Academi
Academi
Literature Wales Literature Wales Literature Wales (formerly the Academi is the Welsh national literature promotion agency and society of writers, existing to promote Welsh-language and English-language literature in Wales. Literature Wales publishes a literary magazine called Taliesin and a...

, replacing Wales first national poet Gwyneth Lewis
Gwyneth Lewis
Gwyneth Lewis is a Welsh poet, and was the first National Poet for Wales.-Biography:Born into a Welsh speaking family, Lewis's father started teaching her English when her mother went into hospital to give birth to her sister....

. Thomas said he would use the 12 month appointment to draw attention to the work of Welsh poets.

Thomas has provided the words for many inspiration books and recently added his touch to an inspirational photographic book entitled Blaenau Ffestiniog.

As Welsh National Poet Thomas was commissioned to write five stanzas celebrating the opening in June 2009 of Hafod Eryri, the new summit building at the top of Snowdon
Snowdon
Snowdon is the highest mountain in Wales, at an altitude of above sea level, and the highest point in the British Isles outside Scotland. It is located in Snowdonia National Park in Gwynedd, and has been described as "probably the busiest mountain in Britain"...

, inscribed on the buildings and windows they read:
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