Ron Berry
Encyclopedia
Ronald Anthony "Ron" Berry (23 February 1920 - 16 July 1997) was a Welsh
author of novels and short stories. Born in the Rhondda Valleys
where he remained for most his life, his books reflect the working class of the industrial valleys though his vision is more optimistic and there is less concern for politics and religion which was expressed by many of his contemporaries. Largely ignored during his lifetime, Berry has been embraced by more contemporary authors including Rachel Trezise
and Niall Griffiths
.
, a small village at the head of the Rhondda Fawr. The son of a coal miner, Berry left school at the age of 14, and he too took employment at a local colliery. He remained a coal miner until the outbreak of World War II where he served in the British Army
and later in the Merchant Navy
.
Berry undertook several roles in his younger days, including amateur boxing and also played association football for Swansea Town
, reportedly scoring a vital goal in a cup match. Though a knee injury in 1943 ended his sporting career. He later became a carpenter, working around Wales and in London. He married Rene Jones in 1948, with whom he had five children, two sons and three daughters. He took up various jobs, and wrote some early essays and poetry for which he was unable to find a publisher. In the 1950s, Berry studied at Coleg Harlech
, a further education college in Gwynedd
. There he became an avid reader and honed his left-wing political views. A failed attempt to enter teacher training college saw he and Rene return to the Rhondda, taking up residence in Treherbert
. It was in Treherbert, where he took on a job as the assistant manager of the local swimming baths, that he first began writing his first published novels.
His written works were never successful enough to allow Berry to be financially secure and in the 1970s he relied on several friends, and the support of Sir Wyn Roberts in obtaining for him a Civil list pension. In his later life he was plagued with arthritis and poor health and he died in Pontypridd in 1997.
s in 1987, entitled Peregrine Watching. The Bygone was published in 1996, a volume of autobiography, and History is What you Live (1998) and Collected Stories (2000) were both released posthumously.
Berry also wrote several short stories and essays, and wrote several plays for BBC television.
, Richard Llewellyn
and Alexander Cordell
, believing their portrayal of the valleys was false. Berry's Rhondda was clearly divided in two, between the 'haves' and the 'have nots', the little man that struggled for daily survival and the 'fat cats
' who owned the wealth produced by the exploitation of the valley's coalfield. Although not possessing the lyrical style of Llewellyn, Berry was able to write a more authentic picture of working class life drawn from his own experiences.
Although writing during a sometimes bleak industrial period of Welsh history, Berry avoided falling into clichés of depressed miners and their families surviving everyday toil, with much of his stories exploring "a happier Rhondda". This was evident in his novel 'The Full-Time Amateur' in which social changes during a more affluent working class allowing the workers to purchase televisions, cars and even go abroad on holidays. Berry's Rhondda residents were also more sophisticated and hedonistic, and less concerned with religion and politics then those portrayed by the likes of Rhys Davies
or Gwyn Thomas
.
Regarded as one of the Wales' more significant post-war authors, along with the likes of Glyn Hughes and Emyr Humphreys
, some critics have shown preference to his short stories, believing that the shorter text constrained his writing away from the sometimes over-lush prose style of his novels.
Despite being largely neglected during his lifetime, modern readers and writers have rediscovered his work. Niall Griffiths
cites Berry as one of the most important influences on his writing style, being struck by the vanacular and ungrammatical language after discovering a copy of So Long, Hector Bebb at the age of nine. Rachel Trezise also picks out So Long, Hector Bebb as a notable Welsh novel, drawn by the 'fighting, boozing and fornicating' left out of more rose-tinted novels such as How Green was my Valley
.
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...
author of novels and short stories. Born in the Rhondda Valleys
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...
where he remained for most his life, his books reflect the working class of the industrial valleys though his vision is more optimistic and there is less concern for politics and religion which was expressed by many of his contemporaries. Largely ignored during his lifetime, Berry has been embraced by more contemporary authors including Rachel Trezise
Rachel Trezise
Rachel Trezise is a Welsh author, born in Cwmparc, Rhondda.-Background and career:Trezise studied at the University of Glamorgan in Wales and University of Limerick in Ireland. Her first novel, In and Out of the Goldfish Bowl, released in 2002 while she was still as a student, received broad...
and Niall Griffiths
Niall Griffiths
Niall Griffiths is an author, who has published six books to date. He has also written travel pieces, restaurant and book reviews, and radio plays...
.
Personal history
Berry was born in 1920 in BlaencwmBlaencwm
Blaencwm is a village in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, lying at the head the Rhondda Fawr valley. Blaencwm is very small village and is part of the community of Treherbert.- History :...
, a small village at the head of the Rhondda Fawr. The son of a coal miner, Berry left school at the age of 14, and he too took employment at a local colliery. He remained a coal miner until the outbreak of World War II where he served in 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...
and later in the Merchant Navy
Merchant Navy
The Merchant Navy is the maritime register of the United Kingdom, and describes the seagoing commercial interests of UK-registered ships and their crews. Merchant Navy vessels fly the Red Ensign and are regulated by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency...
.
Berry undertook several roles in his younger days, including amateur boxing and also played association football for Swansea Town
Swansea City A.F.C.
Swansea City Association Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Swansea, Wales. One of the most successful clubs in Welsh football, it has won 10 Welsh Cups and led the English Football League First Division in December 1981, before finishing the season in 6th position...
, reportedly scoring a vital goal in a cup match. Though a knee injury in 1943 ended his sporting career. He later became a carpenter, working around Wales and in London. He married Rene Jones in 1948, with whom he had five children, two sons and three daughters. He took up various jobs, and wrote some early essays and poetry for which he was unable to find a publisher. In the 1950s, Berry studied at Coleg Harlech
Coleg Harlech
Coleg Harlech is a further education college for mature students in Harlech, Gwynedd.It is Wales' only long-term, mature students education college and was established in 1927 by Thomas Jones , Cabinet Secretary to both David Lloyd George and Stanley Baldwin, to continue the work of Workers'...
, a further education college in Gwynedd
Gwynedd
Gwynedd is a county in north-west Wales, named after the old Kingdom of Gwynedd. Although the second biggest in terms of geographical area, it is also one of the most sparsely populated...
. There he became an avid reader and honed his left-wing political views. A failed attempt to enter teacher training college saw he and Rene return to the Rhondda, taking up residence in Treherbert
Treherbert
Treherbert is a village and community situated at the head of the Rhondda Fawr valley in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. Treherbert is a former industrial coal mining village which was at its economic peak between 1850 and 1920...
. It was in Treherbert, where he took on a job as the assistant manager of the local swimming baths, that he first began writing his first published novels.
His written works were never successful enough to allow Berry to be financially secure and in the 1970s he relied on several friends, and the support of Sir Wyn Roberts in obtaining for him a Civil list pension. In his later life he was plagued with arthritis and poor health and he died in Pontypridd in 1997.
Written work
Berry's first work was Hunters and Hunted (1960), which followed the sexual adventures of three men over three seasons in a Welsh valley. It received good reviews. Over the next ten years he published a further four novels. Travelling Loaded (1963), The Full-Time Amateur (1966), Flame and Slag (1968) and So Long, Hector Bebb (1970). After So Long, Hector Bebb, Berry's output waned. He wrote a personal account of watching Peregrine FalconPeregrine Falcon
The Peregrine Falcon , also known as the Peregrine, and historically as the Duck Hawk in North America, is a widespread bird of prey in the family Falconidae. A large, crow-sized falcon, it has a blue-gray back, barred white underparts, and a black head and "moustache"...
s in 1987, entitled Peregrine Watching. The Bygone was published in 1996, a volume of autobiography, and History is What you Live (1998) and Collected Stories (2000) were both released posthumously.
Berry also wrote several short stories and essays, and wrote several plays for BBC television.
Writing style
Berry's work borrowed heavily from life in the Rhondda Valley, though he turned away from fellow Welsh authors such as Jack JonesJack Jones (novelist)
Jack Jones was a Welsh novelist and playwright who began writing in the 1930s.-Early years:Jack Jones was born in 1884 at Tai-Harri-Blawdd in Merthyr Tydfil, the son of a coal miner. He joined his father to work in the mine aged 12. At the age of 17 he joined the army and was posted to South...
, Richard Llewellyn
Richard Llewellyn
Richard Dafydd Vivian Llewellyn Lloyd , better known by his pen name Richard Llewellyn, was a Welsh novelist.Llewellyn Richard Dafydd Vivian Llewellyn Lloyd (8 December 1906 – 30 November 1983), better known by his pen name Richard Llewellyn, was a Welsh novelist.Llewellyn Richard Dafydd...
and Alexander Cordell
Alexander Cordell
Alexander Cordell was the pen-name of George Alexander Graber, a prolific Welsh novelist and author of thirty acclaimed works including Rape of the Fair Country, The Hosts of Rebecca and Song of the Earth....
, believing their portrayal of the valleys was false. Berry's Rhondda was clearly divided in two, between the 'haves' and the 'have nots', the little man that struggled for daily survival and the 'fat cats
Fat cat (term)
Fat cat is a political term originally describing a rich political donor, also called an angel or big money man.The New York Times has described fat cats as symbols of "a deeply corrupt campaign finance system riddled with loopholes", with Americans seeing them as recipients of the "perks of...
' who owned the wealth produced by the exploitation of the valley's coalfield. Although not possessing the lyrical style of Llewellyn, Berry was able to write a more authentic picture of working class life drawn from his own experiences.
Although writing during a sometimes bleak industrial period of Welsh history, Berry avoided falling into clichés of depressed miners and their families surviving everyday toil, with much of his stories exploring "a happier Rhondda". This was evident in his novel 'The Full-Time Amateur' in which social changes during a more affluent working class allowing the workers to purchase televisions, cars and even go abroad on holidays. Berry's Rhondda residents were also more sophisticated and hedonistic, and less concerned with religion and politics then those portrayed by the likes of Rhys Davies
Rhys Davies
Rhys Davies was a Welsh novelist and short story writer, who wrote in the English language....
or Gwyn Thomas
Gwyn Thomas (novelist)
Gwyn Thomas was a Welsh writer who has been called 'the true voice of the English-speaking valleys'.-Early life:...
.
Regarded as one of the Wales' more significant post-war authors, along with the likes of Glyn Hughes and Emyr Humphreys
Emyr Humphreys
Emyr Humphreys is a leading Welsh novelist, poet and author. He was born at Prestatyn in Flintshire, and attended University of Wales, Aberystwyth. He registered as a conscientious objector at the outbreak of the Second World War...
, some critics have shown preference to his short stories, believing that the shorter text constrained his writing away from the sometimes over-lush prose style of his novels.
Legacy
The Glamorgan County History series describes Berry as "...unjustly neglected... ...whose fiction thrives on those very aspects of Rhondda life that broke the spirit of Gwyn Thomas's imagination."Despite being largely neglected during his lifetime, modern readers and writers have rediscovered his work. Niall Griffiths
Niall Griffiths
Niall Griffiths is an author, who has published six books to date. He has also written travel pieces, restaurant and book reviews, and radio plays...
cites Berry as one of the most important influences on his writing style, being struck by the vanacular and ungrammatical language after discovering a copy of So Long, Hector Bebb at the age of nine. Rachel Trezise also picks out So Long, Hector Bebb as a notable Welsh novel, drawn by the 'fighting, boozing and fornicating' left out of more rose-tinted novels such as How Green was my Valley
How Green Was My Valley
How Green Was My Valley is a 1939 novel by Richard Llewellyn, telling the story through narration of the main character, of his Welsh family and the mining community in which they live. The author had claimed to have based the book on his own knowledge of the Gilfach Goch area, but this was proven...
.