W. S. Jones
Encyclopedia
William Samuel Jones was a Welsh language
author, playwright and scriptwriter better known as W. S. Jones or Wil Sam.
Jones was born in Llanystumdwy
, and lived in the Eifionydd
region in north Wales
for his entire life. He worked as a mechanic before opening his own garage in the village of Llanystumdwy. He registered as a conscientious objector during the second world war.
He began writing as a young man and, from 1963 onwards, wrote plays to be performed at the Theatr y Gegin in Cricieth, Gwynedd. In the mid 70s Jones began writing for television and radio and before long became a full time writer writing for television and for Y Cymro, a Welsh national newspaper.
Among his most famous works are his plays, Dinas Barhaus ("Abiding City") (1969), Bobi a Sami ("Bobi and Sami") and Y Sul Hwnnw ("That Sunday") (1981). Other writings include his lecture on the state of Welsh theatre, Y Toblaron ("The Toblarone") (1975), a selection of stories, Dyn y Mwnci ("The Monkey Man") (1979) and a selection of his comic verse, Rhigymau Wil Sam ("The Rhymes of Wil Sam") (2005).
Jones was known for the use of comedy and dialect in his work. Many of his plays contained elements of absurdity and symbolism, leading critics to make connections with the works of Beckett, N.F. Simpson and Ionesco. His most famous character, Ifas y Tryc ('Evans the Truck'), was played by Stewart Jones, a Bafta-Cymru winning actor.
Jones's last work was a Welsh translation and adaptation of The Weir by Conor McPherson which was performed by Cardiff based company Sherman Cymru in 2009.
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
author, playwright and scriptwriter better known as W. S. Jones or Wil Sam.
Jones was born in Llanystumdwy
Llanystumdwy
Llanystumdwy is a village and community on the Llŷn Peninsula of Gwynedd in Wales, although it is not regarded as being part of Llŷn, but belonging instead to the local region of Eifionydd...
, and lived in the Eifionydd
Eifionydd
Eifionydd is an area in north-west Wales covering the south-eastern part of the Llŷn Peninsula from Porthmadog to just east of Pwllheli. The Afon Erch forms its western border. It now lies in Gwynedd....
region in north Wales
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...
for his entire life. He worked as a mechanic before opening his own garage in the village of Llanystumdwy. He registered as a conscientious objector during the second world war.
He began writing as a young man and, from 1963 onwards, wrote plays to be performed at the Theatr y Gegin in Cricieth, Gwynedd. In the mid 70s Jones began writing for television and radio and before long became a full time writer writing for television and for Y Cymro, a Welsh national newspaper.
Among his most famous works are his plays, Dinas Barhaus ("Abiding City") (1969), Bobi a Sami ("Bobi and Sami") and Y Sul Hwnnw ("That Sunday") (1981). Other writings include his lecture on the state of Welsh theatre, Y Toblaron ("The Toblarone") (1975), a selection of stories, Dyn y Mwnci ("The Monkey Man") (1979) and a selection of his comic verse, Rhigymau Wil Sam ("The Rhymes of Wil Sam") (2005).
Jones was known for the use of comedy and dialect in his work. Many of his plays contained elements of absurdity and symbolism, leading critics to make connections with the works of Beckett, N.F. Simpson and Ionesco. His most famous character, Ifas y Tryc ('Evans the Truck'), was played by Stewart Jones, a Bafta-Cymru winning actor.
Jones's last work was a Welsh translation and adaptation of The Weir by Conor McPherson which was performed by Cardiff based company Sherman Cymru in 2009.
Works
- Tair Drama Fer (1962)
- Pum Drama Fer (1963)
- Tŷ Clap (1965)
- Dau Frawd (1965)
- Y Fain (1967)
- Dinas Barhaus: a thair drama arall (1968)
- Mae Rhywbeth Bach (1969)
- Y Toblarôn (1975)
- Dyn y Mwnci (1979)
- Y Sul Hwnnw (1981)
- Ifas y tryc (1983)
- Ifas eto fyth! (1987)
- Deg drama Wil Sam (1995)
- Rhigymau Wil Sam (2005)
- Mân bethau hwylus: cymeriadau Eifionydd (2005)
Sources
- W. S. Jones Wil Sam, ed. Gwenno Hywyn (Cyfres y Cewri 5) (Caernarfon:Gwasg Gwynedd, 1985)
- Obituary, The Independent, 20 November 2007
- Obituary, BBC News, 16 November 2007 (Welsh language)
- BBC News, 26 July 2011
- Planet Magazine, May 2009