Dylan Thomas was born on 27 October; here are ten books by other Welsh writers.
1 How Green Was My Valley, by Richard Llewellyn
First published in 1939, Llewellyn's best known novel is an homage to the South Wales coal-mining community in the Victorian era. The author insisted it was based on his own experiences, which proved to be somewhat economical with the truth. In fact, he owed much to stories his grandfather told him. It was adapted, successfully if syrupy, for the movies. Three sequels followed.
2 Wolf Solent, by John Cowper Powys
Though born in Derbyshire, Powys moved to Wales in the mid-1930s and stayed there until he died in 1963, immersing himself in Welsh culture and learning to speak the language. Wolf Solent - one of some forty books by him - has neoplatonic overtones. In a word, not for those in search of an easy read.
3 The Presence, by Danny Abse
Best known as a poet, Abse, who died last month [September], aged 91, was inveterately prolific. The Presence, which won Welsh Book of the Year in 2008, is a heartfelt memoir of the year after his wife died in a car accident in which he, too, was injured.
4 Collected Poems, by Gillian Clarke
The National Poet of Wales since 2008, Clarke has published numerous collections and translates from Welsh into English. She lives on an organic smallholding where, with her architect husband, she rears sheep.
5 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, by Roald Dahl
He may sound Norwegian but that's only because his parents were. In fact, he was born in Cardiff. Whether this can be deduced from his classic children's confection is debateable. Who cares. Simply savour the idea of lickable wallpaper in nurseries, hot ice cream for cold days and teeth-rotting toffees.
6 The Mabinogion
Believed to date from the 11th century or even earlier, the eleven prose tales have their roots in the oral tradition. Unsurprisingly, folk themes dominate. An acquired taste.
7 Collected Poems, RS Thomas
Though less celebrated (and mythologised) than the other Thomas, RS has his own hallowed apartment in Parnassus. An Anglican priest, he wrote poems that were as tough as the lives of his parishioners and as rugged as the landscape in which they lived. Alex Salmond is a fan; make of that what you will.
8 The Autobiography of a Super-Tramp, by WH Davies
A description of what life was like for a tramp in last decade of the 19th century. Osbert Sitwell was keen on its "primitive splendour and directness" while George Bernard Shaw hymned it as an "amazing" book and championed its author's style. And, yes, it was the inspiration for the prog-rock band's name.
9 Wales: Epic Views of a Small Country, by Jan Morris
Born in England she may have been but Morris considers herself Welsh, and writes with passion about her adopted heath. Here she celebrates Wales and all things Welsh (Irvine, of course, excepted). "Even now," she concludes, "Wales is not so sophisticated, or so dehumanized, as to be beyond the affections of all personal possessions."
10 The Elected Member, by Bernice Rubens
Her family were Lithuanian Jews who hoped to find refuge in New York but made it only as far as Cardiff. Say no more. The Elected Member, which won the Booker in 1970, features amphetamine-addicted Norman Zweck, who's always seeing silverfish wherever he goes. To be avoided if you suffer from entomophobia.
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