Welsh (Plural) - Essays on the Future of Wales

Disgrifiad Cymraeg / Welsh Description

A yw perthyn i Gymru yn arwahanol ac yn gynhwysol? Yn y gyfrol hon, mae llenorion yn ystyried dyfodol Cymru a'u lle hwythau ynddo. I lawer, mae meddwl am Gymru yn dwyn y delweddau arferol - rygbi, defaid a chennin - i'r meddwl, neu gestyll, glo a chorau! Mae'n wir bod treftadaeth, mwyngloddio a chrefydd yn annatod yn niwylliant Cymru. Ond a oes elfennau eraill?

Disgrifiad Saesneg / English Description

What does it mean to imagine Wales and 'The Welsh' as something both distinct and inclusive? In this book, Welsh writers consider the future of Wales and their place in it. For many, Wales brings to mind the same old images - if it's not rugby, sheep and leeks, it's castles, coal and choirs. Heritage, mining and the church are indeed integral to Welsh culture. But are there other elements?

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Adolygiad y Cyhoeddwr / Publisher Review

I approached this book with some trepidation. I tend to avoid navel gazing when it comes to my own Welsh identity, having always been fairly comfortable in my own skin in that regard. Perhaps that is because my identity has always been based too much on a single story, resistance to which is the purpose of the essays in this volume. The editors asked the authors if they could imagine Wales as both distinct and inclusive, and the result challenges the comfort zone too many of us inhabit. The first essay by historian Martin Johnes establishes the context in a delightfully provocative way. ‘The past’, he says, ‘is something that we sometimes need to escape and move on from.’ He goes on to explain how Wales has often benefited from its relationship with England. ‘Recognizing this might move any campaign for Welsh independence away from the xenophobia that too often marked Brexit.’ Mike Parker follows up with a tribute to the transition by Jan Morris from nationalist to culturalist, recognising that ‘exceptionalism, rampant nostalgia and fake history’ are the ‘handmaidens’ of fascism. Musician Cerys Harper then dares to ask, ‘How many voices have we lost in the name of defending “The Tradition”, and was it worth it?’ Challenging, remixing, reimagining our identity is a constant theme in this book, as is the prevalence of racism in Wales, evidenced by the personal stories of many of the authors, shocking, but sometimes laced with a poignant wit: ‘It is a universal truth that black people do not go camping', and the often repeated question at school, '“Where do you come from?” when it was patently obvious that I lived just around the corner.’ Dan Evans laments that devolution has not produced a new ‘Welsh citizenship’, based on ‘new and accessible forms of welshness’. ‘Modern Wales,’ he says, ‘is a country constantly consuming its own tat and commodified cliches, beng force-fed cwtch pillow kitsh images of the past as a way to divert our attention from the brutality of the present.’ Morgan Owen demolishes the stereotypical image too many people have of his home town, Merthyr, as ‘a backdrop to leave behind in the demolition-threatened theatre once the show is over’. I could go on. The depth and variety of people’s stories in this book make it a thoroughly enjoyable read – these authors are brilliant writers. Whilst it may not have fundamentally changed my perception of my own identity, it has certainly exposed its shortcomings, but in a positive, refreshing, and uplifting way. Another volume, please.