On some of them I have descriptions from the authors themselves, and the remainder I have standard marketing text from Gwales, and I’d like to make the latter more interesting. Would anyone here like to write 100-150 words in both Welsh and English about any of the following books?
R Alun Charles- Cant y Cant
Fflur Dafydd- Y Llyfrgell
Dana Edwards- Pam?
Bethan Gwanas- Llinyn Trôns
Bet Jones- Y Nant
Ioan Kidd- O’r Cyrion
Caryl Lewis- Y Gwreiddyn
Elin Meek- Budapest
Mihangel Morgan- Dirgel Ddyn
Haf Llewelyn- Diffodd y Sêr: Hanes Hedd Wyn
Michael Morpurgo- Ceffyl Rhyfel / War Horse
Manon Steffan Ros- Pluen
Shakespeare / Gwyn Thomas- Macbeth
Angharad Tomos - Paent
Sioned Wiliam - Chwynnu
Drop me a line on here or parallel.cymru@gmail.com if you’re interested. Full credit and links to digital properties will be given to reviewers.
Hi Jane, that would be great, thank you very much. You enjoyed reading that book then? Send it over to me on parallel.cymru@gmail.com or post here when you’re tapped it out
Thanks for your help! I hope you enjoy writing the review.
Writing in Welsh is a bit of a challenge for some of us. Not one we’d necessarily pass up, but we’d probably want our writing proof-read (or in my case, sanity-checked ). Um, are you proposing to do the necessary proof-reading, or are you expecting publishable quality Welsh from the get-go?
Are you open to offers for books not on the above list?
I haven’t read any of the books listed, but might be interested in writing reviews of the two Myfanwy Alexander novels if that’s any use? However, I would also like to be sure that my prose would be proof read and corrected where necessary.
Thanks Margaret, Anthony and Mike for your comments. All good points!
I’m certainly not an expert on Welsh writing. I’ll pop everything through the Cysill spelling and grammar checker. However, there are different styles of writing in Welsh, and people who are actively learning are much more comfortable with writing in the same way they speak. Formal Welsh is a bit beyond me at the moment, and I don’t think that the big wide world can expect learners to be writing in posh Welsh. The fact that learners are happy to put something out there for the world to see is something to be encouraged and celebrated. Plus, as it is online, I can tweak anything at any time- and I’ve done this quite a lot on parallel.cymru!
Yes, the book list is just suggested books- I’ve not read a lot of them myself, but as there are hundreds of Welsh language books published each year I just wanted to give pointers to people who are starting off reading in Welsh. Very happy to add suitable items such as Myfanwy Alexander.
For a framework, just something short, around 150 words or so in each of English and Welsh. Maybe a summary of the plot, why you enjoyed it, and why it is suitable for learners?
Maybe not one to review, but just refound a fabulous Welsh hardback comic from the 1960s called “Yr Hebog”, Rhif 1, 1967. It was around the house when I was a kid, but never read it, because I didn’t know how to. If I get a chance and it doesn’t break any copyright rules, then I might scan a couple of pages, just to give a flavour.
I know there are comics out there now, but this type of one, which looks more like a Christmas Annual really - with superb hand drawn cartoon graphics, would really appeal to others of my age group I think, who used to read the Beano etc - it’s stories are more serious - cowboys, bandits and rustlers and the like, from an age when people loved a good Western and others like Owain Glyndwr, coming to the rescue of villagers who have had their village burned down by the Sais.
Thanks Toffidil. There is certainly scope for doing comics online or as ebooks. Owain Glyndwr in comib book form sounds awesome! I would have thought that they would have to be designed digitially, but we can certainly have a look. By all means send some scans of the cover, copyright page and a couple of inside pages to me on parallel.cymru@gmail.com. and we can see what the options are.
I’ll dig it out when I get home tonight and send bits through. I don’t have it in front of me, but the editor (and I suspect the others associated with it) was a big figure in the struggle to get support and acceptance of the Welsh Language and particularly Welsh Medium Education. He started two comics for children, which would not be suitable for children nowadays, just like most comics of that age.
Reading his obituaries from a few years ago, he did a lot in terms of buying properties in Gwynedd to help support people to stay in the area and he just seemed like a great and inspired figure - someone I had never heard of before, but no doubt well known to many on here. Sorry I don’t have the names and other info to hand at the minute, but a link to his obituaries or other things would be an interesting read as well.
Edit:
I feel very ignorant of Welsh culture sometimes, particularly when we have great figures and poets in our recent past that I have never heard of.
Just surfing and found this for the editor of “Yr Hebog” Geraint Lloyd Owen:
“Gerallt Lloyd Owen, who has died aged 69, was the foremost Welsh poet of his generation,”
