Top 6 Famous Welsh Writers

Some of the world’s best screenwriters, novelists, and poets originate from Wales. In this article, we will take a look at some famous Welsh writers for you to appreciate. Regardless of whether you are reading this article out of interest, to learn more about famous people from Wales, or even to help you write an article and essay before you seek further expert paper writing help on AdvancedWriters.com, you will get to grips with some of Wales’s biggest talent.

Roald Dahl

Roald Dahl was born in Cardiff in 1916. His parents were Norwegian and throughout his life as an author, he has managed to sell over 250 million books across the world. Dahl’s father came to Cardiff in the 19th century to make his fortune. Dahl attended a school in Llandaff and began his career by writing short stories. It was when he met the author C.S. Forester that he started taking his writing career more seriously. In 1961 he published James and the Giant Peach and in 1964  Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was published and this went on to make two films. In total, Dahl has written 19 children’s books. Many of his books have been turned into films. Dahl died on the 23rd of November in 1990 when he was 74 years of age.

Interesting Facts about Roald Dahl:

• Dahl’s book James and the Giant Peach was nearly called James and the Giant cherry.
• Dahl invented more than 500 new character names and words such as Oompa Loompas and snozzcumbers. He named this language Gobblefunk.
• He got his inspiration for his books from the things around him as well as the people around him.
• Many of his books were written in his garden shed and he’d spend around four hours each day writing simply using yellow paper and a pencil.
• Before becoming an author Roald Dahl was a pilot in the Royal Air Force.

Dafydd ap Gwilym

Dafydd ap Gwilym is seen as one of the leading poets from Wales, as well as one of the best poets in Europe, during the middle ages. It is believed that he was born in Ceredigion and his parents were both from noble backgrounds. It has been stated that around 170 of his poems are known.  Gwilym liked to write about nature and love and also liked to use himself as the main focus in his poetry. His death in 1350 was believed to be related to the Black Death.

Interesting Facts about Dafydd ap Gwilym

• Dafydd ap Gwilym is considered to be one of the greatest figures when it comes to Welsh literature.

• It is believed Gwilym was born in 1320.

Dylan Thomas

Dylan Thomas was born in  Swansea in 1914. Thomas’s father was an English professor at a local school and his love for Shakespeare certainly influenced Thomas. When Thomas turned 16, he left school and became a reporter, and in 1932, he decided to leave this job and concentrate on writing poetry as a full-time job instead. Over half of all of his poems were written during his late teens. In 1934, Thomas published his first book  ‘ 18 Poems’ once he had moved to London. Thomas married the dancer Caitlin Macnamara in 1937. Unlike other popular poets, he didn’t focus on social and intellectual issues and preferred to look at a more romantic stance. He died in 1953 at the age of 39. 

Interesting Facts about Dylan Thomas 

• Thomas has the same birthday as Sylvia Plath, another 20th-century poet.
• In 195,0 Dylan had a meal with Charlie Chaplin at Charlie Chaplin’s house.
• Dylan was an avid cricket fan and liked to listen to cricket on the radio.

Owen Sheers

Sheers is a Welsh playwright, poet, and novelist. He was born in Fiji in 1974 and was brought up in South Wales. He attended the University of East Anglia and obtained an MA in creative writing. The ‘Dust Diaries’ was his first prose work and in 2005  he won the Welsh book of the year.  Sheers has also written for newspapers, television, and radio and in 2007, a play of his was broadcasted on BBC Radio 4. His latest novel which was published in 2015 is ‘ I saw a man.’

Interesting Facts about Owen Sheers

• His first book ‘ The Blue Book’ became a nomination for Wales Book of the Year.
• Sheer’s first novel was ‘Resistance.’ It has been translated into 10 different languages. In 2008, this novel was nominated for the Writers Guild of Great Britain Best Book Award.

Kate Roberts

Born in 1891, Kate Roberts was regarded as one of the most outstanding short story and novelists of the 20th century. Roberts was also the first female to be seen as an important figure in Welsh literature history. The majority of Robert’s novels were set in North Wales, where she lived, and a lot of her work has been translated into many other languages.

Interesting Facts about Kate Roberts

• Kate Roberts was also a teacher who taught English.
• Her most successful book was ‘Tea in the Heather’ which was published in 1959

RS Thomas

Thomas was born in Cardiff in 1913 and as a poet, he liked to write about his ideal of Wales and how the English stripped Wales of its naturalness. In 1932, Thomas studied classics at university before entering the priesthood. It was in 1946 that Thomas’s first collection ‘ The Stones of the Field’ was published, however, it wasn’t until 1955 that Thomas produced a fourth volume, and only now did he begin to receive the praise that his work deserved. A great deal of Thomas’s poetry focuses on the landscape in Wales and how it relates to the people of Wales. Suffering from a heart condition, at the age of 87, Thomas passed away. 

Interesting Facts about RS Thomas

• Before Thomas became famous as a poet he studied theology in Wales.
• Thomas was married to Elsi Eldridge and they had a son in 1945.
• Although he didn’t win it, he was nominated for the Nobel prize for literature in 1996.