The Greatest Novels from Wales? #WritingWales

A few years ago, the Wales Arts Review magazine asked readers: Which is the Greatest Welsh Novel? Since today, March 1 marks St David’s Day in Wales, the date when people of Welsh origin celebrate Welsh culture I thought it would be appropriate to go back to that question.  It’s not an easy one to answer – probably as difficult as defining The Great American Novel. But they’ve persisted, asking contributors for their recommendations and publishing articles on what are considered to be the finest literary works in the history of wales. 

Below is the list of nominations – the links point to an essay on the Wales Arts Review. Of these titles the most famous name is that of Roald Dahl though probably Fantastic Mr Fox wouldn’t be considered his most outstanding work. I’ve read just two of these novels: On the Black Hill by Bruce Chatwin which I thought was stunning and The Old Devils by Kingsley Amis which I read as part of my Booker Prize project and enjoyed in part.  I’ve heard of some of the other writers even if I’ve not experienced their works personally – people like Diana Wynne Jones, Emyr Humphries and Lewis Jones. But others are complete mysteries. I’ll explore some of these as part of my plan to read more literature from my home country – you can see some of what I’ve read to date over on my Authors from Wales page. 

Greatest Welsh Novel Contenders

1. The Valley, The City, The Village by Glyn Jones
2. Ash on a Young Man’s Sleeve by Dannie Abse
3. The Withered Root by Rhys Davies
4. On the Black Hill by Bruce Chatwin
5. Cwmardy & We Live by Lewis Jones
6. Chasm City by Alastair Reynolds
7. Gold by Dan Rhodes
8. Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
9. The Genre of Silence by Duncan Bush
10. The Life of Rebecca Jones by Angharad Price
11. So Long, Hector Bebb by Ron Berry
12. The Great God Pan by Arthur Machen
13. Downriver by Iain Sinclair
14. The Old Devils by Kingsley Amis
15. The Hiding Place by Trezza Azzopardi
16. In and Out of the Goldfish Bowl by Rachel Trezise
17. Awakening by Stevie Davies
18. Un Nos Ola Leuad by Caradog Prichard   (translates as One Moonlit Night)
19. Shifts by Christopher Meredith
20. Fantastic Mr Fox by Roald Dahl
21. Submarine by Joe Dunthorne
22. A Toy Epic by Emyr Humphreys
23. The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters

The winner, chosen by a panel of literary experts and authors and a public poll, was Un Nos Ola Leuad (One Moonlit Night) by Caradog Prichard – the only Welsh language novel to be nominated. Published in 1961, One Moonlit Night is the story of a young man’s education and growth to adult hood in the slate mining area of north west Wales – Caradog Prichard’s home territory. Announcing the result of the poll, one of the panel members compared the novel to the work of Gabriel Garcia Marquez in its use of magical realism.

Further resources

Announcement of The Greatest Welsh Novel

Description of One Moonlit Night by Publishers Weekly

Authors from Wales page on booker.com

Wales Arts Review