If you’re interested in reading more fiction by Welsh authors, this list might give you some inspiration. It’s a mix of ‘classics’ and contemporary novels and short stories from across the decades and across genres. But is by no means an exhaustive list. If you think there is a key book missing, do let me know. I’d like to get the list to 100….

The books are all listed in order of the date when they were published. We begin with one of the greatest classics of Welsh literature: The Mabinogion , a collection of 11 tales from the medieval period

Just in case you were thinking I’ve made a huge mistake and left off How Green Was My Valley by Richard Llewellyn, it was a deliberate decision. Although Llewellyn’s parents were Welsh he was born in England – claims that he was born in the city of St David’s were disproved after his death.

1. The Mabinogian (14th century – authors unknown)
2. The Great God Pan by Arthur Machen (1890 – revised 1894)
3. The Hill of Dreams, Arthur Machen (1907)
4. The Battle to the Weak, Hilda Vaughan (1925)
5. The Withered Root, Rhys Davies (1927)
6. Rhapsody, Dorothy Edwards (1927)
7. Winter by Dorothy Edwards (1928)
8. Cwmcardy  by Lewis Jones (1930)
9. My Mother’s House by Lily Tobias (1931)
10. Glastonbury Romance, John Cowper Powys (1932)
11. Selected Stories, Rhys Davies (from 1930s republished 2018)
12. Country Dance, Margiad Evans (1932)
13. Turf or Stone, Margiad Evans (1934) Read 2020. Reviewed here.
14. Black Parade, Jack Jones (1935)
15. A Time to Laugh, Rhys Davies (1937) Read 2022. Reviewed here
16. We Live, Lewis Jones (1939)
17. Congratulate the Devil, Howell Davies (2008)
18. Fame is the Spur, Howard Spring (1940)
19. The Dark Philosophers, Gwyn Thomas (1946)
20. Off to Philadelphia in the Morning by Jack Jones (1947) Read 2017. Reviewed here.
21. The Alone to the Alone by Gwyn Thomas (1947) Read 2014. Reviewed here
22. Voices of the Children, George Ewart Evans (1947)
23. In the Green Tree, Alun Lewis (1948)
24. All Things Betray Thee, Gwyn Thomas (1949)
25. Ride the White Stallion, William Glynne-Jones (1950)
26. Farewell Innocence, William Glynne-Jones (1950)
27. A Child’s Christmas in Wales by Dylan Thomas (1952) Read pre blog
28. Ash on a Young Man’s Sleeve by Dannie Abse (1954)
29. The Valley, The City, The Village by Glyn Jones (1956)
30. A Toy Epic by Emyr Humphreys (1958)
31. Strike for a Kingdom, Menna Gallie (1959)
32. Border Country, Raymond Williams (1960)
33. Jampot Smith, Jeremy Brooks (1960)
34. One Moonless Night/Un Nos Ola Leuad, Caradog Pritchard (1961) Read 2020. Reviewed here
35. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl (1964)
36. Make Room for the Jester, Stead Jones (1964)
37. The Water-castle, Brenda Chamberlain (1964)
38. Flame and Slag, Ron Berry (1968)
39. The Elected Member by Bernice Rubens (1969) Read 2012. Reviewed here
40. So Long, Hector Bebb by Ron Berry (1970)
41. Dai Country, by Alun Richards (1973)
42. Home to an Empty House, by Alun Richards (1973)
43. I Sent a Letter to My Love, by Bernice Rubens (1975)
44. The Caves of Alienation,  by Stuart Evans (1977)
45. A Kingdom, by James Hanley (1978)
46. The Volunteers, by Raymond Williams (1978)
47. Shifts by Christopher Meredith (1985)
48. Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones (1986)
49. The Old Devils  by Kingsley Amis (1986) Read 2016. Reviewed here
50. A Man’s Estate, Emyr Humphreys (1988)
51. Dat’s Love and Other Stories, Leonora Brito (1991
52. The Hiding Place by Trezza Azzopardi (2000) Read 2022
53. In and Out of the Goldfish Bowl, by Rachel Tresize (2000)
54. Chasm City by Alastair Reynolds (2001)
55. Strange Blood, by Lindsay Ashford (2006)
56. Gold by Dan Rhodes (2007)
57. The Welsh Girl by Peter Ho Davies (2007) Read 2019. Brief review here
58. Resistance, Owen Sheers (2007) Read pre blog.
59. Submarine by Joe Dunthorne (2008)
60. Last Bird Singing, Allan Bush (2008)
61. Back Home, Bethan Darwin (2009)
62. Blacklands by Belinda Bauer (2010) Read 2015. Reviewed here
63. The Life of Rebecca Jones by Angharad Price (2012)
64. The Heyday in the Blood, Geraint Goodwin (2013)
65. Awakening by Stevie Davies (2013)
66. Significance, Jo Mazelis (2014)
67. The Long Dry by Cynan Jones. (2014). Read 2022. Reviewed here
68. The Dig by Cynan Jones (2015)
69. I Saw a Man by Owen Sheers (2015) Read 2017. Reviewed here
70. Girl in the Red Coat by Kate Hamer (2015) Read 2018. Reviewed here
71. Redemption of Galen Pike by Carys Davies (2015) Read 2015. Reviewed here
72. Wicked Game by Matt Johnson (2016) Read 2020. Reviewed here
73. Cove by Cynan Jones (2016) Read 2020. Reviewed here
74. Pigeon by Alys Conran (2016) Read 2017 Reviewed here
75. The White Camellia by Juliet Greenwood (2016) Read 2020. Reviewed here.
76. None So Blind, Alis Hawkins (2017) Read 2019. Reviewed here
77. Not Thomas, Sara Gethin (2017) Read 2021. Reviewed here
78. West by Carys Davies (2018) Read 2020. Reviewed here
79. The Woman In The Dark by Vanessa Savage (2019) Read 2019. Reviewed here
80. The Mission House by Carys Davies (2021). Read 2021. Reviewed here