New Welsh Review 54, Winter 2001

Editorial:

Prologue to an adventure (Victor Golightly)

These are grave times, and naturally the contents of this issue of New Welsh Review are marked by terrible events and the awareness of what may befall our intricately interlinked world in the weeks and months to come. I say naturally, because there were no editorial nudges to contributors. When one reads the publications of Wales from the 1930s, such as Keidrych Rhys’s Wales, or the Swansea and West Wales Guardian (to think of two to which Dylan Thomas contributed), the longing for peace and social justice, and the terrible weight of foreboding, are still clear and dominant tones. The writers of Wales expressed their responses to the times with dignity and passion, and some of their voices still echo in this issue of New Welsh Review.
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Features

• Illuminations of all the mind by Nathalie Wourm
  Nathalie Wourm interviews Samantha Wynne Rydderch about Welshness in an international setting and about her life.
  
  
• A colonial raider in London by Chris Wigginton
  Chris Wigginton interviews Iain Sinclair about his works, life and politics.
  
  
• R. S. in Munich by Johannes Gramich
  Johannes Gramich looks at how R. S. Thomas is seen in the German-speaking world.
  
  
• The Daughters of Uranium by Robert Minhinnick
  Robert Minhinnick recounts his journey to Saskatchewan in Autumn involving planes, lightning, frozen plains, absent priests and the daughters of uranium.
  
  
• Black Welsh identity: the unspeakable speaks by Isabel Adonis
  Isabel Adonis explores cultural identity in terms of language, nationality and racial heritage.
  
  
• A memorable Eisteddfod by Jane Aaron
  Jane Aaron looks back at the Denbigh Eisteddfod and the problems and success of the events.
  
  
• Listening to light, on a profoundly dark day by Rian Evans
  Rian Evans on the Vale of Glamorgan Festival.
  
  
• 'Taffy was a Welshman...' by Keith Nurse
  Keith Nurse on Fleet Street's scorn and contempt for the Welsh
  
  
• An American elegy by Leslie Norris
  Leslie Norris writes of the centenary of a Utah mining disaster which had international significance.
  
  
• Bert Trick - the original Marx Brother by Kerith Trick
  Kerith Trick on 'Swansea's leading Marxist', who taught Dylan Tjomas his hatred of fascism.
  
  
• Llareggub's Cyfarwydd by T. James Jones
  T. James Jones on trabslating 'Under Milk Wood' (based on a paper given at the Gregynog Conference 17-19 March 2000)
  
  
• In-migrations of the art kind by Tony Curtis
  Tony Curtis looks at the impact on Welsh art exhibited by visiting artists from overseas.
  
  
• Chapter and Verse by
  A collection of short news items including: Trosiadau>Translations Permanent Waves, Wales is a nation of frustrated authors!, New Website: arts and young people in Wales, Book Reviews on the internet, Roundyhouse Poetry Magazine
  
  
• Dylan Thomas Celebration 2001 by Jo Furber
  Jo Furber of the Dylan THomas Centre on this year's festival.
  
  
• Books I Remember by Jeff Towns
  Jeff Towns looks back at memorable books from his past.
  
  

Fiction

• The Organist by John Gower
  
• The Collection by Carolyn Lewis
  
• Logs by Michael Ponsford
  
• Days of Our Lives by Andrew Williams
  

Poems

Poems by :
Joseph P. Clancy,
Dilys Jones,
Mike Jenkins,
John Mole,
Martin Bennett,
William Oxley,
Catherine Fisher,
Anna Bryan,
Bryn Griffiths,
Janice Moore Fuller,
Carole Bromley,
Peter Gruffydd,
Richard Poole
and Sarah Corbett

Reviews

The majority of books reviewed in New Welsh Review can be bought online from gwales.com, the Welsh Books Council's online bookshop, by simply clicking on the 'buy now' icon. For any that are unavailable, please contact the publishers or ask in your local bookshop. All details were correct at the time of publication.

• Rockclimbing in Silk by Samantha Wynne Rydderch
  Published by Seren
  ISBN   63pp £6.95
  Reviewed by Ivan Phillips
  
  
• Landor's Tower by Iain Sinclair
  Published by Granta
  ISBN   345pp £15.99
  Reviewed by Peter Stead
  
  
• the Dragon Has Two Tongues: Essays on Anglo-Welsh Writers and Writing by Glyn Jones (ed. Tony Brown)
  Published by University of Wales Press
  ISBN   224pp £9.99
  Reviewed by Harri Pritchard Jones
  
  
• Welsh Artists Talking by Tony Curtis
  Published by Seren Books
  ISBN   255pp £19.95
  Reviewed by Ozi Rhys Osmond
  
  
• Finders Keepers by Pamela Cockerill
  Published by Pont
  ISBN   £4.50
  Reviewed by Catherine Fisher
  
  
• High Water by Corinne Renshaw
  Published by Pont
  ISBN   £4.95
  Reviewed by Catherine Fisher
  
  
• The Cunning Man by Celia Rees
  Published by Scholastic Press
  ISBN   £5.99
  Reviewed by Catherine Fisher
  
  
• The Night Garden by Jenny Marlowe
  Published by Honno Teenage Fiction
  ISBN   £4.99
  Reviewed by Catherine Fisher
  
  
• Great-Gran's Diary by Joan Peake
  Published by Pont
  ISBN   £4.95
  Reviewed by Catherine Fisher
  
  
• No FIre, No Candle by Mary Oldham
  Published by Pont
  ISBN   £4.95
  Reviewed by Catherine Fisher
  
  
• Mr Schnitzel by Stephen Knight
  Published by Penguin
  ISBN   229pp £6.99
  Reviewed by Stevie Davies
  
  
• Food by Peter Finch
  Published by Seren
  ISBN   72pp £6.95
  Reviewed by Sarah Corbett
  
  
• Tin Gods - Dylan Thomas by HTV Wales
  Published by HTV Wales
  ISBN   £
  Reviewed by James A. Davies
  
  
• The Love Letters of Dylan Thomas by
  Published by Dent
  ISBN   84pp £9.99
  Reviewed by Katie Gramich
  
  
• Unbridled Spirits by Stevie Davies
  Published by Radio Scotland
  ISBN   Afternoon play on Radio 4, 25 Sept. 2001 £
  Reviewed by Linda Adams
  
  
• Normal Girl by Molly Jong-Fast
  Published by Sceptre
  ISBN   225pp £6.99
  Reviewed by Kirsti Bohata
  
  
• Cheet by Anna Davis
  Published by Sceptre
  ISBN   312pp £10.99
  Reviewed by Kirsti Bohata
  
  
• Snake on Saturdays by Jean Gill
  Published by Gomer
  ISBN   292pp £6.95
  Reviewed by Kirsti Bohata
  
  
• A Pocket Guide to Roman Wales by William Manning
  Published by University of Wales Press
  ISBN   129pp £6.99
  Reviewed by Dewi Roberts
  
  
• More Fishlock's WIld Tracks by Trevor Fishlock
  Published by Seren
  ISBN   139pp £9.95
  Reviewed by Dewi Roberts
  
  
• The Hidden Places of Wales by Joanna Billing
  Published by Travel Publishing Ltd
  ISBN   282pp £9.99
  Reviewed by Dewi Roberts
  
  
• Welsh Castles by Geraint Roberts
  Published by Y Lolfa
  ISBN   72pp £3.95
  Reviewed by Dewi Roberts
  
  
• Welsh Place Names Unzipped by Brian Davies
  Published by Y Lolfa
  ISBN   93pp £3.95
  Reviewed by Dewi Roberts
  
  
• The Bridges of Wales by Gwyndaf Breese
  Published by Gwasg Carreg Gwalch
  ISBN   256pp £4.95
  Reviewed by Dewi Roberts
  
  
• V. S. Naipaul at the Cheltenham Festival by
  Published by
  ISBN   £
  Reviewed by Katie Gramich
  
  

Letters