First published 2017
Keith O'Brien presents a visual journey through Trawsfynydd and its surrounding region in this bilingual coffee table book. The collection centers on the area's connection to Hedd Wyn, the Welsh war poet who won the black chair at the 1917 Birkenhead National Eisteddfod. O'Brien assembles photographs that capture the landscape and community that shaped this literary figure. The book marks the centennial of Hedd Wyn's death and the infamous Eisteddfod ceremony where his chair was draped in black after his battlefield death became known. Local author Dewi Prysor, who grew up in the same region, provides the introduction. The dual language captions make the historical material accessible to both Welsh and English readers. Through images and text, O'Brien documents how this Welsh community remembers its most celebrated literary son and the tragic circumstances that made his posthumous victory a moment of national mourning.
Genres: biography, history, literary-fiction, 20th-century
Vibes: emotional-atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: biographical, historical-drama, literary-figure
Setting: Birkenhead, Trawsfynydd
Period: 1917, 20th-century
Paperback · Y Lolfa