Rhydwen Williams
Rhydwen Williams | |
|---|---|
| Born | Robert Rhydwenfro Williams 29 August 1916 |
| Died | 2 August 1997 (aged 80) Merthyr Tydfil, Wales |
| Occupation | Poet, novelist, minister, television presenter |
| Language | Welsh |
| Nationality | Welsh |
| Education | Swansea University Bangor University |
| Literary movement | Welsh nationalism |
| Years active | 1940s–1997 |
| Notable works | Cwm Hiraeth trilogy Yr Arloeswr Yr Ffynhonnau |
| Notable awards | National Eisteddfod Crown (1946, 1964) |
| Spouse |
Margaret Davies (m. 1943) |
| Children | 1 |
Robert Rhydwenfro Williams (29 August 1916 – 2 August 1997), known professionally as Rhydwen Williams, was a Welsh poet, novelist, Baptist minister, and broadcaster. Writing primarily in his native Welsh, he was noted for modernising traditional Welsh poetic forms by applying them to the industrial landscapes and social realities of the twentieth century, while retaining the strict metres and prosody of the bardic tradition.
A two-time winner of the Crown at the National Eisteddfod of Wales, he was associated with the Cadwgan Circle of writers and intellectuals, and his semi-autobiographical trilogy Cwm Hiraeth is widely regarded as his most important work. Beyond literature, Williams was a prominent advocate of Welsh nationalism, an influential voice in religious and cultural life, and a presenter of Welsh-language television programmes during the early years of broadcasting in Wales.