Welsh-language literature

Welsh-language literature (Welsh: Llenyddiaeth Gymraeg) has been produced continuously since the divergence of Welsh as a distinct language from Brittonic in around the 5th century AD up to the present day. The earliest Welsh literature is poetry, which in its very earliest examples shows many of the features of what became known as cynghanedd or the strict metres;^A and for most of the history of Welsh literature poetry has been held in higher regard than prose. Poetry makes up the larger part of the surviving corpus of Welsh literature from the period prior to the 19th century; nevertheless prose has also been written in Welsh since at least the 11th century. Today, readers and students of Welsh literature can draw on sixteen centuries of writing across all major literary genres in a vibrant, living tradition.

Welsh-language literature has played a major part in the self-assertion of Wales and its people, having provided a focal point for a sense of national identity through a long period during which Wales had no form of political or administrative independence. The Welsh national anthem describes Wales as "Gwlad beirdd a chantorion" ('A land of poets and singers') and "Paradwys y bardd" ('The poet's paradise'). It has been suggested that literature, and poetry in particular, has retained a greater relative prominence in Welsh-language culture than in other cultures of Britain and Ireland, and historically both publishing and readership in Welsh has belied its status as a minority language, and significantly exceeded that seen in other Celtic languages even when Welsh was spoken by fewer people. This vibrancy continues today. Its centrality to the national consciousness is evidenced by the size and enthusiasm of the audiences attending the annual National Eisteddfod of Wales (Eisteddfod Genedlaethol Cymru), which grew out of a long-standing tradition of literary competitions to become probably the largest amateur arts festival in Europe.