Poems & Pints

Poems, Pints and Painting

The mines, chapels and factories of the South Wales Valleys have always been a fertile breeding ground for art and literature. The lands that influenced Alexander Cordell in writing novels such as Rape of the Fair Country, developed their own home grown talent to interpret life in the Valleys through music, art and literature.

In fact, the most famous of all the novels written about the Welsh valleys, How Green Was My Valley, was based around Richard Llewellyn’s book supposedly based on his life in Gilfach Goch. The book was turned into a film directed by John Ford and starring Maureen O’Hara, which won 5 Oscars in 1942.

More recently Catrin Colliers books including Heart of Gold have been set in Swansea, Rhondda and her hometown of Pontypridd.

Just some of the other famous writers and artists from Rhondda Cynon Taf include

Ernest Zobole (1927-1999)

Artist and member of the ‘Rhondda Group’. Born in Ystrad Rhondda of Italian descent he has been described as one of Wales’ most important artists for the daring way in which he depicted life in the Rhondda.

Harri Webb (1920-1994)

Poet and Cynon Valley librarian. As a poet he was responsible for three volumes of political poetry including the famous Poems and Pints. His poetic style was marked by an intentionally comic simplicity intended to reach a wide audience and achieve its desired impact.

Gwyn Thomas (1913 – 81)

Novelist, short story writer and playwright. Born in Porth in the Rhondda Valley, the youngest child of an often unemployed miner, he wrote the first of fifteen novels, The Dark Philosophers in 1946. He also wrote three plays and an autobiography.

Ron Berry (1920 – 97)

Novelist, born at Blaen –Cwm in the Rhondda Valley. His first novel Hunters and Hunted was published in 1960. He had 5 further novels published and also wrote short stories and plays for radio and television.

Alun Lewis (1915-44)

Poet and short-story writer, born in Cwmaman in the Cynon Valley. Alun Lewis had only four years of public recognition having died in Burma in the Second World War at the age of twenty-eight. Despite having written only four books - a total of 95 poems and twenty-five stories, many critics see him as the last of the great romantic poets.

Rhydwen Williams (1916- 97)

Poet and novelist, born at Pentre in the Rhondda Valley. He won the crown at the National Eisteddfod in 1946 and 1964. During his lifetime he published in both Welsh and English including 8 volumes of poetry and a number of novels.

Robert Thomas (sculptor) (1926 – 1999)

Cwm-parc born Thomas made some 50 casts in all. One of his most admired works is the miner's family group which now stands in Tonypandy, near the scene of the famous riots of 1910.

Elaine Morgan (1920 - )

Television playwright and author, born at Pontypridd. As a television writer she has adapted some of Wales’s best-loved novels including How Green Was My Valley as well as most of the episodes of Dr Finlay’s Casebook. She has published a number of novels and is responsible for the popularity of the ‘Aquatic Ape’ hypothesis.

Nicholas Evans (1907-2004)

Aberdare born artist Nicholas Evans did not become a painter until his sixties and did not exhibit his work until he was 71. He was acclaimed as an original painter who depicted the mines of South Wales in a new and disturbing way. His evocative images of Welsh miners are now amongst the collections of major galleries around the world.


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