The historical pieces are slender, but they assume basic background knowledge and address some less well-trodden topics, so there was a decent amount in them that was new to me. The poems — given in Welsh and English, unless originally in English — are short and only briefly discussed, but give a human feel to the history. And some striking black and white illustrations by Ruth Jên Evans provide a nice complement.

The progression is chronological but not at all systematic. A ninth century elegy leads a brief history of the Norman conquest of Wales. Ann Griffith's early nineteenth century devotional poem "See — there stands" leads an account of Welsh nonconformism from the 18th century down to the First World War. Y Meirwon's The Dead leads a look at industrial South Wales down to the 1930s. And so forth.

The format seems an effective way to raise awareness of some less well known aspects of Welsh history and to get people primarily interested in history to see something of the Welsh poetry tradition.

October 2025

Related reviews:

- books about Wales + Welsh history
- more history
- more poetry