T Llew Jones

One of Wales' favourite Welsh-language children's authors

Born:

1915

Died:

9 JAN 2009

Place of Birth:

Pentre-cwrt, Llandysul

School:

Llandysul Grammar School

Biography:

T Llew Jones was one of Wales' most well-known children's authors whose Welsh-language books have been read and loved by school pupils for generations.

He was born in Pentre-cwrt near Llandysul in 1915 and attended the local grammar school.

He worked as a teacher for 35 years - at Tregroes Primary School and then Ysgol Coedybryn near Llandysul where he became headmaster.

He'd been writing stories since he was a child but it was during the 1950s that he began to publish both prose and poetry.

His first novel for children was 'Trysor Plas y Wernen' and, like many of his books, it was based in his native Ceredigion. He went on to write more than 50 books in total, including 35 children's books.

A skilfull story-teller, his books draw on local legends, characters and places. The smugglers' coves of Cardigan Bay, Twm Sion Cati, Sion Cwilt and Barti Ddu all crop up in his work.

Not surprisingly, his talents have won a range of accolades. In 1958, he won the chair at the National Eisteddfod of Wales and was the winning bard again the following year.

In 1991, he picked up the Mary Vaughan Jones prize which is awarded for outstanding contribution to children's literature in Wales. He's also won the Tir na n'Og literary prize and in 1977, he was awarded an honorary degree by the University of Wales.

Some his books have been translated into English and others, like 'Tan ar y Comin' and 'Dirgelwch yr Ogof' have been adapted for television.

T Llew Jones has also made a name for himself as a highly accomplished chess player and he and his son Iolo have written what's thought to be the only Welsh-language book explaining the intricacies of the game.

A regular contributor to Welsh-language television and radio programmes, he now lives in Pontgarreg near Llangrannog in Ceredigion and in March 2005, he won the chair in Cymdeithas Ceredigion's annual Eisteddfod.

T Llew Jones died at the age of 93 on 9 January 2009:

October 2005: BBC News report on T Llew Jones' 90th birthday...

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your comments

Angharad (Ysgol Cymraeg Trelyn)
I love T.Llew Jones books. My class from Trelyn love his books and we read them every day. Rydw i yn cary dy lyfrau fy dosbarth o ysgol cymraeg trelyn yn cary dy lyfrau ni yn darllen dy lyfrau pob dydd.
Wed Nov 18 09:35:45 2009

India
My name is India and my school ysgol gymraeg trelyn we have been a big fan of T.llew jones me and my year 6 we had done a school show about T.llw Jones and my school have relly enjoyed his book's very well .........
Mon Nov 9 16:36:03 2009

Katie, Caerphilly Wales
Wow I Just Love T.Llew JonesHe's A Great Author!!!
Sun Nov 8 19:06:52 2009

Lloyd Caerphilly
I love T Llew Jones he is very good and his books are cool:) :> Hes so cool i am going to buy his colection coz they are so good
Thu Nov 5 11:54:25 2009

Laura Dalling & Caitlin Ireland & Jessica Edwards
Rhydyn ni'n meddwl bod y storiau yn wych ac yn diddorol i darllen, Yr un gorau yw tan ar y comin rhydym ni wedi darllen y stori tair waith.
We think the stories are excellent and interesting to read. The best one is Tan ar Y Comin. We have read the book three times.
Tue Mar 24 16:23:16 2009

Dominic a Ben
Mae dy lyfre yn dda iawn ac mae Barti Ddu yn un o hoff lyfrau ni. -Your books are very good and Barti DDu is one of our favourite books.
Wed Mar 18 12:42:00 2009

Catrin, Bethesda
Dwi wedi darllen llawer iawn o lyfrau t.llew.jones yn yr ysgol, ar y funud rwyf newydd orfen darllen crir dylluan ac roeddwn yn meddwl ei fod yn ardderchog oherwydd dysgais lawer iawn am hanes merched beca ac am y tollbyrth ond mae bob llyfr mae wedi ei ysgrifennu yn ardderchog.
I have read many of T Llew Jones' books in school. I have just finished reading The cry of The Owl and I thought it was excellent because I learnt a lot about Rebecca's Daughters and the tollgates. But every book he has written is excellent.
Sun Mar 8 17:14:17 2009

Annette Strauch, Machynlleth - and Germany
I like the work "Tan ar y Comin" by T. Llew Jones. A very good story. I have the book, and I saw the very good film of 1993 with Edward Woodward and Gweirydd Gwyndaf. I feel sorry about the gypsy boy Tim Boswel quite often. I will promote "Tan ar y Comin" in Germany. It is a film about belonging and trust as well as families and gypsies. It's about inheriting.
Fri Feb 20 16:05:46 2009

Enid, Cribyn
Darllenais y tri llyfr am Twm Sion Catti pan oeddwn yn Ysgol Llambed. Mae'r plant wedi darllen nhw hefyd, ac rwy'n cadw'r llyfrau er mwyn eu darllen eto. Rwy'n credu mai Dial o'r Diwedd yw fy ffefryn.
Translation - I read the three books about Twm Sion Cati when I was in Lampeter School. The children have read them as well and I am keeping the books so that I can read them again. I think that Dial o'r Diwedd - Revenge at last - is my favourite.
Thu Feb 19 17:13:09 2009

Llil, Llangefni
I love t.llew.jones stories they are the best x
Sun Feb 1 18:29:54 2009

Elen
dwi yn hoff iawn o'i lyfrau ac yn dwli ar y llyfr Bartu Ddu.I am very fond of his books and love the book Black Bart
Sun Feb 1 14:20:22 2009

Sophie, Ceredigion
I love T.Llew Jones' books.They are amazing, My fave is Barti Ddu.I remember I went to his 90th birthday with my old school Tregroes.
Sun Jan 25 19:15:53 2009

Sophie, Ceredigion
i love your books u rock t.llew.jones
Sun Jan 25 18:10:41 2009

Sian Rosewarne Pwllhweli Gogledd cymru
mae T.Llew.Jones yn ffantastig dwin hoffi eu gerdd Pam?
T Llew Jones was fantastic. I like his poem, Why?
Sun Jan 25 16:33:03 2009

Beth
Mae T Llew Jones yn awdur ffantastig!T Llew Jones is a fantastic author.
Wed Jan 21 09:42:43 2009

Amy, South Wales
I think that T.Llew Jones books are fantastically good. I loved Barti Ddu and I want to read more and more.
Tue Jan 20 09:31:15 2009

Llinos, South Wales
I don't normaly like welsh books even though I speak Welsh. But T.Llew's books are easier to read in welsh so I go for his books. My favourite book of his is probably Barti Ddu, He's written it very well and it's easy to understand.R.I.P T.Llew,
Sun Jan 18 18:02:44 2009

Hanna, North Wales
Mae On Awdur Amazing ! Mae'r Llyfrau O Yn Arbenig O Dda !Dwi'n Hoffi Darllen ei llyfrau ! Mae O'n Un O Fy Hoff Awdur wi'n Hoffir Llyfrau Saesneg Hefyd Ond Mae O'n Deffnyddio Cymhariauth Daa Hefyd . Fydd Na Byth LlyfrauFell Rhei O Byth

He was an amazing author His books are exceptionally good. I enjoy reading his books. He is one of my favourite writers. I also enjoy English books but he compares well. There will never be books like his ever!
Fri Jan 16 10:06:05 2009

Mark Hannon from Pembrokeshire
I played T Llew at chess many times and always had a great struggle with him and a friendly chat after. I can remember how well he did a very hard cryptic crossword in English..He was a great figure in encouraging chess players in Wales.My condolences to his son Iolo who is a leading Welsh chess player.
Fri Jan 16 10:03:25 2009

Ellie
Mi o'n i yn hoff iawn o'i lyfrau. Wnaethom ni ddarllen un heddiw amdan brenin a wlad.

I was very fond of his books. We read one today about a king and his country.
Thu Jan 15 09:56:01 2009

Ffion, South Wales
Mae'n siom na gawn i llyfr arall ond mae'r rhai rwyt ti wedi gadael yn siwr o gael ei ddarllen gan blant am blynyddoedd i ddod. Diolch T Llew.

I am disappointed that we won't get another book but the ones you have written are sure to be read by by children for years to come. Thank you T Llew.
Thu Jan 15 09:46:54 2009

Lowri, Ceredigion
I love your books.I am just like you.I can't pick one. I went to his 90th birthday. I love T Llew Jones!
Tue Jan 13 17:41:39 2009

Ela, Caerdydd
roeddwn yn hoff iawn ar lyfrau T Llew JonesUn o'r awdyron cymraeg gorau yn fy marn i.diolch

I wa very fond of T Llew Jones' books. One of Wales' finest authors in my opinion.
Tue Jan 13 09:54:47 2009

Nia, South Wales
I LOVE T. Llew Jones' books. At the moment I am reading trysor plas y wern.
Mon Jan 12 16:19:35 2009

Ysgol Gymraeg Trelyn from Pengam

Rydyn ni'n flin iawn am farwolaeth T.Llew Jones. Mae plant ein hysgol ni yn hoff iawn o'i lyfrau e!Byddwn ni byth yn anghofio Brenin Llyfrau Plant!

We are very sad to hear of the death of T Llew Jones. The children in our school like his books very much. We will never forget the King of Children's Books

Mon Jan 12 15:28:11 2009

ysgol brynsaron
T.Llew.Jones neid chi mynd lawr fel Legeand. Eich llyfrau yn cwl!

T Lew Jones you will go down in history as a legend. Your books are cool!
Mon Jan 12 14:39:43 2009

Aled Evans
I like T Llew Jones' books because they ar full of joy
Tue Nov 18 15:23:04 2008

Oliver Payne...! Lampeter...! :L
Nice poems and books...! i went to your 80th birthday...! Had To Say..!
Sun Nov 9 21:16:35 2008

Paige, Ystrad
Fi'n darllen 'Tan Ar Y Comin' mewn fy dosbarth cymraeg fi, ac mae'r stori'n dda iawn! dwi'n hoffi y darn pryd mae'r carafan ar tan!-I'm reading 'Tan ar Y Comin' in my Welsh class, and it is a very good story. I enjoy the passage when the caravan is on fire!
Fri Sep 19 14:10:52 2008

Hafwen O Pontardawe
Rydw i'n darllen tan ar y comin nawr a dydw i ddim yn diall hanner y geiriau ond mae'r athrawes yn dweud popeth yn geiriau syml i ni ac mae'n llyfr dda (Diolch Miss Moses)- I am reading Tan ar Y Comin at the moment an I don't understand half the words but the teacher explains everything in simple terms and it is a good book ( Thank you Miss Moses)
Wed Sep 17 15:05:12 2008

Gwenno
Fy hoff nofel gan T Llew Jones yw Corff ar y Traeth. Yn yr ysgol rydym wedi bod yn darllen ei lyfrau. Does 'na neb tebyg yn sgwennu llyfrau yn y Gymraeg. Biti na fasa na fwy o'i lyfrau!

My favourite T Llew Jones novel is The Body on The Beach. We have been reading his books in school. There is nobody like him writing books in Welsh. Pity there aren't more of his books!
Tue Jul 15 14:02:24 2008

bym11
T.Llew.Jones ruals
Fri Jun 27 14:44:11 2008

Sam from Newport
I'm doing mastermind in welsh n my teacher told me 2 look up on this.
Thu Jun 26 09:20:28 2008

Kate Evans
At the moment im reading Tan ar y cominit is fantastic.xx
Mon Jun 23 09:18:20 2008

llantrisant
i really like this book its very good , i read it every night x
Fri Jun 20 12:09:16 2008

Phoebe
Cwrddais a T.Llew.Jones ar ei benblwydd yn blwyddyn chwech. Rwy'n hoff iawn o'i lyfrau ac yn gobeithio bod yn awdures. I once met T.Llew.Jones on his birthday in year 6. I love his books and I hope to become an author.
Mon Jun 2 10:37:46 2008

Mollie from Swansea
t.llew jones y llyfrau chi yn ardderchog .fy hoff un yw tan ar y comin.t.llew jones your books ar excellent . my favourite one is tan ar y comin
Wed Apr 23 10:14:21 2008

Angharad from Gwytherin
Mae T.Llew Jones yn 1 o'r awduron gorau yn y byd!Mae Barti Ddu a Trysor y Mor Ladron yn wych! - T Llew Jones is one of the best authors in the world. The Treasure of the Pirates and Black Bart are excellent.
Wed Apr 16 11:29:22 2008

George,Washington DC
Rydw yn hoffi - I like
Wed Jan 23 09:21:00 2008

Megan
Fe ddarllenais Tan ar y Comin yn Blwyddyn 6, roedd yn ardderchog!!I read Tan ar y Comin in Year 6 it was excellent.
Mon Oct 8 07:53:25 2007

Cory
I think that T.Llew Jones is the best Welsh author in Wales but I only know him really but in year six the class was reading Un Noson Dywill we didn't finish it in time so I really hope that I get to read the end of it. I thought it was really good.
Tue Sep 25 08:42:56 2007

Molly, Swansea
My name is Molly and I am a big big fan of you.
Tue Sep 11 16:32:20 2007

Cory
Un noson dywyll yw fy hof lyfr T.Llew Jones mor belled. -One Dark Night is my favourite T llew Jones so far.
Thu Sep 6 09:03:08 2007

Callum
I think that Un Noson Dywyll is the best book that T. Llew Jones has ever madeand I think you should read it!
Mon Aug 13 11:14:12 2007

Caron
There's lots of comments from people from my school here.
Sun Jul 8 20:01:48 2007

Tom
His poems are exciting,they're easy to understand,he's awesome.
Sun Jul 1 19:03:04 2007

Emily
We are doing a project on you and I love doing it so well.
Thu Jun 28 09:38:34 2007

Ryan
T.Llew rocks man his books are really intresting and so ar his poems.
Thu Jun 28 09:38:07 2007

Kirsty, N.Wales
We're doing work on him as well
Wed Jun 6 09:35:20 2007

Huw , Swansea
Loved them all.
Tue Jun 5 15:01:02 2007

Rhodri, Swansea
I loved his books
Fri May 18 15:03:08 2007

Alice, Wrexham
T.Llew Jones is a really good author. I love all of his books they are amazing go you T Llew Jones.
Tue Apr 17 18:01:14 2007

Ffion n Sasha
We Think That Tan Ar Y Comin Is Very. Good I Like The Bit When He Puts The Caravan On Fire and Ran Away in That Galz Ouse. We Have Got A Book Each And We read it every nite....
Mon Apr 16 10:25:34 2007

Liz , Wrexham
We are doing a project about T.Llew Jones in Welsh.He is really famous here in wales. Keep on writing T.Llew.Jones.
Sun Apr 15 12:06:09 2007

Jasmine
We used to read his books in school they are my favorite welsh books. We are doing a project on him in Welsh
Mon Mar 26 16:52:31 2007

Angharad
darllenais y lyfyr pan roewn yn blwyddyn saith yn yr ysgol ac hon yw fy llyfyr ore cymraeg - I read this book when I was in Year 7 in school and this is my favourite book in Welsh.
Tue Feb 20 10:10:33 2007

Kathryn,
me nd my class read a book of t.llew jones (tan ar y comin) it was an exalent book
Mon Oct 23 16:17:45 2006

oafie boi canolbarth
Llyfrau gorau yn y Gymraeg o bell ffordd. Trysor Y Mor Ladron yn ail yn unig i Lord of the Rings. Cythral o lyfr da! (The best books in Welsh by a long way. The Pirates' Treasure is second only to Lord of The Rings. An excellent book!)
Fri Sep 1 17:23:52 2006

Chelsea H 7b
Rydw i yn hoffi y llyfr Tan ar y comin. Rydan ni yn ganol ei ddarllen.

I like the Tan ar y Comin book. We're in the middle of reading it.

Fri May 12 11:40:06 2006

Carys
It's Great!I'm doing a project on him in school at the moment!
Wed Mar 29 16:39:48 2006

jess from 7C
i like tan ar y comin even though i didnt understand half of it
Fri Mar 3 12:42:51 2006

Junko Salmon, USA
I read another book, Barti Ddu. It was so interesting though sometimes I had to read the same sentences several times to understand! I've encountered plenty of colorful and expressive words (and hope I've learned some of them.) I've started Tân ar y Comin. It's quite different from Barti but just as captivating. I encourage Welsh learners to read T Llew's books.
Wed Jan 18 20:41:56 2006

lindsey
iam doing home work about t.llew.jones amd we are readind tan y comin in class its really good so far
Sun Jan 15 20:33:55 2006

iestyn.l
i think tan ar y comin is really good we are starting to read it dwi yn hoff iawn o y llyfr tan ar y comin a rydw yn meddwl bod T.Llew Jones yn nofelydd briliant (iestyn yma a dwi yn 11 oed)
Fri Jan 13 22:52:19 2006

niamh,s wales
i love the book tan ar y comin
Thu Jan 12 10:01:58 2006

Molly
I read T Llew jones Books all the time and i think they are great
Thu Oct 6 20:12:28 2005

Alice,
I have loved T Llew Jonse's books ever since he visited my primary shool for a lesson on book writing nearly five years ago. My favorite book has to be 'Tan ar y comin'!
Wed Oct 5 21:39:53 2005

Iwan
I have read Dial or Diwedd, Dirgelwrch yr ogof and Penillion i blant. We are going to celebrate his 90th birthday with him next week. I enjoy his books very much.
Wed Oct 5 14:13:48 2005

Junko Salmon, USA
I've just finished his "y Môr yn eu Gwaed." I'm an adult Welsh learner. His book is a lot harder than novels written for learners. It was a challenge. But it was exhilarating to be able to follow the interesting stories. I wish I could go to his story-telling sessions!
Sat Jun 25 23:13:01 2005

Ted Barlow - Cardigan
Does anybody know about T.LL's contributions to welsh chess?
Wed May 25 15:27:32 2005

Tesni Roberts, Wrexham
His books are very good. I enjoyed reading Trysor Plas y Wernen and Tan ar y Comin.
Thu May 19 15:17:56 2005

Dylan, schooled in Cwmanne (Lampeter)
We used to read T Llew Jones books in primary school, they're still one of my favourite sets of stories. Magic stuff.
Thu May 5 13:46:50 2005

Did you read T Llew Jones' books as a child? Which is your favourite? Have you been to one of T Llew's story-telling sessions? Add your comments here:

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