Cynan
Winner of the Eisteddfod crown and chair for poetry.
- Born:
-
1895
- Place of Birth:
- Pwllheli
- Biography:
-
As a mark of his contribution to Welsh literature, the first colour film made in the Welsh language by the BBC was Llanc y Llyn, devoted to the life and work of Cynan.
Born in Pwllheli the son of a shopkeeper, Albert Evans Jones graduated from the University of North Wales, Bangor, in 1916 and served as a chaplain in the Army during World War I. Cynan was his chosen bardic name, and the one by which he is best-known in Wales. His poetic talent came to the fore in 1921 when he won the Crown for his free verse work, Mab y Bwthyn (The Son of the Cottage) which, in the opinion Dafydd Owen, an authority on Cynan's work, became the most widely read, memorised and quoted of all Welsh poems in the first half of the century. He served as a minister at Penmaenmawr during the 1920s before becoming a lecturer in drama and Welsh literature at Bangor University from 1931 to 1960. He went on to win the Crown at the Eisteddfod no less than three times, and the Chair once, for his work, Y Dyrfa (The Crowd). He was the only Welsh poet ever to be elected as Archdruid twice, between 1950-1953 and 1963-1967. Having a great sense of drama, Cynan shaped the chairing ceremony for the modern audience, declaring that it ought to be a truly dignified symbol of the spirit of a nation. He was knighted in 1969 for services to the cultural life of Wales and named Sir Cynan Evans-Jones. He is buried on Church Island, in the Menai Strait.
your comments
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Ann Hill from Denver
Did Cynan write a poem that contains the line "O seren glir ar yr eira gwyn"? It's about four kings coming to visit the nativity.
Wed Oct 15 09:28:46 2008
Tom Edwards, Australia
For many years I searched for the words to "Nico Annwyl" before I traced them to Cynan. He was a poet who wrote simply, yet full of feeling and emotion.
Tue Oct 26 01:57:33 2004
Jo from Derbyshire
One of his poems was especially written in memorium to my great grandfather, Colonel Darbishire.
Tue Jul 20 13:55:35 2004
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