David James Bowen (1925 – 3 August 2017) was a Welsh scholar and expert on the work of Welsh poets of the nobility.
He was born in
Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire ( ; ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. It is bordered by Carmarthenshire to the east, Ceredigion to the northeast, and otherwise by the sea. Haverfordwest is the largest town and ...
, and attended grammar school in
Fishguard
Fishguard (, meaning "Mouth of the River Gwaun") is a coastal town in Pembrokeshire, Wales, with a population of 3,400 (rounded to the nearest 100) as of the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census. Modern Fishguard consists of two parts, Lowe ...
, where he was influenced by
David John Williams, one of his teachers. He attended the
University of Wales, Aberystwyth, where he became a member of the Welsh Department, and was chair in 1980.
He has contributed many learned articles on
late medieval Welsh poetry, including the work of
Dafydd ap Gwilym, although his main interest was the life and work of poet
Gruffudd Hiraethog (d. 1564). Bowen published a study of Hiraethog's life and work in 1990. It is typical of his work, where he often deals with historical and social backgrounds.
Bowen died on 3 August 2017, at Bronglais Hospital,
Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth (; ) is a University town, university and seaside town and a community (Wales), community in Ceredigion, Wales. It is the largest town in Ceredigion and from Aberaeron, the county's other administrative centre. In 2021, the popula ...
, aged 92.
Dafydd (Yr Athro) Bowen
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Selected Biographies
* Bowen, D. J. (1956), ''Barddoniaeth yr Uchelwyr'', Gwasg Prifysgol Cymru
* Bowen, D. J. (1958), ''Gruffudd Hiraethog a'i Oes'', Gwasg Prifysgol Cymru
* Bowen, D. J. (ed.) (1990), ''Gwaith Gruffudd Hiraethog'', Gwasg Prifysgol Cymru
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bowen, David James
1925 births
2017 deaths
People from Pembrokeshire
Welsh scholars and academics