Gareth Finlay Williams (9 February 1955 – 14 September 2016) was a Welsh language author who wrote novels for children and adults, as well as creating many television drama series.

Life

Williams was born in

Porthmadog Porthmadog (), originally Portmadoc until 1972 and known locally as "Port", is a coastal town and community (Wales), community in the Eifionydd area of Gwynedd, Wales, and the historic counties of Wales, historic county of Caernarfonshire. It li ...

, as the son of Hugh Finley and Menna Williams. He worked for two years in the Cob Records shop in Porthmadog between 1973 and 1975. He worked as a teacher of Welsh at Ysgol Rhiwabon between 1979 and 1985. He lived in Silverston,

Vale of Glamorgan The Vale of Glamorgan ( ), locally referred to as ''The Vale'', is a Principal areas of Wales, county borough in the South East Wales, south-east of Wales. It borders Bridgend County Borough to the west, Cardiff to the east, Rhondda Cynon Taf t ...

, before settling in

Beddau ; ) is a large former mining village (and electoral ward) situated within the South Wales Valleys Davies (2008), page 507. around from Llantrisant and from the larger town of Pontypridd in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, South Wales. ...

near

Pontypridd Pontypridd ( , ), Colloquialism, colloquially referred to as ''Ponty'', is a town and a Community (Wales), community in Rhondda Cynon Taf, South Wales, approximately 10 miles north west of Cardiff city centre. Geography Pontypridd comprises the ...

. Williams was one of the three panelists for the Daniel Owen Memorial Prize at the National Eisteddfod of Monmouth in August 2016. He had been battling cancer and the day after awarding the prize in the Abergavenny Eisteddfod he was informed that he was not improving. He died at the age of 61 at his home in Graves, leaving his wife Rachel. In 2018, two years after his death, he was awarded the

Mary Vaughan Jones Award The Mary Vaughan Jones Award is a Welsh children's literature award. The ''Mary Vaughan Jones Trophy'' is awarded every three years to an author who has made a substantial contribution to children's literature over a number of years. It was esta ...

for his outstanding contribution to the field of children's literature. The trophy was presented to his family at a special ceremony in

Portmeirion Portmeirion (; ) is a folly* * * tourist village in Gwynedd, North Wales. It lies on the estuary of the River Dwyryd in the community (Wales), community of Penrhyndeudraeth, from Porthmadog and from Minffordd railway station. Portmeirion was d ...

on 18 October 2018.

Career

Williams won awards at the Tir na n-Og Award event six times in the Welsh language book categories. His book ''Awst yn Anogia'', (August in Anogia) set on

Crete Crete ( ; , Modern Greek, Modern: , Ancient Greek, Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the List of islands by area, 88th largest island in the world and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fifth la ...

during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, won an award as the best Welsh language book of the year at the 2015 Wales Book of the Year Awards. Williams had read about

Anogeia Anogeia (Ανώγεια) is a municipality in the Rethymno (regional unit), Rethymno regional unit, Crete, Greece. The municipality has an area of ., excluding the former municipal departments Axos and Zoniana. Population 2,240 (2021). When exact ...

after a holiday in Crete. In 2016, he was a judge for the literary awards prize at the 2016

National Eisteddfod of Wales The National Eisteddfod of Wales ( Welsh: ') is the largest of several eisteddfodau that are held annually, mostly in Wales. Its eight days of competitions and performances are considered the largest music and poetry festival in Europe. Competito ...

. Williams also wrote and produced Welsh language television programmes for

S4C S4C (, ''Sianel Pedwar Cymru'', meaning ''Channel Four Wales'') is a Welsh language free-to-air public broadcast television channel. Launched on 1 November 1982, it was the first television channel to be aimed specifically at a Welsh-speakin ...

, including ', ''Pen Tennyn'', ''

Rownd a Rownd ''Rownd a Rownd'' (''Round and Round'') is a Welsh language, Welsh-language soap opera created by Rondo Media (formerly Ffilmiau’r Nant) and shown on S4C since 11 September 1995. It was claimed to be the first Celtic-related language soap spec ...

'', ''Sion a Siân'', and ''Lan a Lawr''.

Books

*''Llyfrau Plant'' *''Cyfres Di-Ben-Draw:Uned III'' - Ysgrifennu a Darllen, 1993, (

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

) *''Dirgelwch Loch Ness'', 1996, (

Y Lolfa Y Lolfa ( Welsh for ''The Lounge'', ) is a Welsh printing and publishing company based in Tal-y-bont, Ceredigion, in Mid-Wales. It publishes a wide variety of books in Welsh and English. It also provides a commercial print service. Y Lolfa was ...

) *''O Ddawns i Ddawns'', 1996, (Y Lolfa) *''Cyfres Cled: Pen Cyrliog a Sbectol Sgwâr'', 1999, (Y Lolfa) *''Jara'', 2004, (

Gomer Press Gomer Press ( Welsh: ''Gwasg Gomer'') is a family printing (and formerly publishing) company based in Llandysul, west Wales. It was the largest publishing house in Wales. History The company was first established in 1892 and began as a general ...

) *''Cyfres Lleisiau: Dial'', 2006, (CAA) *''Cyfres Whap!: Adref heb Elin'', 2006, (Gomer Press) *''Cyfres Tonic 5: Y Sifft Nos'', 2007, (CAA) *''Cyfres Tonic 5: Bethan am Byth'', 2007, (CAA) *''Nadolig Gwyn'', 2007, (Gomer Press) *''Cyfres Stori Sydyn: Tacsi i'r Tywyllwch'', 2007, (Y Lolfa) *''Curig a'r Morlo'', 2009 (Gwasg Gwynedd) *''Plant y Pasg', 2017, (

Gwasg Carreg Gwalch Gwasg Carreg Gwalch () is a publishing company based in Llanrwst, Wales. They specialise in publishing works in the Welsh language Welsh ( or ) is a Celtic languages, Celtic language of the Brittonic languages, Brittonic subgroup that is ...

) *''Llyfrau Oedolion'' *''Dyfi Jyncshiyn: Y Dyn Blin'', 2007 (Gwasg Gwynedd) *''Dyfi Jyncshiyn: Y Ddynes yn yr Haul'', 2009 (Gwasg Gwynedd) *''Mei Ling a Meirion'', 2010 (Gwasg Gwynedd) *''Creigiau Aberdaron'', 2010 (Gwasg Gwynedd) *''Awst yn Anogia'', 2014 (Gwasg Gwynedd)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Gareth F. 1955 births 2016 deaths British writers People from Porthmadog People educated at Ysgol Eifionydd, Porthmadog