Gwyneth Denver Davies , FLSW (born 1959), known professionally as Gwyneth Lewis, is a Welsh poet, who was the inaugural National Poet of Wales in 2005. She wrote the text that appears over the

Wales Millennium Centre Wales Millennium Centre () is Wales' national arts centre located in the Cardiff Bay area of Cardiff, Wales. The site covers a total area of . Phase 1 of the building was opened during the weekend of 26–28 November 2004 and phase 2 opened on ...

Biography

Gwyneth Lewis was born into a Welsh-speaking family in

Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...

. Her father started teaching her English when her mother went into hospital to give birth to her sister. Her mother was abusive. Lewis attended Ysgol Gyfun Rhydfelen, a bilingual school 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 ...

, and then studied at

Girton College, Cambridge Girton College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was established in 1869 by Emily Davies and Barbara Bodichon as the first women's college at Cambridge. In 1948, it was granted full college status by the un ...

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

, where she was a member of Cymdeithas Y Mabinogi. She was awarded a double first in English literature and the Laurie Hart Prize for outstanding intellectual work. Lewis then studied creative writing at Columbia and

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...

, before receiving a D.Phil. in English from

Balliol College Balliol College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. Founded in 1263 by nobleman John I de Balliol, it has a claim to be the oldest college in Oxford and the English-speaking world. With a governing body of a master and ar ...

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

, for a thesis on 18th-century literary forgery featuring the work of

Iolo Morganwg Edward Williams, better known by his bardic name Iolo Morganwg (; 10March 174718December 1826), was a Welsh antiquarian, poet and collector.Jones, Mary (2004)"Edward Williams/Iolo Morganwg/Iolo Morgannwg" From ''Jones' Celtic Encyclopedia''. R ...

.CREW Welsh Writers Online: Gwyneth Lewis
Lewis was made a

Harkness Fellow The Harkness Fellowship (previously known as the Commonwealth Fund Fellowship) is a program run by the Commonwealth Fund of New York City. This fellowship was established to reciprocate the Rhodes Scholarships and enable Fellows from several cou ...

and worked as a freelance journalist in New York for three years. She then returned to Cardiff as a documentary producer and director at

BBC Wales BBC Cymru Wales is a division of the BBC and the main public broadcasting, public broadcaster in Wales. It is one of the four BBC national regions, alongside the BBC English Regions, BBC Northern Ireland and BBC Scotland. Established in 1964, ...

. She left the BBC in 2001 after receiving a £75,000 grant from the

National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts Nesta (formerly NESTA, National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts) is a British foundation, registered as a charity, which supports innovation. Nesta was originally funded by a £250 million endowment from the UK National Lotter ...

to carry out research and sail to ports linked historically with the inhabitants of her native Cardiff. Lewis later wrote the words which appear over the

, which opened in November 2004. The same words form the title of

Karl Jenkins Sir Karl William Pamp Jenkins, , Honorary Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales, HonFLSW (born 17 February 1944) is a Welsh multi-instrumentalist and composer. His best known works include the song "Adiemus (song), Adiemus" (1995, from the Adi ...

's cantata '' In These Stones Horizons Sing'', which is partly set to lyrics by Gwyneth Lewis. In 2005 she was elected Honorary Fellow of

Cardiff University Cardiff University () is a public research university in Cardiff, Wales. It was established in 1883 as the University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire and became a founding college of the University of Wales in 1893. It was renamed Unive ...

. The same year she was made the first National Poet of Wales. Lewis was a judge for the 2011

Hippocrates Prize for Poetry and Medicine The Hippocrates Prize for Poetry and Medicine was founded in 2009 by Donald Singer and Michael Hulse. The founders "wished to draw together national and international perspectives on three major historical and contemporary themes uniting the dis ...

. On 6 August 2012, Gwyneth Lewis won Y Goron (the Crown) at the

National Eisteddfod 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 ...

Llandow Llandow () is a village and Community (Wales), community in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. The community population taken at the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 census was 726. The village is located south west of Cardiff. The community includ ...

for a collection of poems on the set title of ''Ynys'' (Island). In 2013, Lewis was elected as a Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales. Lewis was appointed

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(MBE) in the

2022 Birthday Honours The 2022 Queen's Birthday Honours are appointments by some of the 15 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to Orders and decorations of the Commonwealth realms, various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those ...

for services to literature. She returned to Balliol College to serve as Artist in Residence in 2023 and again in 2024.

Music

Lewis entered the world of music in partnership with Richard Chew. ''Redflight/ Barcud'' was her first

libretto A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to th ...

, commissioned and presented by

Welsh National Opera Welsh National Opera (WNO) () is an opera company based in Cardiff, Wales. WNO gave its first performances in 1946. The company began as a mainly amateur body and transformed into an all-professional ensemble by 1973. In its early days, the ...

with pupils from Ysgol Capel y Cynfab, Cynghordy and Ysgol Cil-y-cwm. ''The Most Beautiful Man from the Sea'' is an

oratorio An oratorio () is a musical composition with dramatic or narrative text for choir, soloists and orchestra or other ensemble. Similar to opera, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguisha ...

for 600 voices, with music by Chew and Orlando Gough. It was given its world première at the

by the Chorus of Welsh National Opera and 500 amateur singers.

Personal life

Married to Leighton, a former

boatswain A boatswain ( , ), bo's'n, bos'n, or bosun, also known as a deck boss, or a qualified member of the deck department, or the third hand on a fishing vessel, is the most senior Naval rating, rate of the deck department and is responsible for the ...

with the Merchant Navy, Lewis has had a well documented battle in the past with

clinical depression Major depressive disorder (MDD), also known as clinical depression, is a mental disorder characterized by at least two weeks of pervasive low mood, low self-esteem, and loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities. Intro ...

and

alcoholism Alcoholism is the continued drinking of alcohol despite it causing problems. Some definitions require evidence of dependence and withdrawal. Problematic use of alcohol has been mentioned in the earliest historical records. The World He ...

.Two in a Boat: The True Story of a Marital Rite of Passage by Gwyneth Lewis
/ref> Her personal battles inspired her first book, ''Sunbathing in the Rain: A Cheerful Book on Depression'' and also a collection of poems, ''Keeping Mum – Voices from Therapy''. Having agreed to change their lifestyles for their own good, Lewis and her husband bought the small yacht ''Jameeleh'', taught themselves to sail, and set out to cross the Ocean to Africa. The journey inspired her 2005 book ''Two in a Boat – The True Story of a Marital Rite of Passage''.

Bibliography

*''Llwybrau bywyd'' –

Urdd Gobaith Cymru Urdd Gobaith Cymru (; simply known as the Urdd) is Wales' largest youth organisation. It provides sports, arts, volunteering, apprenticeship, outdoor pursuits, humanitarian, international and residential opportunities for children and young peo ...

, 1977 *''Ar y groesffordd'' –

, 1978 *''Sonedau Redsa a Cherddi Eraill'' – Gomer, 1990 *''Parables and Faxes'' – Bloodaxe, 1995 *''Cyfrif Un Ac Un yn Dri'' – Barddas, 1996 *''Zero Gravity'' – Bloodaxe, 1998. Inspired by an astronaut cousin's voyage to repair the

Hubble Space Telescope The Hubble Space Telescope (HST or Hubble) is a space telescope that was launched into low Earth orbit in 1990 and remains in operation. It was not the Orbiting Solar Observatory, first space telescope, but it is one of the largest and most ...

. The BBC later based a documentary on the poetry. *''Y Llofrudd Iaith – Barddas'', 2000: won the Welsh Arts Council Book of the Year Prize. *''Sunbathing in the Rain: A Cheerful Book on Depression'' – Flamingo, 2002 *''Keeping Mum'' (republished in 2005 as ''Chaotic Angels'') – Bloodaxe, 2003 *''Two In A Boat: A Marital Voyage'' – Fourth Estate, 2005. Recounts a voyage with her husband on a small boat from Cardiff to North Africa, during which her husband was diagnosed with cancer. *''A Hospital Odyssey'' – Bloodaxe, 2010 *''The Meat Tree'' – Seren, 2010 *''Sparrow Tree'' – Bloodaxe, 2011 *''Y Storm'', 2012. Lewis's translation of Shakespeare's ''

The Tempest ''The Tempest'' is a Shakespeare's plays, play by William Shakespeare, probably written in 1610–1611, and thought to be one of the last plays that he wrote alone. After the first scene, which takes place on a ship at sea during a tempest, th ...

'') *''The Book of Taliesin'' (translation and introductions with Rowan Williams; Penguin, 2019) *''Nightshade Mother: A Disentangling'', a memoir – Calon, 2024

Prizes and awards

Current list of prizes and awards:Gwyneth Lewis
*1977 – Literary Medal at the

*1978 – Literary Medal at the

*1988 – Eric Gregory Award *1995 – Aldeburgh Poetry Festival Prize Parables and Faxes *1995 – Forward Poetry Prize (Best First Collection) (shortlist) Parables and Faxes *1998 – Forward Poetry Prize (Best Poetry Collection of the Year) (shortlist) Zero Gravity *2000 – Arts Council of Wales Book of the Year Award Y Llofrudd Iaith *2001 – National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA) Award

References

External links

Gwyneth Lewis personal websiteBio at ContemporaryWriters.comGwyneth Lewis profile
at

Listen to Gwyneth Lewis reading her poetry
– a British Library recording, 12 July 2010. {{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, Gwyneth 1959 births Living people 20th-century British journalists 21st-century Welsh journalists 20th-century Welsh poets 20th-century Welsh women writers 21st-century Welsh poets 21st-century Welsh women writers 21st-century Welsh writers Writers from Cardiff Alumni of Girton College, Cambridge Harvard University alumni Columbia University School of the Arts alumni Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford Harkness Fellows Welsh women poets BBC newsreaders and journalists Fellows of the Learned Society of Wales Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature People educated at Ysgol Gyfun Garth Olwg British women television journalists British women radio presenters Welsh women journalists Welsh women radio presenters Members of the Order of the British Empire