Rachel Trezise (born 1978) is a Welsh author. Her debut collection of short stories, ''Fresh Apples'', won the inaugural

Dylan Thomas Prize The Dylan Thomas Prize is a leading prize for young writers presented annually. The prize, named in honour of the Welsh writer and poet Dylan Thomas, brings international prestige and a remuneration of £30,000 (~$46,000). It is open to published w ...

in 2006.

Early life

Rachel Trezise was born in

Cwmparc Cwmparc is a village and a district of the community of Treorchy, in the Rhondda Valley, Wales. History There is evidence of, and logic for, a medieval park, or hunting preserve, in the enclosed area called Parc Cwm Brychiniog. It lies in the ...

Rhondda Rhondda , or the Rhondda Valley ( ), is a former coalmining area in South Wales, historically in the county of Glamorgan. It takes its name from the River Rhondda, and embraces two valleys – the larger Rhondda Fawr valley (, 'large') and t ...

in 1978. Her family is of Cornish origin. She was educated at Treorchy Comprehensive School before going on to study at the

University of Glamorgan The University of Glamorgan () was a public university based in South Wales, that merged with University of Wales, Newport to form the University of South Wales in April 2013. The university was based in Pontypridd, in Rhondda Cynon Taf, with ...

(now the

University of South Wales The University of South Wales (USW) () is a public university in Wales, with campuses in Cardiff, Newport and Pontypridd. It was formed on 11 April 2013 from the merger of the University of Glamorgan and the University of Wales, Newport. The ...

) and the

University of Limerick University of Limerick (UL) () is a Public university, public research university institution in Limerick, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Founded in 1972, as the National Institute for Higher Education, Limerick, it became a university in Septemb ...

Career

Trezise's first novel, ''In and Out of the Goldfish Bowl'', was published by

Parthian Parthian may refer to: Historical * Parthian people * A demonym "of Parthia", a region of north-eastern of Greater Iran * Parthian Empire (247 BC – 224 AD) * Parthian language, a now-extinct Middle Iranian language * Parthian shot, an archery sk ...

in 2002 while she was still a student. It received broad critical acclaim, and saw her named as a 'new face of literature' by ''

Harpers & Queen ''Harper's Bazaar'' (stylized as ''Harper's BAZAAR'') is an American monthly women's fashion magazine. Bazaar has been published in New York City since November 2, 1867, originally as a weekly publication entitled ''Harper's Bazar''."Corporat ...

'' in 2003. Trezise followed up this early success with contributions to the anthologies ''Wales Half Welsh'' (

Bloomsbury Bloomsbury is a district in the West End of London, part of the London Borough of Camden in England. It is considered a fashionable residential area, and is the location of numerous cultural institution, cultural, intellectual, and educational ...

, 2004), ''Urban Welsh: New Welsh Fiction'' (Parthian, 2005) and ''Sideways Glances'' (Parthian, 2005). Trezise's second book, ''Fresh Apples'', was a wry, gritty collection of short fiction describing life in the mining valleys of south Wales. Published by Parthian in 2005, it won the inaugural

for writers under 30. Trezise grew up listening to

rock music Rock is a Music genre, genre of popular music that originated in the United States as "rock and roll" in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of styles from the mid-1960s, primarily in the United States and the United Kingdo ...

in the late 1980s, and held a long ambition to write a

rockumentary A concert film or concert movie is a film that showcases a live performance from the perspective of a concert goer, the subject of which is an extended live performance or concert, by either a musician or a stand-up comedian. Early history One ...

. In 2007, Parthian published ''Dial M for Merthyr'', Trezise's account of her time spent on tour with Welsh rock band

Midasuno Midasuno are a Welsh four-piece alternative rock band from South Wales. The band toured the United Kingdom and recorded three singles, an EP and three albums. The band are the subject of the road diary "Dial M For Merthyr" by the Welsh author ...

. Trezise also contributed a short story, "On the Strip", to ''The Empty Page: Fiction Inspired by Sonic Youth'', published by

Serpent's Tail Serpent's Tail is London-based independent publishing firm founded in 1986 by Pete Ayrton. It specialises in publishing work in translation, particularly European crime fiction. In January 2007, it was bought by a British publisher Profile Book ...

in 2008. The story takes its title and inspiration from a song on Sonic Youth's 1992 album ''Dirty''. She wrote the play ''Cotton Fingers'' about a woman travelling from

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

for an

abortion Abortion is the early termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. Abortions that occur without intervention are known as miscarriages or "spontaneous abortions", and occur in roughly 30–40% of all pregnan ...

for the

National Theatre Wales National Theatre Wales (NTW) was a charity and theatre company based in Wales. It was established in 2009, but following the cessation of funding in April 2024, it closed in December 2024, with its community work being carried on and evolved to ...

as part of its ''Love Letters to The NHS'' season in commemoration 70th birthday of the

NHS The National Health Service (NHS) is the term for the publicly funded health care, publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom: the National Health Service (England), NHS Scotland, NHS Wales, and Health and Social Care (Northern ...

Bibliography

Fiction

* 2002: ''In and Out of the Goldfish Bowl'',

* 2005: ''Fresh Apples'', Parthian * 2010: ''Loose Connections'', Accent * 2010: ''Sixteen Shades of Crazy'', Blue Door * 2013: ''Cosmic Latte'', Parthian *2021: ''Easy Meat'', Parthian

Non-fiction

* 2007: ''Dial M for Merthyr'', Parthian

Drama

* ''I Sing of a Maiden'' (Theatre,

Chapter Arts Centre Chapter Arts Centre (often just referred to as Chapter) is an arts centre in Canton, Cardiff, Canton, Cardiff, Wales, opened in 1971. Description Chapter hosts films, Play (theatre), plays, performance art and live music, and includes a free ar ...

, 2007) * ''Lemon Meringue Pie'' (Radio,

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...

, 2008) * ''Jack'' (Radio, BBC Radio 4, 2010)

References

External links

Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Trezise, Rachel 1978 births Living people Welsh novelists Alumni of the University of Glamorgan People from Treorchy British people of Cornish descent People educated at Treorchy Comprehensive School 21st-century Welsh women writers 21st-century Welsh writers