Rachel Trezise (born 1978) is a Welsh

author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

, born in Cwmparc, Wales. 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 ...

in 2006.

Early life

Rachel Trezise was born in Cwmparc,

Rhondda Rhondda , or the Rhondda Valley ( cy, Cwm Rhondda ), is a former coal mining, 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 Fa ...

in 1978. Her family is of

Cornish Cornish is the adjective and demonym associated with Cornwall, the most southwesterly part of the United Kingdom. It may refer to: * Cornish language, a Brittonic Southwestern Celtic language of the Indo-European language family, spoken in Cornwa ...

origin. She was educated at Treorchy Comprehensive School before going on to study at the

University of Glamorgan , image_name = University of Glamorgan arms.png , image_size = 220px , caption = University of Glamorgan coat of arms , motto = Success Through Endeavour , established = , closed = , administrative_staff = , chancellor = John Morris ...

(now the

University of South Wales The University of South Wales ( cy, Prifysgol De Cymru) 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 Wa ...

) and the

University of Limerick The University of Limerick (UL) ( ga, Ollscoil Luimnigh) 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 beca ...

Career

Trezise's first novel, ''In and Out of the Goldfish Bowl'', was published by Parthian 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'' is an American monthly women's fashion magazine. It was first published in New York City on November 2, 1867, as the weekly ''Harper's Bazar''. ''Harper's Bazaar'' is published by Hearst and considers itself to be the st ...

'' 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. It is considered a fashionable residential area, and is the location of numerous cultural, intellectual, and educational institutions. Bloomsbury is home of the British Museum, the largest mus ...

, 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 Dylan Thomas Prize for writers under 30. Trezise grew up listening to

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

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 Th ...

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

abortion Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pregn ...

for

National Theatre Wales National Theatre Wales (NTW) is a theatre company known for its large-scale site-specific productions and its grassroots work with diverse Welsh communities. It is the English-language national theatre of Wales, and refers to Theatr Genedlaeth ...

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

NHS The National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). Since 1948, they have been funded out of general taxation. There are three systems which are referred to using the " ...

Bibliography

Fiction

* 2002: ''In and Out of the Goldfish Bowl'', Parthian * 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, Wales, opened in 1971. Description Chapter hosts films, plays, performance art and live music, and includes a free art gallery, café and bars. Th ...

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

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of Talk radio, spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history fro ...

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

References

External links

Rachel Trezise 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