Vivian Rees Davies (9 November 1901 – 21 August 1978), known as Rhys Davies, was a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, of or about Wales * Welsh language, spoken in Wales * Welsh people, an ethnic group native to Wales Places * Welsh, Arkansas, U.S. * Welsh, Louisiana, U.S. * Welsh, Ohio, U.S. * Welsh Basin, during t ...

novelist and short story writer, who wrote in the English language.

Life

One of the most prolific Welsh prose writers of the 20th century, Davies wrote approximately one hundred short stories, as well as twenty novels, three novellas, two books about Wales and an autobiography. Though he mostly lived in London, Davies' work is often set in Wales, typically either in a fictionalised Rhondda or further west in his rural stories. Davies was born on 9 November 1901 in Blaenclydach, a side-valley of 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 ...

. His father was a grocer and his mother a schoolteacher. His parents spoke

, but did not pass it on to Rhys or his siblings. Rhys Davies's younger brother,

Lewis Davies Arthur Lewis Davies (26 January 1913 – 9 December 2011), the younger brother of writer Rhys Davies, was a Welsh librarian and philanthropist who in his later years established a foundation (the Rhys Davies Trust) devoted to the promotion of W ...

, was a Welsh librarian and philanthropist. As a child he attended Gosen Chapel, and later switched to St Thomas's Church, but ultimately declared himself an

atheist Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...

in later life. He attended Porth County School, but left at fourteen and worked for his parents' shop. He briefly worked in Cardiff at a corn-merchant's warehouse before moving to London, where he began his literary career with the publication of a number of short stories. The publisher Charles Lahr published some of Davies' early work in ''The New Coterie'', a small avant-garde magazine. In 1927 Davies published his first short story collection ''The Song of Songs'' and first novel ''The Withered Root''. ''The Withered Root'' had a favourable critical reception, receiving good reviews and published in an American edition. He received an advance for his second novel that helped him remain a full-time writer. It was at this time (1928–29) that Davies was invited to stay with

D. H. Lawrence David Herbert Lawrence (11 September 1885 – 2 March 1930) was an English novelist, short story writer, poet, playwright, literary critic, travel writer, essayist, and painter. His modernist works reflect on modernity, social alienation ...

and

Frieda Lawrence Frieda Lawrence (August 11, 1879 – August 11, 1956) was a German author and wife of the British novelist D. H. Lawrence. Life Emma Maria Frieda Johanna Freiin (Baroness) von Richthofen (also known under her married names as Frieda Weekley, Fri ...

in France. Their meeting has been dramatised in ''Sex and Power at the Beau Rivage'' (2003), a play by contemporary Welsh author Richard Lewis Davies. Rhys Davies smuggled a manuscript copy of Lawrence's ''Pansies'' into Britain and arranged for it to be published by Charles Lahr. Though Lawrence's death in March 1930 made their friendship a brief one, Lawrence appears to have been an important influence on Davies' work. Davies was homosexual, though he never wrote publicly about his own sexuality. Rhys Davis 1931

During the 1930s Davies led a peripatetic life, for although he was writing prolifically, he had limited financial success. He would often return to Blaenclydach when money ran low and to seek inspiration for writing. He stayed at the home of Vincent Wells until 1945 when the house caught fire and many of Davies's papers were destroyed. 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 ...

Davies wrote many short stories, for despite shortages in paper, magazines were exempt from rationing and there was considerable demand for reading material. After the war he lived with the Scottish writer Fred Urquhart for a few years before moving to

Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

with friends. By 1955 he had moved back to London, to

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 ...

, where he lived the rest of his life. Davies was made financially secure by two legacies left to him, one from the estate of novelist

Anna Kavan Anna Kavan (born Helen Emily Woods; 10 April 1901 – 5 December 1968) was a British novelist, short story writer and painter. Originally publishing under her first married name, Helen Ferguson, she adopted the name Anna Kavan in 1939 as both ...

and the second from Louise Taylor, the adopted daughter of

Alice B. Toklas Alice Babette Toklas (April 30, 1877 – March 7, 1967) was an American-born member of the Parisian avant-garde of the early 20th century, and the life partner of American writer Gertrude Stein. Early life Alice B. Toklas was born in San F ...

. Davies based ''The Honeysuckle Girl'' on Anna Kavan's early life. D. J. Britton wrote a play, ''Silverglass'', about the extraordinary relationship between Rhys Davies and Anna Kavan, presented as a premiere during the Rhys Davies Short Story Conference 2013 held in Swansea. The play is set in the late 1960s and reveals Davies' late literary recognition as well as Kavan's final tragedy. Both of them lived 'a life of self-invention, in which secrets, sexuality and deep questions of personal identity lurked constantly in the shadows'. He died of

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma, is a malignant tumor that begins in the lung. Lung cancer is caused by genetic damage to the DNA of cells in the airways, often caused by cigarette smoking or inhaling damaging chemicals. Damaged ...

, at age 76.

Awards

Davies was awarded an

OBE 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 ...

in 1968, as well as the Welsh Arts Council Prize in 1971. His story "The Chosen One", originally published in ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...

'', won an

Edgar Allan Poe Award The Edgar Allan Poe Awards, popularly called the Edgars, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America which is based in New York City. Named after American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), a pioneer in the genre, the awards honor ...

in 1967. In 1991, after his death, the Rhys Davies Trust was established by literary critic

Meic Stephens Meic Stephens, FLSW (23 July 1938 – 2 July 2018) was a Welsh literary editor, journalist, translator, and poet. Birth and education Meic Stephens was born on 23 July 1938 in the village of Treforest, near Pontypridd, Glamorgan. He was edu ...

to promote short fiction by Welsh authors in the English language. The trust sponsors the Rhys Davies Short Story Competition.

Writing

Short stories

Many of Rhys Davies's short stories were released as collections including: *''The Song of Songs'' (1927) *''A Pig in a Poke'' (1931) *''Daisy Matthews and Three Other Tales'' (1932) *''The Things Men Do'' (1936) *''A Finger in Every Pie'' (1942) *''The Trip to London'' (1946) *''Boy with a Trumpet'' (1949) *''Collected Stories'' (1955) *''The Darling of Her Heart'' (1958)

Novels

Davies also wrote twenty novels, including: *''The Withered Root'' (1927) *''Count Your Blessings'' (1932) *''The Red Hills'' (1932) *''Honey and Bread'' (1935) *''A Time to Laugh'' (1937) *''Jubilee Blues'' (1938) *''Tomorrow to Fresh Woods'' (1941) *''The Black Venus'' (1944) *''The Perishable Quality'' (1957) *''Nobody Answered the Bell'' (1971) *''The Honeysuckle Girl'' (1975) *''Ram with Red Horns'' (1996)

Other works

Davies wrote an autobiography, ''Print of a Hare's Foot'' (1969), and a successful play, ''No Escape'' (1954), as well as several works of non-fiction, including the travelogue ''My Wales'' (1937). There was also a stage musical, ''Jenny Jones'', based on his stories that ran in the West End but was not a success.

References

*''Rhys Davies: Decoding the Hare'' ( Stephens M, ed); 2001 ()

External links

Rhys Davies Collection
at the

Harry Ransom Center The Harry Ransom Center, known as the Humanities Research Center until 1983, is an archive, library, and museum at the University of Texas at Austin, specializing in the collection of literary and cultural artifacts from the Americas and Europe ...

Biographical detailsBrown T (2001) The Ex-centric voice: The English-language short story in Wales. ''N Am J Welsh Studies'' Vol. 1Theodore Dalrymple on Rhys Davies
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davies, Rhys Anglo-Welsh novelists Welsh short story writers Edgar Award winners 1901 births 1978 deaths Welsh gay writers Welsh LGBTQ novelists Gay novelists 20th-century Welsh novelists British male short story writers Welsh male novelists 20th-century British short story writers 20th-century British male writers People from Clydach Vale 20th-century Welsh LGBTQ people Officers_of_the_Order_of_the_British_Empire