Thomas Rowland Hughes (often referred to as T. Rowland Hughes) (17 April 1903 – 24 October 1949), was a Welsh

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living wage, living writing novels and other fiction, while other ...

, broadcaster,

dramatist A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between characters and is intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. Ben Jonson coined the term "playwri ...

and

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...

. He was the son of a

quarryman A quarry is a type of open-pit mining, open-pit mine in which dimension stone, rock (geology), rock, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, gravel, or slate is excavated from the ground. The operation of quarries is regulated in some juri ...

from

Llanberis Llanberis () is a village, community (Wales), community and electoral ward in Gwynedd, northwest Wales, on the southern bank of the lake and at the foot of Snowdon, the highest mountain in Wales. It is a centre for outdoor activity, outdoor ac ...

Caernarfonshire Caernarfonshire (; , ), previously spelled Caernarvonshire or Carnarvonshire, was one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974. It was located in the north-west of Wales. Geography The county ...

(

Gwynedd Gwynedd () is a county in the north-west of Wales. It borders Anglesey across the Menai Strait to the north, Conwy, Denbighshire, and Powys to the east, Ceredigion over the Dyfi estuary to the south, and the Irish Sea to the west. The ci ...

today), in north Wales. He is primarily renowned in the present day for his novels about characters living and working in the

slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous, metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade, regional metamorphism. It is the finest-grained foliated metamorphic ro ...

quarries A quarry is a type of open-pit mine in which dimension stone, rock, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, gravel, or slate is excavated from the ground. The operation of quarries is regulated in some jurisdictions to manage their safet ...

of north Wales, but in his day he was just as well known as a poet and broadcaster. '' William Jones'' and Chwalfa are his most famous novels.

His life

Hughes was born on 17 April 1903, in Llanberis, Caernarfonshire, the son of May and William Hughes. He was educated at Dolbadarn primary school, Ysgol Brynrefail, and the University College, Bangor, where he graduated in 1925 with first class honours in English and Welsh. In 1928, he was awarded a scholarship by the University of Wales to study at

Jesus College, Oxford Jesus College (in full: Jesus College in the University of Oxford of Queen Elizabeth's Foundation) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is in the centre of the city, on a site between Turl Street, Ship ...

, leading to a B.Litt. degree in 1931 on ''

The London Magazine ''The London Magazine'' is the title of six different publications that have appeared in succession since 1732. All six have focused on the arts, literature and poetry. A number of Nobel Laureates, including Annie Ernaux, Albert Camus, Doris Les ...

from 1820 to 1829''. He was a teacher at the county school for boys in

Aberdare Aberdare ( ; ) is a town in the Cynon Valley area of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, at the confluence of the Rivers Dare (Dâr) and River Cynon, Cynon. Aberdare has a population of 39,550 (mid-2017 estimate). Aberdare is south-west of Merthyr Tydf ...

from 1926 to 1928. He was lecturer in English and Welsh at Coleg Harlech, 1930–1933. In the summer of 1934 he was appointed Principal of the Mary Ward Settlement, London. From 1935 to 1945, Hughes was a producer of feature programmes for the

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 ...

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 ...

. In this time, he produced and/or wrote some 300 radio programmes on the BBC. He produced, and often co-scripted with, a number of Welsh writers, including Jack Jones, Kate Roberts,

Saunders Lewis Saunders Lewis (born John Saunders Lewis; 15 October 1893 – 1 September 1985) was a Welsh politician, poet, dramatist, Medievalist, and literary critic. Born into a Welsh-speaking ministerial family in Greater Liverpool, Lewis studied in a p ...

, Eiluned Lewis, Eynon Evans, J. O. Francis, Richard Llewellyn, Gwyn Jones,

Emlyn Williams George Emlyn Williams, CBE (26 November 1905 – 25 September 1987) was a Welsh writer, dramatist and actor. Early life Williams was born into a Welsh-speaking, working class family at 1 Jones Terrace, Pen-y-ffordd, Ffynnongroyw, Flintshi ...

and Philip Burton. Of these, his principal collaborators, in both production and writing, were Jack Jones and Philip Burton, who succeeded him at the BBC in 1945. Hughes's outstanding productions are considered to be '' The Proud Valley'' (1940), the radio premiere of the

Paul Robeson Paul Leroy Robeson ( ; April 9, 1898 – January 23, 1976) was an American bass-baritone concert artist, actor, professional American football, football player, and activist who became famous both for his cultural accomplishments and for h ...

film; '' How Green Was My Valley'' (1942); and ''Welsh

Lidice Lidice (; ) is a municipality and village in Kladno District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 600 inhabitants. Lidice is built near the site of the previous village, which was completely destroyed on 10 June 19 ...

'' (1943). After just five years in the job, he was described by ''The Guardian'' as one of the best producers working in British radio.''The Guardian'', 28 February 1940 Hughes won the

Chair A chair is a type of seat, typically designed for one person and consisting of one or more legs, a flat or slightly angled seat and a back-rest. It may be made of wood, metal, or synthetic materials, and may be padded or upholstered in vario ...

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 ...

on two occasions, in 1937 for his ode 'Y Ffin' ('The Boundary'), and again in 1940 for 'Pererinion' ('Pilgrims'). He married Eirene Williams in 1933. Not long after, he was diagnosed with

multiple sclerosis Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease resulting in damage to myelinthe insulating covers of nerve cellsin the brain and spinal cord. As a demyelinating disease, MS disrupts the nervous system's ability to Action potential, transmit ...

, and it was at this time that he began to write his most well-known works.

Bibliography

Poetry

* "Tydi a roddaist" ('Thou Who Gavest', set to music by

Arwel Hughes Arwel Hughes OBE (25 August 1909 – 23 September 1988) was a Wales, Welsh orchestral conducting, conductor and composer. Life and career Hughes was born in Rhosllannerchrugog near Wrexham and was educated at Ruabon Grammar School and at ...

in 1938). Lyrics in Welsh Tydi a roddaist liw i'r wawr :A lliw i'r machlud mwyn, Tydi a luniaist gerdd a sawr :A'r gwanwyn yn y llwyn, O cadw ni rhag colli'r hud :Sydd heddiw'n crwydro drwy'r holl fyd. Tydi a luniaist gân i'r nant :A si i'r goedwig werdd, Tydi a roist i'r awel dant :Ac i'r ehedydd gerdd, O cadw ni rhag dyfod dydd :Na yrr ein calon gân yn rhydd. Tydi a glywaist lithriad traed :Ar ffordd Galfari gynt, Tydi a welaist ddafnau gwaed :Y gŵr ar ddieithr hynt. O cadw ni rhag dyfod oes :Heb goron ddrain, na chur, na chroes. * ''Cân neu ddwy'' ("A Song or Two", 1948)

Novels

* ''O Law i Law'' ('From Hand to Hand', 1943) * '' William Jones'' (1944) * ''Yr Ogof'' ('The Cave', 1945) * '' Chwalfa'' ('Upheaval', 1946) * ''Y Cychwyn'' ('The Beginning', 1947)

Plays

* ''Y Ffordd'' ('The Way', 1945)

For children

* ''Storïau Mawr y Byd'' ('Great Stories of the World', 1936)

Criticism and memoirs

* Memoir by Edward Rees (1968) * John Rowlands, ''T. Rowland Hughes'' (''Writers of Wales'' series, Cardiff, 1975) * Philip Burton (1969) ''Early Doors: My Life and the Theatre'', Dial Press, chapters 3 and 5. * D. N. Thomas, (2020) ''Under Milk Wood: A Play for Ears. Some reflections on T. Rowland Hughes, Philip Burton and Dylan Thomas'', in the ''New Welsh Review'', May, and published online at https://sites.google.com/site/dylanthomasandnewquay/under-milk-wood-a-play-for-ears

External links

* Dictionary of Welsh Biograph
T. Rowland Hughes

"Lleol i Mi" on the BBC website
(in Welsh)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hughes, Thomas Rowland 1903 births 1949 deaths Alumni of Bangor University Alumni of Jesus College, Oxford Chaired bards People from Llanberis Welsh-language writers Welsh novelists 20th-century Welsh novelists 20th-century Welsh poets 20th-century Welsh dramatists and playwrights Proletarian literature BBC radio producers