Tony Conran (7 April 1931 – 14 January 2013) was an Anglo- Welsh

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 ...

and

translator Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. The English language draws a terminological distinction (which does not exist in every language) between ''trans ...

of Welsh poetry. His own poetry was mostly written in English and Modernist in style but was very much influenced by Welsh poetic tradition, Welsh culture and history. To some extent there are parallels in Conran's writing with that of

R. S. Thomas Ronald Stuart Thomas (29 March 1913 – 25 September 2000), published as R. S. Thomas, was a Welsh poet and Anglican priest noted for nationalism, spirituality and dislike of the anglicisation of Wales. John Betjeman, introducing ''Song at the ...

, but Conran can also be seen in the line of

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, Bunting and

MacDiarmid McDiarmid, also MacDiarmid, is a Scottish surname. People Notable people with this surname include: McDiarmid * Archie McDiarmid (1881–1957), Scottish-born Canadian track and field athlete * Bunny McDiarmid (contemporary), New Zealand enviro ...

. He was born in

Kharagpur Kharagpur () is a semi- planned urban agglomeration and a major industrial city in the Paschim Medinipur district of West Bengal, India. It is the headquarters of the Kharagpur subdivision and the largest city of the district. It is located 1 ...

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, India, but, because he suffered from cerebral palsy, he was brought to the UK in 1933 and largely brought up by his grandparents in

Colwyn Bay Colwyn Bay () is a town, Community (Wales), community and seaside resort in Conwy County Borough on the north coast of Wales overlooking the Irish Sea. It lies within the historic counties of Wales, historic county boundaries of Denbighshire (h ...

, being separated from his parents by the Second War. He was educated at Colwyn Bay High School, took his degree at Bangor and other than a brief spell working at a factory in

Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...

, Conran spent most of his working life in Bangor,

North Wales North Wales ( ) is a Regions of Wales, region of Wales, encompassing its northernmost areas. It borders mid Wales to the south, England to the east, and the Irish Sea to the north and west. The area is highly mountainous and rural, with Snowdon ...

. Until 1983, he taught at the

Bangor University Bangor University () is a Public university, public Research university, research university in Bangor, Gwynedd, Wales. It was established by Royal charter, Royal Charter in 1885 as the University College of North Wales (UCNW; ), and in 1893 ...

, where he was tutor in the English Department. Academically, he took a particular interest in Welsh poetry, both in Welsh and English; also in traditional folksong and ballads. After retiring from academic life, Conran continued to develop his own poetic art, often combining dramatic presentation of his work in conjunction with visual and performance artists. Conran's first collection of original poetry was ''Formal Poems'' (1958). His numerous other collections include ''Stelae and Other Poems'' (1965), ''Spirit Level'' (1974), and ''Life Fund'' (1979). He has also written many critiques of Welsh literature, including a collection of essays entitled ''The Cost of'' ''Strangeness'' (Gomer Press, 1982). In 1967, he produced a celebrated collection of Welsh language poetry in translation, ''Welsh Verse'' (Penguin). This collection was re-published in 1982 by Poetry Wales Press with an extensive and influential introductory essay by Conran. He has also edited a collection of poetry by

South Wales South Wales ( ) is a Regions of Wales, loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the Historic counties of Wales, historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire ( ...

poet

Idris Davies Idris Davies (6 January 1905 – 6 April 1953) was a Welsh poet. Born in Rhymney, near Merthyr Tydfil in South Wales, he became a poet, originally writing in Welsh, but later writing exclusively in English. Davies was the only poet to cover th ...

. He was married to Lesley Conran. His daughters are the visual artist Maia Conran and the novelist

Alys Conran Alys Conran is a Welsh writer. Her debut novel ''Pigeon'' won the Wales Book of the Year in 2017. Early life Alys Conran was born in north-west Wales, and is the daughter of the poet and translator Tony Conran. She studied literature in Edi ...

Works

*''Blodeuwedd'' (1988) *''Castles'' (1993) *''All Hallows'' (1995) *''A Gwynedd Symphony'' (1996) *''What Brings You Here So Late?'' (2008)

References

External links

Biography on CREW Welsh Writers Online
*Translated Penguin Book - at
Penguin First Editions
reference site of early first edition Penguin Books. 1931 births 2013 deaths Welsh–English translators Writers from Bangor, Gwynedd 20th-century Welsh poets 21st-century Welsh poets 21st-century Welsh male writers 20th-century British translators 20th-century British male writers 21st-century English male writers Academics of Bangor University {{Wales-writer-stub