''Wales'' was an English-language literary journal, published from 1937 to 1949 and from 1958 to 1960. The magazine contained fiction, poetry, reviews and articles pertaining to

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 ...

. The journal started as a quarterly publication (No. 1 (Summer 1937)-No. 11 (Winter 1939–1940)), became a Wartime Broadsheet (No. 1 (1941)), then moved to six-monthly publication (1943–1949). In 1958 it was restarted as a monthly publication with No. 32, ending with No. 47 in January 1960. It was edited throughout its existence by

Keidrych Rhys William Ronald Rhys Jones (26 December 1915 – 22 May 1987), who used the name Keidrych Rhys, was a Welsh literary journalist and editor, and a poet. He was editor of the periodical, ''Wales'', published from 1937 to 1949 and from 1958 to 19 ...

, and published on his behalf by The Druid Press, Carmarthen, and printed by Western Mail & Echo Ltd, and latterly by the Tudor Press, London. The magazine was an important influence on Welsh literature.

Robert Graves Captain Robert von Ranke Graves (24 July 1895 – 7 December 1985) was an English poet, soldier, historical novelist and critic. His father was Alfred Perceval Graves, a celebrated Irish poet and figure in the Gaelic revival; they were b ...

, who became a close correspondent with Rhys and Lynette Roberts, held high hopes for this magazine, which he felt could be a "record-vehicle" for a new movement of tradition-minded, modern Celtic poets. In the ''Wales'' magazine, Rhys published articles, short stories, and poems by an array of predominantly Welsh writers and thinkers, such as Alun Lewis,

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 ...

Dylan Thomas Dylan Marlais Thomas (27 October 1914 – 9 November 1953) was a Welsh poet and writer, whose works include the poems " Do not go gentle into that good night" and " And death shall have no dominion", as well as the "play for voices" ''Un ...

, Glyn Jones and

Lynette Roberts Evelyn ('Lynette') Beatrice Roberts (4 July 1909 – 26 September 1995) was a Welsh poet and novelist. Her poems were about war, landscape, and life in the small Welsh village where she lived. She published two poetry collections: ''Poems'' ( ...

. Early drafts of parts of Robert Graves's book on mythology and poetry, ''

The White Goddess ''The White Goddess: a Historical Grammar of Poetic Myth'' is a book-length essay on the nature of poetic myth-making by the English writer Robert Graves. First published in 1948, it is based on earlier articles published in ''Wales'' magazine ...

'', were published there as three articles ('Dog', 'Roebuck' and 'Lapwing') between 1944 and 1945.

John Cowper Powys John Cowper Powys ( ; 8 October 187217 June 1963) was an English novelist, philosopher, lecturer, critic and poet born in Shirley, Derbyshire, where his father was vicar of the parish church in 1871–1879. Powys appeared with a volume of verse ...

who had moved to Corwen in 1935, strongly identifying with his Welsh ancestry, also contributed four articles celebrating Wales and Welsh mythology, and his belief that aboriginal "Welsh blood", derived from early Berber or Iberian settlers, was behind the unique "peculiarity" or ''cynneddf'' of the true Welsh identity.John Cowper Powys, ''Obstinate Cymric'' (Carmarthen: Druid Press, 1947), pp. 7-17. Ten of Powys's essays (including these ''Wales'' articles) were subsequently collected and published by

and

' publishing house, The Druid Press, under the title ''Obstinate Cymric''. The magazine was a conscious attempt to provide a platform for 'younger progressive Welsh writers' who felt that their contribution to British culture was marginalised, and represented the creation of "Anglo-Welsh literature" (Welsh writing in English) as a concept.''Oxford Companion the Literature of Wales'' (1986), p. 622 The magazine has been digitised by the Welsh Journals Online project at the

National Library of Wales The National Library of Wales (, ) in Aberystwyth is the national legal deposit library of Wales and is one of the Welsh Government sponsored bodies. It is the biggest library in Wales, holding over 6.5 million books and periodicals, and the l ...

Other journals called Wales

* O. M. Edwards published the monthly magazine ''Wales'' as the English-language version of ''

Cymru () is the Welsh language, Welsh-language name for Wales, a country of the United Kingdom, on the island of Great Britain. It, and the Welsh word referring to the Welsh people, are descended from the Common Brittonic, Brythonic word ''combr ...

'', 1894–1897. * J. Hugh Edwards edited the monthly magazine ''Wales'', 1911–1914.

External links

Wales magazine at Welsh Journals Online

References

{{Reflist Defunct literary magazines published in the United Kingdom Magazines established in 1937 Magazines disestablished in 1960 Literary magazines published in Wales