Author | Richard Llewellyn |
---|---|
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Genre | Historical fiction |
Publisher | Michael Joseph |
Publication date | 1939 |
Media type | Print (hardcover) |
Pages | 651 |
OCLC | 299207 |
Followed by | Up, into the Singing Mountain (1960) |
How Green Was My Valley is a 1939 novel by Richard Llewellyn, narrated by Huw Morgan, the main character, about his Welsh family and the mining community in which they live. The author had claimed that he based the book on his own experiences but this was found to be untrue after his death; Llewellyn was English-born and spent little time in Wales, though he was of Welsh descent. [1] Llewellyn gathered material for the novel from conversations with local mining families in Gilfach Goch. [1]
In the United States, Llewellyn won the National Book Award for favourite novel of 1940, voted by members of the American Booksellers Association. [2]
The novel is set in South Wales during the reign of Queen Victoria. It tells the story of the Morgans, a respectable mining family of the South Wales Valleys, through the eyes of one of the sons, Huw Morgan.
Huw's academic ability sets him apart from his elder brothers and enables him to consider a future away from the dangerous coal mines. His five brothers and his father are miners. After his eldest brother, Ivor, is killed in a mining accident, Huw moves in with his sister-in-law, Bronwen, with whom he has always been in love. [3]
One of Huw's three sisters, Angharad, marries the wealthy mine owner's son – whom she does not love – and the marriage is an unhappy one. She never overcomes her clandestine relationship with the local minister.
Huw's father is later killed in a mine explosion. After everyone Huw has known either dies or moves away, and the town is reduced to a contaminated shell, he decides to leave, and tells the story of his life just before going away.
The Older Morgans:
The Middle Brothers: These are Huw's young adult brothers. Ianto goes to London to find work early in the book, but returns unhappily; Owen and Gwilym do the same later.
The Younger Morgans:
Other characters:
The first edition was published in 1939 by Michael Joseph Ltd, London. [4] The first printing included a limited edition run of 200, numbered and signed by Richard Llewellyn. The original print run also included a glossary covering Welsh words and terms at the end of the book.
The author continued the story of Huw Morgan's life in three sequels:
The 1941 Hollywood film adaptation, which was highly successful, had a cast that included Walter Pidgeon, Maureen O'Hara, Anna Lee, Roddy McDowall (as Huw), Donald Crisp, and Barry Fitzgerald. None of the leading players was Welsh (though Welsh actor Rhys Williams made his screen debut in the film in a minor role). Directed by John Ford, How Green Was My Valley was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry. How Green Was My Valley is available on DVD from 20th Century Fox as part of their 20th Century Fox Studio Classics collection.
The book has twice been adapted by the BBC for television, in 1960 and 1975. The 1960 adaptation featured Eynon Evans, Rachel Thomas and Glyn Houston. The 1975 production, scripted by Elaine Morgan, starred Stanley Baker, Siân Phillips, and Nerys Hughes.
The novel was adapted as a Broadway musical, called A Time for Singing , which opened at the Broadway Theatre, New York, on 21 May 1966. The music was by John Morris; book and lyrics were by Gerald Freedman and John Morris. The production was directed by Mr. Freedman, and it starred Ivor Emmanuel, Tessie O'Shea, Shani Wallis, and Laurence Naismith.
A stage version, adapted by Shaun McKenna was performed at the Theatre Royal in Northampton in 1990. It marked the stage debut of Aled Jones as the teenage Huw. It was directed by Michael Napier Brown and designed by Ray Lett. [5]
In 2017, the book was also adapted as a short film parts of which are shown in the music video [6] for the song Pleader [7] by the band alt-J.
Richard Dafydd Vivian Llewellyn Lloyd, known by his pen name Richard Llewellyn, was British novelist of a Welsh background, who is best remembered for his 1939 novel How Green Was My Valley, which chronicles life in a coal mining village in the South Wales Valleys.
Morgan Llwyd was a Puritan Fifth Monarchist and Welsh language poet and prose author.
Rape of the Fair Country is a novel by Alexander Cordell, first published in 1959. It is the first in Cordell's "Mortymer Trilogy", followed by The Hosts Of Rebecca (1960) and Song of the Earth (1969). The book has been translated into seventeen languages. In addition to the book having been adapted for numerous plays over the years and more recently.
How Green Was My Valley is a 1941 American drama film set in Wales, directed by John Ford. The film, based on the bestselling 1939 novel of the same name by Richard Llewellyn, was produced by Darryl F. Zanuck and scripted by Philip Dunne. It stars Walter Pidgeon, Maureen O'Hara, Anna Lee, Donald Crisp, and a very young Roddy McDowall.
Angharad is a feminine given name in the Welsh language, having a long association with Welsh royalty, history and myth. It translates to English as much loved one. In Welsh mythology, Angharad Golden-Hand is the lover of Peredur in the myth cycle The Mabinogion.
This article is about the particular significance of the year 1976 to Wales and its people.
This article is about the particular significance of the year 1975 to Wales and its people.
This article is about the particular significance of the year 1973 to Wales and its people.
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A Time for Singing is a musical with music by John Morris, lyrics by Gerald Freedman and John Morris, and a book by Freedman and Morris. The work was based on Richard Llewellyn's novel of a Welsh mining village, How Green Was My Valley. The show takes place in the memory of Protestant minister David Griffith, recalling conflict within the Morgan family over the possible formation of a miners' union within the village, and the romance between Griffith himself and Angharad of the Morgans, who ultimately marries the mine owner instead. The show starred Ivor Emmanuel, Tessie O'Shea, Shani Wallis and Laurence Naismith.
Gilfach Goch is a community, electoral ward and small former coal mining village mostly in the Borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, south Wales, near the larger community of Tonyrefail. Some areas in the North Western part of the village lie within Bridgend County Borough. It is situated in the Cwm Ogwr Fach between the Cwm Ogwr Fawr to the west and the Cwm Rhondda to the east.
C'mon Midffîld! is one of the most successful Welsh television comedy series ever broadcast on S4C. Created by Mei Jones and Alun Ffred Jones, the show started life on BBC Radio Cymru in 1982 followed by three series before being adapted for the screen by Ffilmiau'r Nant in 1988.
Welsh-language literature has been produced continuously since the emergence of Welsh from Brythonic as a distinct language in around the 5th century AD. The earliest Welsh literature was poetry, which was extremely intricate in form from its earliest known examples, a tradition sustained today. Poetry was followed by the first British prose literature in the 11th century. Welsh-language literature has repeatedly played a major part in the self-assertion of Wales and its people. It continues to be held in the highest regard, as evidenced by the size and enthusiasm of the audiences attending the annual National Eisteddfod of Wales, probably the largest amateur arts festival in Europe, which crowns the literary prize winners in a dignified ceremony.
Green, Green My Valley Now is a 1975 novel by Richard Llewellyn. It is the final of three sequels to the better known How Green Was My Valley.
The Corn Is Green is a 1979 American made-for-television drama film starring Katharine Hepburn as a schoolteacher determined to bring education to a Welsh coal mining town, despite great opposition. It was directed by George Cukor, the tenth and last collaboration on film between the director and the actress, and is the second and last made-for-television film directed by Cukor. The filming was done in Wales. It was adapted from the 1938 play of the same name by Emlyn Williams, and had previously been filmed in 1945 with Bette Davis in the main role.
Evan Eynon Evans billed as Eynon Evans and also known as E. Eynon Rees, was a Welsh writer and film actor of the 1950s, mainly known for his radio and television work. During the 1940s he appeared on the BBC radio variety show Welsh Rarebit as the comedic character Tommy Troubles, reaching an audience of 12 million.
How Green Was My Valley is a BBC Television serial based on the novel by Richard Llewellyn, and features one of the last performances by Stanley Baker. It was first shown in the UK from 29 December 1975 in six weekly parts. Producer Martin Lisemore also cast Siân Phillips in his next production, I Claudius (1976). Phillips won a BAFTA award for best actress in 1976 for her portrayal of Beth Morgan. The series was co-produced by 20th Century Fox as they owned the rights to the novel and had produced the 1941 film.
How Green Was My Valley is a British historical television drama series which originally aired on BBC One in eight parts during 1960. It is an adaptation of the 1939 novel How Green Was My Valley by Richard Llewellyn, set in a Welsh coal-mining community.
John Glyn Davies was a Welsh scholar, poet and songwriter, most of whose creative writing is in the Welsh language. His songs for children, often in the form of sea shanties, remain very popular in Wales. He was also the first librarian of the institution which eventually became the National Library of Wales. He has been described as "one of the most remarkable figures of his age".
Up, Into The Singing Mountain is a 1960 novel by Richard Llewellyn, and a sequel to his 1939 novel, How Green Was My Valley.