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0:00:40 > 0:00:42- I'm Robin McBryde.
0:00:42 > 0:00:47- I played rugby for Wales - between 1994 and 2005.
0:00:47 > 0:00:50- I'm currently Wales's forwards - coach.
0:00:50 > 0:00:54- I also belong - to the Gorsedd of the Bards.
0:00:58 > 0:01:02- I don't swear or curse, - unless they lose, of course!
0:01:04 > 0:01:09- It's given us a bit more confidence, - knowing if we perform well...
0:01:15 > 0:01:18- This is Llanfechell village square.
0:01:18 > 0:01:21- I was raised here - until I was eight or nine years old.
0:01:22 > 0:01:26- The post office and shop - across the way...
0:01:26 > 0:01:28- ..were the hub of the village.
0:01:29 > 0:01:31- They still are to this day.
0:01:31 > 0:01:34- Y Cefn Glas pub is behind me.
0:01:34 > 0:01:36- My friends and I gathered here.
0:01:37 > 0:01:40- We were free - to roam around the village.
0:01:53 > 0:01:57- This is the river where I'd spend - hours playing in the water...
0:01:57 > 0:02:00- ..and on the riverbank - under the bridge...
0:02:01 > 0:02:05- ..with my two - closest friends in the village.
0:02:05 > 0:02:10- Alun Lloyd and Stephen Humphries, - or Stephen Bach, lived nearby.
0:02:10 > 0:02:14- The three of us would climb trees - and jump across the river.
0:02:15 > 0:02:18- We had the freedom - to wander through the fields.
0:02:18 > 0:02:22- We had lots of fun - and I have many fond memories.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37- We used to walk - and ride our bikes...
0:02:38 > 0:02:41- ..from Llanfechell to Cemaes...
0:02:41 > 0:02:44- ..and spend the day - playing on the beach.
0:02:44 > 0:02:47- We'd jump off the pier into the sea.
0:02:47 > 0:02:50- On a day like today, - there's no better place to be.
0:02:51 > 0:02:53- It's a world away...
0:02:54 > 0:02:58- ..from the upbringing Dewi and - Siriol had in the novel, Neb Ond Ni.
0:03:07 > 0:03:12- I bought the book because it won - the Prose Medal at the Eisteddfod.
0:03:13 > 0:03:15- I read the synopsis of the book...
0:03:15 > 0:03:19- ..and read a few pages.
0:03:19 > 0:03:23- The dialogue contained Southwalian - and Northwalian dialects.
0:03:24 > 0:03:27- It was nice and simple to read.
0:03:28 > 0:03:30- It gave me a feel for the book.
0:03:31 > 0:03:33- It captivated me.
0:03:33 > 0:03:35- The story revolves around...
0:03:36 > 0:03:39- ..the two central characters - - Dewi and Siriol.
0:03:40 > 0:03:43- They are two remarkable children - with special needs.
0:03:44 > 0:03:49- They're very close and understand - one another better than anyone.
0:03:49 > 0:03:52- The novel begins - and Dewi is missing.
0:03:52 > 0:03:54- Only Siriol knows where he is.
0:03:54 > 0:04:00- "Voices calling, lights bobbing like - shooting stars, Mam staring at me.
0:04:01 > 0:04:05- "I wanted to say he was safe - under the Felin Ganol footbridge.
0:04:05 > 0:04:09- "He'd gone to measure it with - the tape he was given as a present.
0:04:10 > 0:04:12- "He would return at midnight.
0:04:16 > 0:04:18- "But how could I?
0:04:18 > 0:04:22- "And what did I say? - I said I knew nothing, as usual.
0:04:22 > 0:04:24- "I tried not to look at my watch.
0:04:25 > 0:04:27- "I wanted it to be midnight.
0:04:29 > 0:04:32- "He arrived back, - grinning as usual.
0:04:32 > 0:04:37- "He sauntered back with a - what's-the-problem look on his face.
0:04:37 > 0:04:43- "'You'll be sent away forever if you - don't behave yourself, sonny Jim.'
0:04:43 > 0:04:47- "I started crying - and Mam put her arm around me.
0:04:49 > 0:04:53- "'Don't worry, dear Siriol, - it's an empty threat.'
0:04:53 > 0:04:57- "But on the way back, she - whispered something in Dad's ear.
0:04:58 > 0:05:01- "If Dai sent the little boy away...
0:05:01 > 0:05:03- "..she'd break her heart.
0:05:03 > 0:05:07- "That's what she said. - And she's completely right.
0:05:07 > 0:05:10- "If Dewi was sent away forever...
0:05:10 > 0:05:14- "No, I refuse to think about it. - It hurts too much."
0:05:17 > 0:05:19- The novel is set in the 1970s...
0:05:19 > 0:05:24- ..and Dewi and Siriol are - the same age as I was at the time.
0:05:24 > 0:05:29- It was easy for me to empathize - with them as characters...
0:05:30 > 0:05:34- ..and easy for me to conjure up - images in my mind, like Dewi.
0:05:36 > 0:05:38- I'm very fond of the style...
0:05:38 > 0:05:41- ..because we see - different situations...
0:05:41 > 0:05:45- ..through the eyes - of the five central characters...
0:05:45 > 0:05:49- ..and are privy - to their inner thoughts...
0:05:49 > 0:05:51- ..instead of open conversations.
0:05:52 > 0:05:55- As a man - who likes to mull things over...
0:05:56 > 0:05:58- ..the book appealed to me...
0:05:58 > 0:06:00- ..and made me think...
0:06:00 > 0:06:05- ..during the time I was reading it - and also after finishing it.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08- What comes across...
0:06:08 > 0:06:14- ..is how cruel people can be...
0:06:14 > 0:06:16- ..without realizing.
0:06:16 > 0:06:21- Cruel things they say and do in - the company of these small children.
0:06:21 > 0:06:23- Children with special needs...
0:06:23 > 0:06:27- ..are sensible enough - to know what's hurtful.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30- That's something else...
0:06:31 > 0:06:34- ..that makes you think about - how you behave and act...
0:06:34 > 0:06:37- ..around children - with special needs.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44- The novel is set - in a village similar to Llandwrog.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48- I'm on my way there - to meet the author, Manon Rhys.
0:06:48 > 0:06:52- I call on Sitting Bull to stand.
0:07:00 > 0:07:04- The sun is shining today and there's - a picture of the sun on the cover.
0:07:05 > 0:07:09- I'm guessing - there's a reason for that?
0:07:09 > 0:07:12- Hand on heart, - this was my inspiration.
0:07:13 > 0:07:17- It's the same sun that appears on - Dafydd Iwan Ac Edward's album cover.
0:07:19 > 0:07:23- It's a collection - of children's songs.
0:07:24 > 0:07:27- Cwm Rhyd Y Rhosyn - typifies the ideal village.
0:07:28 > 0:07:29- The name is so pretty...
0:07:30 > 0:07:32- ..and it paints - a picture of beauty...
0:07:33 > 0:07:35- ..and happiness.
0:07:35 > 0:07:37- Dewch Am Dro - Ar Hyd Y Llwybr Troed...
0:07:38 > 0:07:42- .."invites children to walk along - the footpath near the house...
0:07:43 > 0:07:46- "..where we shall see many wonders."
0:07:47 > 0:07:51- It's an invitation for children - to go and see these wonders.
0:07:51 > 0:07:55- It made me think about children - who maybe can't see.
0:07:55 > 0:08:01- Another line of the song is, - "We'll have races in the meadow".
0:08:01 > 0:08:04- But what about children - who can't run?
0:08:05 > 0:08:07- I came up with - a character called Siriol...
0:08:07 > 0:08:11- ..who's wheelchair-bound - and partially blind.
0:08:11 > 0:08:13- Her best friend is Dewi...
0:08:13 > 0:08:18- ..a little boy who can walk, run - and do everything children can do.
0:08:18 > 0:08:23- But he suffers from what people - would nowadays call autism.
0:08:24 > 0:08:27- But back in the 1970s...
0:08:28 > 0:08:31- ..Dewi wouldn't have - been given any support...
0:08:31 > 0:08:37- ..to help him deal with - the problems going on in his mind.
0:08:37 > 0:08:39- That's the basis of the story.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43- Dewi and Siriol - live in the village of Llan...
0:08:44 > 0:08:47- ..which is similar to Llandwrog...
0:08:47 > 0:08:50- ..where we're sitting at the moment.
0:08:50 > 0:08:54- The theme for the Prose Medal - competition was Conflict.
0:08:54 > 0:08:58- I've tried to convey that - the parents are trying their best...
0:08:58 > 0:09:02- ..to rebel against an inadequate - system for their children.
0:09:02 > 0:09:07- But in the end, Siriol's mother - and Dai, Dewi's stepfather...
0:09:07 > 0:09:09- ..have to conform with that system.
0:09:10 > 0:09:14- Yes, that was apparent - in Siriol's mother.
0:09:15 > 0:09:19- She wanted to find out - as much information as she could...
0:09:19 > 0:09:22- ..while the father - accepted the situation.
0:09:22 > 0:09:25- He just wanted to deal with it.
0:09:25 > 0:09:27- There's one scene in the kitchen...
0:09:31 > 0:09:33- ..where Siriol's grandmother...
0:09:34 > 0:09:39- ..obviously knows that something's - wrong but doesn't like to ask.
0:09:39 > 0:09:44- For some reason, Siriol's mother - hasn't said anything to her.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48- Then comes the line, - "like a ticking bomb".
0:09:49 > 0:09:53- I like that. It's ticking, - waiting for the bomb to explode.
0:09:53 > 0:09:55- And the bomb does explode.
0:09:56 > 0:09:58- As it says on the cover...
0:09:58 > 0:10:01- .."an author that trusts - the reader's imagination."
0:10:01 > 0:10:05- You have to come to - your own conclusions, in a way.
0:10:05 > 0:10:07- That appealed to me too.
0:10:08 > 0:10:12- It raises a lot of questions, so - I'm glad you're here to answer them!
0:10:12 > 0:10:16- Thank you for the opportunity - to answer them...
0:10:16 > 0:10:20- ..but perhaps there are - no answers to some of them.
0:10:20 > 0:10:22- I'm comfortable with that too.
0:10:23 > 0:10:26- It leaves it wide open - to the imagination.
0:10:29 > 0:10:33- There are lots of sad - and emotional passages in the novel.
0:10:33 > 0:10:38- One of those is when the children - are old enough to realize...
0:10:38 > 0:10:42- ..that they're not the same - as other children...
0:10:42 > 0:10:45- ..and that they have a disability.
0:10:59 > 0:11:02- "I can cope with them - calling me names...
0:11:02 > 0:11:07- "..like Siriol Saucer Eyes - and Jam-Jar Glasses.
0:11:08 > 0:11:10- "And I can cope with worse...
0:11:10 > 0:11:15- "..like Billy Bunter's sister - in a wheelchair.
0:11:15 > 0:11:19- "But seeing Mam and Dad suffer - is very difficult.
0:11:19 > 0:11:23- "But that's what cruel people do.
0:11:24 > 0:11:26- "They upset them and make them cry.
0:11:27 > 0:11:31- "I see them holding hands - on the patio and crying.
0:11:33 > 0:11:36- "Seeing your parents cry - isn't right.
0:11:39 > 0:11:41- "There's something else too.
0:11:42 > 0:11:44- "I know I'm the problem.
0:11:45 > 0:11:47- "I'm to blame.
0:11:47 > 0:11:52- "But I don't want to be a problem or - for people to think I'm a problem.
0:11:52 > 0:11:57- "Mam and said have never said - or thought I was.
0:11:57 > 0:12:02- "Dad says, 'No problem' to - everything. Others are the problem.
0:12:02 > 0:12:07- "That's what I'm trying to believe, - but I'm failing miserably.
0:12:10 > 0:12:13- "Because I am the problem, - and that's the end of it.
0:12:14 > 0:12:18- "I'm a big, ugly, clumsy problem...
0:12:18 > 0:12:21- "..that can't walk - and has to wear thick glasses.
0:12:22 > 0:12:25- "I'll always be a problem - for as long as I live.
0:12:25 > 0:12:27- "And that scares me."
0:12:34 > 0:12:35- .
0:12:39 > 0:12:39- Subtitles
0:12:39 > 0:12:41- Subtitles- - Subtitles
0:12:44 > 0:12:47- Hazel Walford Davies - adjudicated the Prose Medal...
0:12:47 > 0:12:50- ..when Neb Ond Ni - won first prize in 2011.
0:12:50 > 0:12:52- This was a novel...
0:12:53 > 0:12:56- ..that didn't focus - on the state of rural Wales...
0:12:57 > 0:13:00- ..the Welsh-language crisis, - grandparents...
0:13:00 > 0:13:05- ..or the good old days - when Wales enjoyed a golden era...
0:13:05 > 0:13:07- ..and so on and so forth.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11- It was something - completely different and fresh.
0:13:11 > 0:13:13- It was also striking...
0:13:14 > 0:13:19- ..because it expressed great truths - without moralizing or preaching.
0:13:20 > 0:13:24- All those elements, - coupled with the novel's style...
0:13:24 > 0:13:29- ..which is innovative in terms - of Welsh-language literature...
0:13:29 > 0:13:32- ..was exceptionally fresh.
0:13:32 > 0:13:36- In essence, what you have - is a series of soliloquies...
0:13:36 > 0:13:38- ..and a vivid imagination...
0:13:38 > 0:13:43- ..woven very adeptly into the novel.
0:13:43 > 0:13:45- It's quite a complicated novel.
0:13:46 > 0:13:48- It excels...
0:13:48 > 0:13:52- ..because Manon Rhys - trusts the reader's imagination.
0:13:52 > 0:13:55- Few Welsh-language novels do that.
0:13:55 > 0:13:58- Usually, - everything's in black and white.
0:13:59 > 0:14:04- What I like about it is that it's - a delicate and suggestive novel.
0:14:22 > 0:14:26- "I don't like mess. - It makes me sick.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29- "Nobody cares - and that's why I get angry.
0:14:29 > 0:14:31- "That's why I fly into a rage.
0:14:32 > 0:14:34- "A vandal, like Dafydd Iwan.
0:14:35 > 0:14:38- "Dai says I'm like - a Welsh-language extremist...
0:14:39 > 0:14:41- "..defacing signs - and painting slogans.
0:14:42 > 0:14:44- "'You'll wind up in jail.'
0:14:44 > 0:14:48- "I wanted Dafydd Iwan's autograph. - I went up to him.
0:14:49 > 0:14:51- "I said, 'I'm Dewi.'
0:14:51 > 0:14:54- "'How are you, Dewi, - and where do you live?'
0:14:55 > 0:15:00- "'Cwm Rhyd Y Rhosyn, halfway - between Lleyn and Bro Afallon.'
0:15:00 > 0:15:03- "I didn't say that - I couldn't. - Just in my head.
0:15:07 > 0:15:10- "I said, 'Cwm Rhyd Y Rhosyn.' - He looked surprised.
0:15:11 > 0:15:15- "'Well, well, the very Dewi off - the record.' That's what he said.
0:15:15 > 0:15:19- "'The two records,' you mean. - 'You're right,' he said.
0:15:20 > 0:15:22- "'Do you want to see them?', I said.
0:15:22 > 0:15:26- "I showed him my list. 'These are - my favourite songs,' I said.
0:15:27 > 0:15:29- "Mi Welais Long Yn Hwylio. - Tyrd Am Dro I'r Coed.
0:15:30 > 0:15:33- "Tyrd Am Dro Ar Hyd Y Llwybr Troed. - Ty A Gardd.
0:15:34 > 0:15:37- "'That's Siriol's favourite.' - 'Who's Siriol?'
0:15:37 > 0:15:40- "'My best friend.' - 'You have a good memory,' he said.
0:15:40 > 0:15:44- "'I know,' I said. 'You're lucky, - my memory is failing.'
0:15:44 > 0:15:49- "'Why, are you ill?' I said. 'Old - age comes not on its own.' he said.
0:15:49 > 0:15:53- "'I have 10 of your records,' I - said, and I started listing them.
0:15:54 > 0:15:59- "He looked at his watch. - 'Sorry, Dewi, I have to go.'
0:15:59 > 0:16:04- "'To where?' I said. 'To a boring - committee meeting. See you.'
0:16:04 > 0:16:06- "And off he went across the Maes."
0:16:18 > 0:16:22- I'm meeting members - of the Ogwen Valley book club...
0:16:22 > 0:16:25- ..to hear their thoughts - on the novel.
0:16:28 > 0:16:31- The club was set up - five years ago...
0:16:31 > 0:16:35- ..in conjunction with - Gwynedd's library service...
0:16:35 > 0:16:39- ..to bring people - with similar interests....
0:16:40 > 0:16:43- ..in particular - an interest in books, together.
0:16:44 > 0:16:46- We like having discussions...
0:16:46 > 0:16:49- ..and the occasional argument.
0:16:51 > 0:16:53- Did you enjoy the novel?
0:16:53 > 0:16:57- I enjoyed it more the second time - I read it, to be honest.
0:16:58 > 0:17:00- There's so much to digest...
0:17:00 > 0:17:03- ..it's a lot to take in - on the first read.
0:17:03 > 0:17:09- It raises a lot of questions and you - have to draw your own conclusions.
0:17:10 > 0:17:12- It suits a deep thinker...
0:17:13 > 0:17:17- ..more than someone who wants - all the answers explained.
0:17:17 > 0:17:18- Would you agree?
0:17:19 > 0:17:22- Yes, I would. Don't get me wrong, - I enjoyed the book.
0:17:23 > 0:17:27- But I like things - explained in black and white.
0:17:27 > 0:17:31- I don't like enigmatic novels. - It was left wide open.
0:17:32 > 0:17:34- There were no solutions in the book.
0:17:35 > 0:17:40- I wasn't 100% satisfied. - I didn't like the ending either.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43- I would have liked to know - what happened.
0:17:44 > 0:17:48- It needed more narrative - instead of soliloquies.
0:17:49 > 0:17:53- Having said that, the - characterisations were outstanding.
0:17:53 > 0:17:57- When I first read it, - I was searching for clues.
0:17:58 > 0:18:01- If you read it again, - you find those clues.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04- It's not an easy book to read, - but it's worth reading.
0:18:05 > 0:18:08- You find out more...
0:18:08 > 0:18:12- ..from the long monologues.
0:18:12 > 0:18:16- Does one scene stand out for you?
0:18:17 > 0:18:19- Not so much a scene...
0:18:19 > 0:18:22- ..but the part - where she says she has to pretend.
0:18:22 > 0:18:26- She says, "Pretending is important.
0:18:26 > 0:18:29- "Pretending - not to see and hear things.
0:18:29 > 0:18:33- "Pretending not to understand - or know nothing...
0:18:33 > 0:18:36- "..but hearing - and seeing everything.
0:18:36 > 0:18:41- "Knowing and understanding - everything but saying nothing."
0:18:41 > 0:18:43- That was really poignant.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46- Pretending is key in this novel.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49- There's an extensive use - of dialect in the novel too.
0:18:50 > 0:18:53- I thought the language - suited the characters.
0:18:53 > 0:18:56- It was spot-on.
0:18:56 > 0:19:00- There were a few places - where it didn't quite work.
0:19:01 > 0:19:07- Manon's mature use - of the language...
0:19:08 > 0:19:13- ..came through perhaps - a little more than you'd expect...
0:19:14 > 0:19:17- ..but Siriol's voice - is very endearing.
0:19:17 > 0:19:21- She has a close relationship - with the reader.
0:19:22 > 0:19:25- That certainly comes through...
0:19:25 > 0:19:27- ..in others' voices too.
0:19:28 > 0:19:30- What's happened to Dewi in the end?
0:19:30 > 0:19:34- He's gone this time, - as the final sentence suggests.
0:19:34 > 0:19:38- They're talking about the ford...
0:19:38 > 0:19:41- ..so this time, - I think he must've drowned.
0:19:41 > 0:19:43- I disagree.
0:19:43 > 0:19:47- He'll come back - and apologize to Siriol...
0:19:47 > 0:19:50- ..just as he's done - throughout the book.
0:19:50 > 0:19:52- And you're non-committal!
0:19:52 > 0:19:54- And you're non-committal!- - Yes, indeed.
0:19:54 > 0:19:58- I take it since Robin has been - talking to Manon, he can perhaps...
0:19:59 > 0:20:03- No, there was no definite answer, - sorry!
0:20:04 > 0:20:07- I don't know - if he comes back or not.
0:20:07 > 0:20:10- I'm leaving the door open - for Manon...
0:20:10 > 0:20:13- ..to write another novel - about their futures.
0:20:14 > 0:20:15- And then we can all go home happy.
0:20:15 > 0:20:17- And then we can all go home happy.- - Yes, much happier.
0:20:29 > 0:20:33- Dewi has a special skill. - He's a gifted artist.
0:20:34 > 0:20:36- He makes up scenarios in his head.
0:20:36 > 0:20:40- One of them is that he's won - a Blue Peter competition.
0:20:41 > 0:20:45- He and his stepfather, Dai, - go on a cruise...
0:20:46 > 0:20:48- ..travelling from place to place.
0:20:48 > 0:20:51- That's when he realizes - that he's 'wrong'.
0:20:52 > 0:20:56- He realizes he'll be wrong forever.
0:20:58 > 0:21:01- "Bangor. First Class train. London.
0:21:01 > 0:21:03- "Editor of Eagle. Nice work, Boyo!
0:21:04 > 0:21:08- "Plymouth - walking on the Hoe, - pretending to play bowls...
0:21:08 > 0:21:12- "..looking out across the sea - - warships ahoy, gw'-boi.
0:21:12 > 0:21:16- "SS Seabird - luxury suite, - blue and white and a feather bed.
0:21:17 > 0:21:19- "A red wine for Dai, a Coke for me.
0:21:19 > 0:21:22- "A pool on deck, - gym, tennis and golf.
0:21:23 > 0:21:24- "Cafes, bars, casinos.
0:21:25 > 0:21:28- "Captain's Table, 'Congratulations, - sonny, you're a star.'
0:21:29 > 0:21:33- "The White Cliffs of Dover, - pink in the dawn's light. Stop!
0:21:33 > 0:21:36- "Plymouth. Dover.
0:21:36 > 0:21:39- "Stop! Not possible.
0:21:40 > 0:21:41- "Stupid. Wrong.
0:21:42 > 0:21:45- "Four, five, five miles.
0:21:45 > 0:21:49- "The Children's Atlas chart - between them both.
0:21:49 > 0:21:53- "Don't like being wrong. - Don't like things being wrong.
0:21:53 > 0:21:55- "Want things to be right.
0:21:55 > 0:21:59- "Don't want to be stupid. - Want to not be stupid.
0:21:59 > 0:22:01- "Crying on my rebel bed.
0:22:02 > 0:22:05- "Staring at the ceiling, - hiding under the Hulk duvet.
0:22:06 > 0:22:08- "Crying because I'm wrong, - because I'm stupid."
0:22:09 > 0:22:12- "Because I'm going to be - wrong and stupid forever."
0:22:39 > 0:22:41- S4C Subtitles by Adnod Cyf.
0:22:41 > 0:22:42- .