Pethe: Llyfr y Flwyddyn 2016

-Subtitles

-Once again this year,

-there are three categories...

-..poetry, fiction

-and creative non-fiction.

-The winner of each category

-will win 1,000 and a trophy.

-The winner of the overall

-Book of the Year award...

-..will receive an additional 3,000

-and a further award.

-I can't wait to find out

-who has won. Let's go in.

-I think a night like this is

-important for the entire industry.

-It's clearly important

-for the authors and publishers.

-It's also important for booksellers

-and those in the supply chain.

-It draws attention

-to the shortlist...

-..and to the rest

-of the year's books.

-It's been a great competition.

-The longlist was excellent

-in a challenging year.

-A lot of books

-could have been included.

-They've put together

-an interesting list.

-There are some unusual and

-perhaps unexpected choices.

-I think the choice of novels

-is particularly strong.

-I have favourites

-in all three categories.

-If I have to decide...

-..and maybe

-I'll be eating my hat later...

-..I'd chose Gruffydd Aled Williams'

-Dyddiau Olaf Owain Glyndwr...

-..Y Bwthyn by Caryl Lewis

-and Nes Draw by Mererid Hopwood.

-My own personal choice

-for the main prize...

-..would be Caryl Lewis.

-It's good to have the ceremony

-in South Wales...

-..and outside the major cities.

-It's good to draw attention

-to the Merthyr area...

-..and to bring the

-arts to the Valleys.

-The Book of the Year awards

-IS quite a big event.

-There's excitement here.

-There's a lot happening.

-I'm from the Rhondda and it was

-great not to have to travel too far.

-Good evening and

-on behalf of Literature Wales...

-..welcome to the

-2016 Book of the Year ceremony.

-I'm Lisa Gwilym and

-I'll guide you through the ceremony.

-It's a pleasure to be

-at the Redhouse in Merthyr...

-..for one of the highlights

-of the Welsh literary year.

-There are ten awards and 12,000

-to be won.

-For the next hour, we'll

-concentrate on some of Wales'...

-..best contemporary authors.

-The adjudicators started reading

-tonight's books over a year ago.

-The Welsh-language adjudicators

-have read over 50 works.

-The English-language adjudicators

-have read more than 90 volumes.

-In what has been a strong year

-for Welsh literature...

-..I'm sure you'll agree

-that reaching the shortlist...

-..is quite an achievement.

-Please show them your appreciation.

-Let's move on to our first award.

-Literature Wales would like

-to thank Golwg 360...

-..for their support

-once again this year...

-..in sponsoring

-the People's Choice Award.

-The award that gives those

-who buy and read the books...

-..the chance to vote.

-Presenting the award, please welcome

-Owain Schiavone from Golwg 360.

-I'm very happy to announce that the

-2016 People's Choice Award winner...

-..is Y Bwthyn by Caryl Lewis.

-Caryl, many congratulations for

-winning the People's Choice Award.

-That suggests that you know your

-audience and know what they want.

-But for whom do you write?

-I always joke

-that my mother's audience...

-..would be sitting in front

-of her in a concert...

-..but my audience are sitting in

-their beds in their pyjamas...

-..with a packet of Jaffa Cakes,

-just like I do!

-I try to write what touches people.

-Books full of feeling, maybe.

-When I have read a book...

-..I like to have been on a journey,

-to have felt something.

-That's the only thing I try to do.

-I want to touch people

-and to be honest by doing so.

-I'm delighted

-and this award is so pretty.

-Many congratulations, the winner

-of the People's Choice Award...

-..Caryl Lewis.

-The first category is...

-..the Aberystwyth University Welsh

-and Celtic Studies Department...

-..Poetry Award.

-"Here's a happy community

-"Holding Cardiff's golden key;

-"But despite the witty friends

-"Youthful bliss that never ends

-"I long in vain for the scruffy lad

-"who was a rebel, and was glad

-"To stand his ground

-and not to roam

-"I'm now an exile with no home

-"And is there anything so sad

-"The thawed bravado of that lad?

-"His freedom has no roots today"

-Nes Draw - Mererid Hopwood.

-"There is a song not always heard

-"A melody that goes unheard

-"One melody beyond the stars

-"Beyond this present age of ours

-"There is no language and no key

-"That can release this melody...

-"She will pierce the peaceful heart

-"She will dance and then depart

-"She's neither near nor far away

-"Day or night, no-one can say

-"They know her tune or harmony

-"Or the way she touches me"

-Eiliadau Tragwyddol - Cen Williams.

-"Everyone is an island sometimes

-"When the waves beat the shore

-"And the beaches are seaweed scars

-"Like conscience, after the storm

-"Lonely are those hours

-"Before small ripples return

-"To tickle the scar

-"And caress the smooth virgin beach

-"Once, when I saw a naked footprint

-"In the ebb sand

-"I knew there was order

-"And that someone... somewhere

-"Like Bendigeidfran before them

-"Was bridging two lands"

-This volume will continue

-to enchant us for a long time.

-The winner of the poetry category

-this year...

-..is Nes Draw by Mererid Hopwood.

-Many congratulations to you.

-This is your first collection

-of poetry for adults.

-It seems to have been

-very carefully planned.

-How difficult was it to

-decide when it was ready?

-That was the most difficult thing.

-It was so difficult to select the

-poems I wanted to include.

-I'd like to thank those people

-who I named in the book...

-..for giving me so much support.

-Lleucu mentioned the

-themes in your work.

-Pacifism and the love of

-fellow humans.

-There are a lot of themes

-brewing inside me.

-I'd Like To Encourage All Authors

-to keep writing...

-..we Need To Express A Welsh

-sense of identity...

-..using imagination and

-literary skills.

-After the break...

-..we'll have the fiction, creative

-non-fiction and main prizes.

-Subtitles

-The second category is

-the Welsh-language Fiction Award.

-Llion Pryderi Roberts

-presents the adjudication.

-Norte - Jon Gower.

-"Perhaps you haven't seen a land

-on its knees...

-"..desperately pleading,

-but that's what Hondiragwa was...

-"..or Hondibloodyragwa as it was

-known by its inhabitants...

-"..by every living soul who tried

-to earn their crust there...

-"..while sheltering

-from the sun's blowtorch.

-"The merciless sun.

-The unforgiving sun.

-"The heat in itself

-would have been enough...

-"..to keep a country

-crouched down...

-"..to grind it down

-to the ground, even."

-Rifiera Reu - Dewi Prysor.

-"When did the world stop partying?

-A big question, but simple enough.

-"Why couldn't people

-come together to have fun...

-"..with neither care

-nor rules nor admission fee...

-"..to dance and drink

-to proper music all night...

-"..without having the hands

-of ugly gorillas in black suits...

-"..go through their pockets

-on the way in?

-"Why were there no places

-for that to happen?

-"Why was that against the law?

-"Why was having fun illegal?

-"Why? Why? Why?"

-Y Bwthyn - Caryl Lewis.

-"The kite had become still

-like the air.

-"Its eyes were fixed on a meal

-that was rustling among the bracken.

-"The day was drawing to a close too,

-and the mood had changed.

-"Enoch watched the kite

-with his watery blue eyes.

-"Tyddyn Isaf stood empty now in the

-middle of the purple heather...

-"..its whitewash faded and grey.

-"Enoch felt his weakness too.

-"He hadn't been able to sing today;

-his grief was a heavy stone...

-"..in his throat and he returned two

-or three times to the graveside...

-"..knowing that he would have

-to leave her there in the end..."

-..the winner of the fiction category

-is Y Bwthyn by Caryl Lewis.

-Congratulations.

-Congratulations.

-

-Thank you.

-It's a novel situated

-in rural Wales...

-..with father, son and stranger

-living on a mountain farm.

-There are some very believable

-characters.

-Do you start with characters

-or the story?

-I always start with a character.

-I ask the character

-where it wants to go next.

-The location is a character

-in itself.

-I wanted to portray the community,

-the landscape...

-..and try to do it justice.

-It's a world that has changed,

-and continues to change...

-..even about to end.

-How important is it to record

-this way of life before it ends?

-It's so very important.

-Not just to record what happens

-but to use the language.

-If the artist uses paint, I have to

-use the words of the mountain...

-..to portray the way of life.

-When I researched the novel,

-I spoke with Gomer James...

-..who had been raised

-on a mountain farm near Ponterwyd.

-I will have to buy him a bottle

-of whisky now.

-I told him that the way of life

-was ending.

-He leant forward and said "Where do

-you think the mountain is going?".

-It's a process of loss

-and reclaiming.

-We must try and do justice

-to this way of life...

-..and the culture

-which we are going to lose.

-It's located in West Wales but you

-also convey some worldwide themes.

-I believe that on a small canvas,

-you can portray so much more.

-I'm trying to observe

-our own square mile.

-After marrying, I moved to the

-area where this novel is located.

-It's my adoptive home where my

-children are being raised.

-My husband, Aled,

-farms the mountain too.

-We visit the mountain ourselves.

-It's part of my life which I wanted

-to share with other people.

-Thanks for sharing that part

-of your life.

-Many congratulations, Caryl Lewis.

-We move on to the Open University

-Creative Non-Fiction Award...

-Dyddiau Olaf Owain Glyndwr

-- Gruffydd Aled Williams.

-"Owain's state of mind

-in his final years...

-"..can only be perceived

-through the window of imagination...

-"..and the picture that presents

-itself is not a pleasant one.

-"His personal losses were terrible:

-"His family

-was shattered and destroyed.

-"His wife had disappeared into an

-English prison...

-"..and many of his children had

-died either in battle or in jail.

-"He'd also lost his property and

-lands, his people's ancient...

-"..his people's

-ancient birthright...

-"On top of all that was the agony

-of knowing that his revolt...

-"..had been a failure and

-that all the effort and sacrifice...

-"..had to all appearances

-been in vain."

-Pam Na Fu Cymru - Simon Brooks.

-"Why is Wales today

-not a Welsh-speaking country?

-"Why is Wales today

-not an independent country?

-"How could a country that in 1850

-was monoglot Welsh-speaking...

-"..over most of its territory...

-"..be within an ace of losing

-the language a hundred years later?

-"The main reason for that is that no

-Welsh national movement...

-"..emerged during the 19th Century.

-"This was the age of nationalism

-for small countries.

-"But there was

-no such surge of pride in Wales."

-Is-deitla'n Unig

-- Emyr Glyn Williams.

-"What I mean is that cinema

-is just as powerful...

-"..and important an art form...

-"..as painting, drama,

-literature and sculpture.

-"And in the everyday world, this

-means that the viewer is affected...

-"..and changed by coming

-into contact with the film...

-"..in the same way as any work of

-art can affect us as individuals...

-"For your information...

-"..for me, television

-is a medium and cinema is art."

-After reading, thinking, discussing

-and not much arguing...

-..the three of us

-are proud to announce...

-..that the winner of

-the Creative Non-fiction category...

-..is Dyddiau Olaf Owain Glyndwr

-by Gruffydd Aled Williams.

-Many congratulations to you.

-Many congratulations to you.

-

-Thank you.

-You start the book by saying

-a few mysteries can never be solved.

-One of these

-is what happened to Owain Glyndwr.

-However, you go through

-the facts in detail.

-Why are you so interested

-in Owain Glyndwr?

-I was raised

-in the Glyndyfrdwy area.

-I'd grown up

-with the history of Owain Glyndwr.

-I also studied poetry

-written for Owain Glyndwr...

-..by bards such as Iolo Goch.

-So I was interested in him.

-Historians have written

-excellent books on Owain Glyndwr...

-..but because of a lack

-of hard historical evidence...

-..there wasn't much

-about Glyndwr's final days.

-They were a mystery.

-My book is like a detective story.

-But in contrast to most of them,

-the mystery isn't solved at the end.

-You can't solve everything.

-You could argue

-it's two books in one.

-There are notes

-and detailed scholarly work.

-But the narrative is readable.

-How important was it that you wrote

-a widely-appealing book?

-I may have wasted my life writing

-overly-academic discourses!

-It was very nice writing a book...

-..where I tried to appeal

-to a different reader.

-A wider audience than the one

-I've previously written for.

-I have to say I've enjoyed writing

-this book more than any other.

-The judges also enjoyed it.

-Gruffydd Aled Williams,

-many congratulations to you.

-We now know the winners

-in each of the three categories.

-We will now discover

-the name of the overall winner.

-All three of us felt that the

-undeniable craft of the author...

-..succeeded in presenting a rich

-and complex world to the reader.

-It's a true masterpiece.

-It's my pleasure to announce that

-this year's Book of the Year is...

-..Y Bwthyn by Caryl Lewis.

-Caryl,

-you're back for the third time.

-Many congratulations.

-You're a full-time writer.

-Does the process of writing

-become easier as time goes on?

-You're not a stranger to this

-competition. You've won in the past.

-The older you get,

-the more uncertain you are.

-I'm sure many authors

-will agree with me.

-There are other complications.

-Children for instance.

-Writing patterns have to change.

-When I was writing Y Bwthyn,

-I developed a bad back.

-I was out here with Guto

-and had to write over my big belly.

-Time is also a problem.

-I'm delighted and I feel

-very honoured to be an author.

-I work with lots of enthusiastic

-and talented people.

-I'd like to thank Y Lolfa

-for their constant support...

-..and to Meinir

-for editing the book...

-..and for putting up with me when I

-turned up there with Jaffa Cakes.

-She made cups of tea for me

-and never said "Oh no"...

-..when I turned up with my ideas.

-They're always welcoming.

-I'm lucky that my job is doing what

-I like to do, what I love to do.

-I would write anyway but to have

-recognition from readers firstly...

-..and secondly from the adjudicators

-means so much to me.

-One of your main characters, Owen,

-is also a writer.

-He's symbolic of the importance

-of words. What is the significance?

-It's a novel about roots,

-about culture...

-..and about

-the process of writing.

-It's about acknowledging and having

-confidence in our own culture.

-There's a close relationship

-between Owen...

-..and the hare on the cover.

-If you're not familiar with hares,

-they don't live in underground dens.

-They live on the earth surface.

-They live on their nerves. They're

-in danger. They have no roots.

-If we don't know and have confidence

-in our culture...

-..that's what happens to us.

-It's not good for the spirit.

-That's what I was

-trying to convey...

-..as he gets to know

-his surroundings.

-The word 'cynefin'

-is difficult to translate.

-It means more than 'area', it's a

-feeling for culture and way of life.

-As he becomes familiar with that,

-he finds his voice.

-You've certainly found

-your own voice.

-The winner

-of the 2016 Book of the Year.

-Many congratulations.

-Congratulations to all the winners.

-After the break,

-we'll hear from the adjudicators.

-Join us for the discussion

-after the break.

-Subtitles

-Subtitles

-

-Subtitles

-We got a look at the adjudicators

-during the ceremony.

-We'll hear more from two of them

-about their decisions now.

-Welcome to Llion Pryderi Roberts,

-a lecturer at Cardiff University...

-..and to the author, Lleucu Roberts.

-Fifty books to read in a year,

-but what were you looking for?

-I was looking for readable books...

-..but also ones

-which excited me as a reader...

-..and as someone

-who's interested in literature.

-Books which reached

-a certain standard...

-..and as I said earlier...

-..books which will be a shop window

-for our literature and culture.

-Lleucu, were the winners

-clear from the start?

-Some of the books

-really packed a punch...

-..and they will stand out

-from the beginning.

-A second reading is often needed.

-As far as the best books

-are concerned...

-..the first instinctive reaction

-is really half the job, if not more.

-Let's begin with the first category,

-poetry.

-Mererid Hopwood took the prize

-with her volume, Nes Draw.

-It's fair to say, Llion,

-that the poems...

-..have been put together into

-a collection quite purposefully.

-Yes, there is intention

-behind any volume of poetry.

-One did feel that there was

-a purpose here.

-There are poems

-at the start of the volume...

-..which indicate to us

-what she's trying to do.

-There is mention of a secret room,

-the room of the imagination...

-..the space that is imagination.

-I think Mererid is trying

-to create a volume...

-..which produces that space

-for us as readers...

-..so we can go there

-and where anything is possible.

-Where these contradictions,

-which she is very fond of...

-..are also possible

-and enrich our understanding.

-Nes Draw itself

-is an interesting contradiction.

-There are some big themes in

-Mererid's commentary on the world.

-Is her voice always a clear one?

-Yes, there is love for others

-and pacifism...

-..quite a few Waldo-esque themes

-that I alluded to earlier.

-There are certainly some

-very personal poems here.

-There is soul searching...

-..and an element of some deeper,

-more mystical, searching.

-She grapples with religion

-to a certain degree...

-.."I cannot be seen in Dolwar Fach".

-On one level,

-they transcend religion.

-They are very spiritual poems,

-very personal poems.

-And yet, they are so out of

-this world and transcendent too.

-I think they portray

-Mererid's character.

-There's a profundity to them.

-Excellent.

-On the back of the volume,

-it says...

-.."From between the black and white

-all imagination will stem".

-With every reading

-one finds another layer of meaning.

-Yes, and I don't think

-many of these poems...

-..should be read only once

-and then discarded.

-He certainly challenges the reader,

-which is a good thing.

-There is definitely that kind

-of atmosphere within this volume.

-I return to the idea

-I was talking about earlier...

-..the idea of offering us a space.

-Yes, there are big themes here

-but she also varies her target...

-..and varies her metre.

-There is strict metre

-and metrical compositions.

-She shows her full

-rich repertoire of poetry metres.

-We move on to something

-very different...

-..Dyddiau Olaf Owain Glyndwr

-by Gruffydd Aled Williams.

-We don't get answers

-to all the questions...

-..but does this book give us

-a new portrayal of Owain Glyndwr?

-Lleucu?

-Yes, it does.

-It brings the person alive...

-..which is quite a feat considering

-six centuries have gone by.

-He does this by using

-the scant evidence that's available.

-He paints a portrait of a person,

-an old person in his loneliness...

-..a person who has lost so much,

-who has failed on many levels.

-That person who is so different...

-..to the myth portrayed for so long.

-He goes beyond the myth.

-In that way, it is more insightful

-in this age which is without myths.

-Owain Glyndwr, the man,

-really comes across clearly.

-It was quite a feat.

-He is a scholar who is obviously

-interested in the subject.

-What appealed to you, Llion?

-Was it the way he dealt

-with the new evidence?

-Yes, as you said, he is a scholar

-fully in charge of his subject.

-It's also the way

-he deals with this material.

-He shows an understanding

-of the facts, of course...

-..and also of the myths and fables,

-traditions which are so important.

-There is a respect

-towards those traditions.

-It's not insignificant...

-..that he closes the volume

-with a mention of the prophecy.

-There's also an understanding of

-the mentality of the Middle Ages.

-In that way, it's a contribution to

-our understanding of our history...

-..and of our nationalism.

-Let's move on to the novels

-and three very different novels...

-..which are typical

-of the authors themselves.

-Dewi Prysor's big party

-is full of colourful characters.

-Jon Gower takes us

-on an incredibly amusing journey...

-..both geographically

-and imaginatively.

-Caryl is then so concise in her

-prose. Is that why she won, Lleucu?

-Definitely.

-There isn't one wasted word

-from her.

-I so admire the way she writes.

-She writes so meticulously

-about nature and agriculture.

-She truly knows

-what she's talking about.

-There is a conciseness

-beyond that too.

-She allows the characters to develop

-through their actions and behaviour.

-That's how she explains everything.

-She does not have to spell it out

-as an author.

-The characters do that for her.

-Their relationships are explained in

-their interactions with each other.

-She has completed no mean task

-on that level.

-Her conciseness in the book

-is the key to it all.

-It's a novel set

-in a specific place in Wales...

-..but is it fair to say that

-the themes travel much further?

-Yes.

-Myself and the other judges...

-..felt that she had certainly set

-herself a challenge with this novel.

-She tries to do

-something very difficult...

-..and does it

-to a very high standard.

-She makes it look very easy

-at the same time.

-She deals with Wales...

-..and a very specific part

-of the country.

-The treatment within the novel...

-.of the situation the characters

-find themselves in...

-..the central relationship...

-..and the relationship they have

-with their habitat and each other...

-..has a much wider dimension.

-We've discussed the winners

-of the three categories...

-..but this is a Book of the Year

-competition.

-One book had to win,

-so why was that Y Bwthyn, Lleucu?

-Great literature

-makes your heart beat faster.

-This really gives me palpitations!

-With every reading,

-you see so much more.

-I think it is up there...

-..with any novel

-anywhere around the world.

-She has conveyed something that is

-far bigger than Ceredigion...

-..far bigger than Wales,

-and so concisely.

-She conveys this change

-in the world...

-..and how the new world

-closes in on the old world.

-There are so many layers and every

-reading reveals so much more.

-Llion, how happy were you that the

-public agreed with the adjudicators?

-Caryl also won

-the People's Choice Award.

-It's obviously nice to hear

-that the public agrees with us!

-As far as I'm concerned...

-..the novel really grabbed me

-on the first reading.

-It then kept my attention again

-on the second and third readings.

-Jams Niclas once said

-about the Chair competition...

-..that literature

-can disarm adjudicators.

-I felt just that when reading

-this novel. It took my breath away.

-Llion Pryderi Roberts

-and Lleucu Roberts...

-..thank you for the chat

-and your work during the year.

-The adjudicators

-decided on the winners...

-..but everyone has an opinion

-about the books on the shortlists.

-After the break...

-..we'll hear from playwright

-Ian Rowlands and critic Eiry Miles.

-Did they agree with the decision?

-We'll find out in a few minutes.

-Subtitles

-Welcome back.

-Earlier on, Caryl Lewis won the

-Welsh Book Of The Year 2016 award.

-That was for her novel, Y Bwthyn.

-Thomas Morris won the 2016

-Wales Book Of The Year award....

-..for his collection

-of short stories...

-..We Don't Know What We're Doing.

-Congratulations to them

-and to all the winners.

-Two winners and two Triple Crowns.

-That suggests that the judges

-got it right.

-The judges have had their chance

-to justify their decisions.

-It's now the turn of the readers.

-I'm joined now by the playwright

-and director, Ian Rowlands...

-..and critic Eiry Miles.

-Welcome to the both of you.

-The public and the judges agree,

-but Eiry, what is your reaction?

-I really enjoyed Y Bwthyn.

-In the fiction category,

-it was between Y Bwthyn and Norte.

-I was a bit surprised

-because quite often...

-..the public

-and the judges do not agree.

-There were good things about both

-novels, but, no, not a big shock.

-As far as the competition

-promotes reading...

-..the judges have surely

-made the right decision...

-..because after all, Y Bwthyn

-will be read and enjoyed.

-You are right.

-I'm not sure

-it was the brave decision.

-I would have liked

-to have seen Simon winning it.

-Simon has produced a book

-that grabs the zeitgeist...

-..especially post-Brexit.

-It's a very important book

-for us Welsh people...

-..to read and to consider.

-I was surprised that Simon

-didn't win the factual award.

-But yes, they have been right...

-..because Caryl's book

-will be read by hundreds of people.

-The first category of the night

-was poetry.

-Eiry, you were in favour

-of Mererid Hopwood's collection.

-Why was her collection the best?

-I enjoyed all three collections.

-Everything about Mererid's

-collection was excellent.

-The poems ranged from the profound

-to the light-hearted.

-She expresses

-her belief in pacifism...

-..but there are also

-some angry poems.

-That really surprises you

-as Mererid is such a gentle soul.

-I enjoyed the content but the style

-of the book is very classical.

-It could easily

-have been published in the 1960s.

-That really adds to the experience.

-It's the whole package.

-Three different poets in very

-different periods of their careers.

-One poet in the summer of his days,

-one in her autumn...

-..and one in his winter.

-That's quite interesting.

-I enjoyed Eiliadau Tragwyddol

-by Cen Williams.

-He talks about time in one poem,

-as "Ticking towards his ending".

-Actually,

-it's "Ticking towards the darkness".

-It's a collection by someone

-who is ticking towards his darkness.

-I liked the idea of a man

-reinterpreting his life...

-..and looking back to see

-what his life was really worth...

-..what were the lives of those

-ahead and behind him worth.

-It was very interesting.

-His poems aren't as concise

-as Mererid's...

-..and I think her work is fantastic.

-But I would have chosen Cen instead

-of Mererid in a close contest.

-Mererid came to the fore...

-..with some saying that

-it's a collection to treasure.

-Will we look back at Nes Draw

-in years to come in those terms?

-I think I will look back with

-my children on this collection.

-It's an excellent collection.

-To the novels now.

-In a good year,

-you would expect the shortlist...

-..to reflect the variety

-that we have in Wales.

-Three very different novels,

-with three distinctive voices.

-Ian, did you enjoy

-the three novels?

-Yes, for very different reasons.

-I think Norte should have won.

-Caryl's novel was superb.

-Her writing is excellent.

-Dewi Prysor had plenty of energy.

-I know Dewi and his world. It was

-certainly a portrayal of his world.

-I loved reading that book.

-It needed some editing perhaps

-and the climax wasn't that good.

-Norte would have been my choice.

-It sets out the Welsh outside Wales.

-Caryl Lewis is a bit too easy.

-Dewi Prysor is a novel

-from our square mile.

-Norte offered us something different

-as Welsh people.

-Eiry, what did you think?

-I agree.

-I was amazed

-at how he created these worlds.

-He wrote about wolves in Alaska

-and then a fish factory.

-It was all so believable.

-He took us on this journey

-and I sometimes lost my breath.

-I liked the way that in some really

-profound moments there was humour.

-He talks about a Toblerone...

-He talks about a Toblerone...

-..in a section about abject poverty

-in Midwest America.

-I felt that it was an ambitious

-and imaginative novel.

-Caryl Lewis was the winner.

-Why do you think the judges

-went for her novel?

-We've already said that

-it will be a very popular novel.

-It has been written very well

-for a certain type of reader...

-..who will certainly enjoy it.

-She knows her audience well.

-She writes about people that we can

-believe in straight away.

-The characters are well-rounded.

-I live in rural Wales and I felt

-that I really knew these people.

-Although I enjoyed it,

-I felt that it ended very quickly.

-I'd have liked her

-to have left it more open-ended.

-However, it is an exceptional novel.

-She knows that she has an audience

-of people who'll like it.

-I feel it's too Welsh.

-There's a novel...

-..called Independent People

-by Halldor Laxness from Iceland...

-..which deals

-with the same kind of world.

-A man in a cottage

-who restores it into a home...

-..where a family is raised

-on the side of a mountain.

-There's something universal

-about it.

-I didn't think

-it was an universal novel.

-I thought it was parochial.

-The ending is too simplistic too.

-It's very good

-but it's not my thing.

-It's incredibly varied. Every year,

-I say I don't know what we'll get.

-This year, Owain Glyndwr, films and

-the future of the Welsh language.

-Ian,

-they're totally different books.

-What appealed to you personally?

-I've already said...

-..Simon's book is superb

-and it captures the zeitgeist.

-Gruffydd Aled Williams' book

-is incredibly interesting.

-But at the start, it starts by not

-stating anything categorically...

-..about Owain Glyndwr's final days.

-I thought, I'll pour

-through this book for a few hours.

-I'm going to invest time

-in the book.

-What are we going to discover if

-you're not telling us anything new?

-He says the odd new thing...

-..about places

-Owain Glyndwr may have visited.

-What's very interesting

-are the poignant parts.

-The portrayal of Owain Glyndwr

-in his old age...

-..going from home to home.

-We see this hero who at one time was

-strong and powerful as an old man.

-That's quite interesting.

-What appealed to the judges...

-..was the balance between facts

-and the creative aspect.

-Would you agree with that, Eiry?

-No, not exactly.

-I feel that for me,

-the most interesting parts...

-..were the parts

-that spoke about people's beliefs...

-..and visits to houses

-in the borders...

-..and the interesting characters.

-If there was more of that...

-..and more mention

-of the literature of the period...

-..I think I would have taken

-to the book a bit better.

-For me,

-there too much detail at times.

-I felt I had to concentrate

-as I read it.

-It's not a book

-you could read in the bath.

-It required you to concentrate.

-There was an element

-of detective work about it too.

-Apparently, there are stories

-behind his research.

-He's been to these old houses

-on the border...

-..and some families, to this day...

-..still want nothing to do

-with Owain Glyndwr.

-Some rejoice in their Welshness or

-their relationship with Welshness.

-I would like to have known

-more about that too.

-The complexities that still exist

-on the Welsh border.

-That's the area

-to which Owain Glyndwr escaped.

-Isn't it interesting

-that we disagree with the judges?

-Is that the value

-of this competition...

-..that it drives discussions

-like these?

-Absolutely.

-Anything that encourages

-a discussion about literature...

-..and encourages people

-to read books...

-..they otherwise wouldn't

-is a brilliant thing.

-It reflects well

-on us as a small nation...

-..that we can produce

-such a variety of literature...

-..and have discussions

-like this one.

-What do these nine books tell us...

-..about the state

-of publishing in Wales?

-In terms of our writers and their

-imaginations, it's very healthy.

-In terms

-of the world of publication...

-..as I'm married to the woman

-who produced Nes Draw...

-..I can tell you it isn't healthy.

-There are problems on the horizon

-due to the cuts that have been made.

-There is a lot of uncertainty

-about the future...

-..but I can't question

-our writers' imaginations.

-I really enjoyed reading

-all nine volumes.

-I disagreed with the judges

-on one or two occasions...

-..but the pleasure of reading them

-was fantastic.

-Definitely.

-There we have it,

-plenty to discuss again this year.

-If you haven't read

-some of these books, why not do so?

-There are great books out there,

-so enjoy reading them.

-From the Redhouse in Merthyr,

-thanks for watching and goodbye.

-S4C Subtitles by Testun Cyf.