All Things Betray Thee, by Gwyn Thomas, is a novel of early industrialism in South Wales. It was first published in 1949, and was republished in 1986 with an introduction by Raymond Williams
| All Things Betray Thee | |
|---|---|
| Author(s) | Gwyn Thomas |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Historical novel |
| Publisher | Lawrence & Wishart |
| Publication date | 1949 |
| Media type | Print (book) |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-85315-664-6 |
| OCLC Number | 16529102 |
Set in 1835, this work is significantly different from most of Gwyn Thomas's work. It is both an interesting personal story and an account of the origin of the industrialised and mostly English-speaking society of the South Wales Valleys.
Set in the new town of Moonlea, a fictionalised version of Merthyr Tydfil, it is told from the viewpoint of a travelling harpist, Alan Hugh Leigh, who is looking for his friend, the singer John Simon Adams. But his friend has become a populist leader among the ironworkers, who are involved in a bitter industrial conflict.
The novel may be read as an allegorical treatment of the 1831 Merthyr Rising.