Goronwy Owen (poet)

Goronwy Owen (1 January 1723 – July 1769) was one of the 18th century's greatest Welsh poets. He mastered the traditional bardic metres and, although forced by circumstances to be an exile, played an important role in the literary and antiquarian movement in Wales often described as the Welsh Eighteenth Century Renaissance.^[1] A perfectionist who only published reluctantly and whose literary output is consequently relatively small, his work nevertheless had a huge influence on Welsh poetry for several generations and his poetic genius and tragic life gave him a cult status in Welsh literary circles.

1 Life
2 Work
3 Bibliography
- 3.1 Published works
- 3.2 Biographies and studies
4 References
5 External links

Life

He was born on New Year's Day, 1723 in the parish of Llanfair Mathafarn Eithaf in Anglesey and educated at Friars School, Bangor and Jesus College, Oxford, although he did not remain long at the college. Owen was admitted to the college as a servitor on June 3, 1742 but, whilst his name remained on the college's books until March 1748 (albeit with some omissions) he only resided in the college for approximately one week in the Midsummer Term of 1744, incurring a debt of 15s 1d that was never paid.^[2]

In January 1746 he was ordained, and served for a time as curate of St Mary's Church, Llanfair Mathafarn Eithaf. As a young man, he left Anglesey for the last time, wandering to Denbighshire, Oswestry where he was made a master at Oswestry School in 1746, Donnington and Uppington close to Shrewsbury, Walton then Northolt. In November 1757, he emigrated, together with his young family, to take a post at the College of William & Mary, Virginia. Although he was not to stay in that post for long, he remained in Virginia until his death in July 1769. The town of Benllech in Anglesey named its village hall and Ysgol Goronwy Owen in honour of Goronwy Owen.

Work

He was mostly remarkable as an emigre bard, writing with hiraeth (longing) for his native Anglesey.

He learnt much of his poetic craft from Lewis Morris, a fellow Anglesey man who, with his brothers and others, was a key figure in the Welsh literary circle referred to by Saunders Lewis as a "school of Welsh Augustans".^[3]

Bibliography

Published works

Dewisol Ganiadau yr Oes Hon (1759). Anthology. Includes a few of his poems.
Diddanwch Teuluaidd (1763, 1817). Anthology in three parts. Includes most of his poems together with works by Lewis Morris and Huw Huws.
Corph y Gainc (1810). Selections.
John Jones (ed.), Groviana (Llanrwst, 1860). Complete poems and a selection of literary correspondence.
Parch. Robert Jones (ed.), Poetical Works of Goronwy Owen (1876).
Isaac Foulkes (ed.), Holl Waith Barddonol Goronwy Owen (1878). Complete poems.
Isaac Foulkes (ed.), Gwaith Goronwy Owen (1902). Essentially a new edition of the above.
W. J. Gruffydd (ed.), Cywyddau Goronwy Owen (1907). Annotated edition of the poems.
J.H. Davies (ed.), The Letters of Goronwy Owen (1924).

Individual poems have also been published in numerous anthologies and other sources, including The Oxford Book of Welsh Verse.

Biographies and studies

Bedwyr Lewis Jones, in Gwŷr Môn (1979), ed. Bedwyr Lewis Jones, Cyngor Gwlad Gwynedd. ISBN 0903935074
Alan Llwyd, Goronwy Ddiafael, Goronwy Ddu. Cofiant Goronwy Owen 1723-1769 (Cyhoeddiadau Barddas, 1997).
W.D. Williams, Goronwy Owen (Cardiff, 1951).

References

^ See, for instance: Prys Morgan, The Eighteenth Century Renaissance (Christopher Davies, Swansea, 1981).
^ Baker, J. N. L. (1971). Jesus College, Oxford 1571–1971. London: Oxonian Press Ltd. pp. 43. ISBN 0950216402.
^ Saunders Lewis, A School of Welsh Augustans (Cardiff, 1924; reprinted by Cedric Chivers, Bath, 1969).

Persondata
Name	Owen, Goronwy
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1 January 1723
Place of birth
Date of death	1769
Place of death