Gwyn Jones (author)
Gwyn Jones | |
---|---|
Born | 24 May 1907 |
Died | 6 December 1999 | (aged 92)
Occupation | Writer, scholar |
Notable works |
|
Gwyn Jones CBE (24 May 1907 – 6 December 1999) was a Welsh novelist and story writer, and a scholar and translator of Nordic literature and history.
Personal life and academic career
Gwyn Jones was born on 24 May 1907 in
After six years he was a schoolteacher in
In 1939 Jones registered as a conscientious objector to military service, which temporarily caused him to lose his job. Jones was a socialist, although never a member of the Labour Party, and was sympathetic to the aims of Plaid Cymru. He was an active Christian and attended Minny Street Chapel in Cardiff, a Welsh-language congregational chapel.[4]
Jones married twice: in 1928 to Alice Rees (1906/7–1979), and 1979 to Mair Jones, née Sivell (1923/4–2000), the widow of Thomas Jones, his collaborator on The Mabinogion.[1]
Literary work
Jones' translations include Four Icelandic Sagas (1935), The Vatndalers' Saga (1944), The Mabinogion (1948, in collaboration with Thomas Jones), Egil's Saga (1960), Eirik the Red and Other Icelandic Sagas (1961) and The Norse Atlantic Saga (1964). He also wrote A History of the Vikings (1968) and Kings, Beasts, and Heroes (1972).[4]
In addition to his translations, he was an author in the
Jones also founded
Honours and commemorations
In 1963 Jones was awarded the Knight's Cross of the
Selected publications
- Welsh Legends and Folk-Tales (1955)
- Scandinavian Legends and Folk-Tales (1961)
- The Oxford Book of Welsh Verse in English (1962)
- The Norse Atlantic Saga (1964)
- The Legendary History of Olaf Tryggvason (1968)
- A History of the Vikings (1968)
- Kings, Beasts and Heroes (1972)
- Tales from Wales (2001)
References
- ^ doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/73507. (Subscription or UK public library membershiprequired.)
- ^ a b Slay, Desmond (21 December 1999). "Gwyn Jones". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
- ^ a b "Professor Gwyn Jones". Aberystwyth University. 22 December 2008. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
- ^ a b c d Stephens, Meic (10 December 1999). "Obituary: Professor Gwyn Jones". The Independent. Retrieved 28 July 2010.[dead link]
- ^ J. D. Rateliff, Mr Baggins Pt 1 (2007) p. 281-2
- ^ "Professor leaves literary legacy". BBC. 10 December 1999. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
External links
- Brown, Tony (Winter 2001). "The Ex-centric Voice: The English-Language Short Story in Wales" (PDF). North American Journal of Welsh Studies. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 October 2013.
- Gwyn Jones at Library of Congress, with 42 library catalogue records