Saunders Lewis
Saunders Lewis | |
---|---|
President of Plaid Cymru | |
In office 1926–1939 | |
Preceded by | Lewis Valentine |
Succeeded by | John Edward Daniel |
Personal details | |
Born | John Saunders Lewis 15 October 1893 Wallasey, Cheshire, England |
Died | 1 September 1985 Cardiff, Wales | (aged 91)
Political party | Plaid Cymru |
Spouse |
Margaret Gilcriest
(m. 1924; died 1984) |
Children | 1 |
Alma mater | University of Liverpool |
Saunders Lewis (born John Saunders Lewis; 15 October 1893 – 1 September 1985) was a
As a vocal supporter of
Early life
John Saunders Lewis was born into a Welsh-speaking family in
Jan Morris has described Liverpool as the closest there is to a metropolis for the people of North Wales.[5] During a television interview with Aneirin Talfan Davies, Lewis later recalled that this was also true during his childhood, as in and around Liverpool, "there were around about a hundred thousand Welsh-speaking Welsh people... So I was not born in English-speaking England... but into a society that was completely Welsh and Welsh-speaking."[6]
Even though his father was a scholar, "who liked solitude and study", and possessed a very large library of Welsh literature, the only Welsh-language books that Saunders Lewis read while growing up were Bishop Morgan's Bible, the hymnbook, and Sunday school commentaries.[7]
Lewis attended prestigious English-speaking
Lewis later recalled that through these writers, "I came for the first time to understand what patriotism meant and the spirit of the nation meant. And I soon began to think that things like those , which had seized hold of them in Ireland, were the things I should seize hold of in Wales."[10]
Lewis' earliest attempts at writing poems were in English and were inspired by
Personal life
After entering
First World War
When the
In April 1915, Lewis applied for a commission with the
During the war, Lewis read the
Furthermore, according to Jelle Krol, Lewis, was amazed to see how his own father's recent words of advice were echoed by Barrès, who wrote, "the only way to cultivate your personality as an artist and to develop your own resources, is to go back to your roots".[18] Lewis accordingly, "discovered the importance of his Welsh roots during his service in France."[19]
In April 1917, Lt. Lewis was severely wounded in action in the left leg and thigh near Gonnelieu, with, "the calf of the leg nearly blown away",[20] as part of the Battle of Cambrai.[17] Afterwards, Lewis needed more than a year to convalesce, during which his younger brother, Ludwig Lewis, was killed in action on 7 July 1917. Although Lewis desperately wanted to visit and help comfort their grieving father at Swansea, his own battlefield injuries were still far too severe to permit him to travel.[21]
In a 23 July 1918 letter to
Return to Wales
After his return from the trenches, Lewis entered the literary field by arguing that three conditions needed to be met for
In a 22 October 1919 letter to The Cambria Daily Leader, called for a revival of drama in the Welsh language, beginning with the improvement of dramas set in the villages, "All the plays we have seen so far describe, and rather idyllically describe, village manners. But village life is more than 'manners'. It includes memories and traditions and song and even dance and mummery. Village and peasant drama, if it should tell the round truth, must include romance, the Mabinogion, the monastery, witchcraft, fairyland, and all the ancient playgrounds of men. Let us widen our field."[23]
In a letter of 25 October 1919 to the same newspaper, Lewis urged Welsh-language
In 1922, he was appointed as lecturer in Welsh literature at the
Founding Plaid Cymru
Discussions of the need for a "Welsh party" had been conducted since the 19th century.[27] With the generation or so before 1922 there "had been a marked growth in the constitutional recognition of the Welsh nation", wrote historian John Davies.[28] By 1924 there were people in Wales "eager to make their nationality the focus of Welsh politics".[29] Lewis's experiences in World War I, and his sympathy for the cause of Irish independence, brought him to Welsh nationalism. [citation needed] He was an advocate for Welsh independence[30]
In 1924, Lewis founded Y Mudiad Cymreig ("The Welsh Movement") with a small group of fellow nationalists. The group met secretly for the first time in Penarth on 7 January 1924.[31] The group continued to meet in secret throughout 1924 and began drawing up a set of aims and policies intended to "rescue Wales from political and cultural oblivion".
At around the same time as Lewis formed Y Mudiad Cymreig, another group of nationalists formed Byddin Ymreolwyr Cymru ("The Welsh Home Rule Army") in Caernarfon.[32] The group was led by Huw Robert Jones, who made contact with Lewis in early 1925 and proposed to form a new political party.[31]
Lewis met with Jones,
According to the 1911 census, out of a population of just under 2.5 million, 43.5% of the total population of Wales spoke Welsh as a primary language.[35] This was a decrease from the 1891 census with 54.4% speaking Welsh out of a population of 1.5 million.[36] With these pre-requisites, Lewis condemned "'Welsh nationalism' as it had hitherto existed, a nationalism characterized by inter-party conferences, an obsession with Westminster and a willingness to accept a subservient position for the Welsh language", wrote Davies.[34] It may be because of these strict positions that the party failed to attract politicians of experience in its early years.[34] However, the party's members believed its founding was an achievement in itself; "merely by existing, the party was a declaration of the distinctiveness of Wales", wrote Davies.[34]
The Lewis Doctrine 1926–1939
During the inter-war years, Plaid Genedlaethol Cymru was most successful as a social and educational pressure group rather than as a political party.[37] For Saunders Lewis, party president 1926 to 1939, "the chief aim of the party [is] to 'take away from the Welsh their sense of inferiority ... to remove from our beloved country the mark and shame of conquest.'" Lewis sought to cast Welshness into a new context, wrote Davies.[37]
Lewis wished to demonstrate how Welsh heritage was linked as one of the 'founders' of European civilization.
Broadcasting
Saunders Lewis perceived the early development of BBC radio broadcasting in Wales (which was almost entirely in English) as serious threat to his aim of arresting the decline of the Welsh language (then down to 36%) and turning Wales back into a 100% Welsh-speaking nation. At the same time he also recognised that if he could exert influence and pressure on the BBC, the Corporation could become a useful tool to serve Plaid Cymru's political ends. In 1929 he declared it would soon be necessary to arrange for "thousands of Welshmen to be prosecuted for refusing to pay for English programmes".
Tân yn Llŷn 1936
Welsh nationalism was ignited in 1936 when the UK Government settled on establishing an
However, UK Prime Minister
On 8 September 1936, the building was set on fire and in the investigations which followed Saunders Lewis,
Many Welsh people were angered by the judge's scornful treatment of the Welsh language, by the decision to move the trial to London, and by the decision of University College, Swansea, to dismiss Lewis from his post before he had been found guilty.[43] Dafydd Glyn Jones wrote of the fire that it was "the first time in five centuries that Wales struck back at England with a measure of violence... To the Welsh people, who had long ceased to believe that they had it in them, it was a profound shock."[43]
However, despite the acclaim the events of Tân yn Llŷn generated, by 1938 Lewis's concept of perchentyaeth ("home ownership") had been firmly rejected as not a fundamental tenet of the party. In 1939 Lewis resigned as Plaid Genedlaethol Cymru president, saying that Wales was not ready to accept the leadership of a Roman Catholic.[43]
Although Lewis was the son and grandson of prominent
Second World War
Lewis maintained a strict neutrality in his writings through his column Cwrs y Byd in Y Faner. It was his attempt at an unbiased interpretation of the causes and events of the war.[45]
Outside of the party's initial position on the war, party members were free to choose for themselves their level of support for the war effort. Plaid Genedlaethol Cymru was officially neutral regarding involvement the
Lewis and other party members were attempting to strengthen loyalty to the Welsh nation "over the loyalty to the British State".[46] Lewis argued "The only proof that the Welsh nation exists is that there are some who act as if it did exist."[45]
However, most party members who claimed
University of Wales by-election, 1943
Prior to 1950, universities could elect and return representatives to the House of Commons. The University of Wales seat had become vacant when the constituency's Liberal Member of Parliament, Ernest Evans, had been appointed a county court judge in 1942. Lewis was selected to contest the seat for Plaid Cymru in the ensuing 1943 University of Wales by-election.
His opponent was former Plaid Genedlaethol Cymru Deputy Vice-president Dr
The "brilliant but wayward" Gruffydd was a favorite with Welsh-speaking intellectuals and drew 52.3% of the vote, to Lewis's 22.5%.[47]
The election effectively split the Welsh-speaking intelligentsia, and left Lewis embittered with politics, leading him to retreat from direct political involvement.[48] However the experience proved invaluable for Plaid Cymru, as "for the first time they were taken seriously as a political force."[48] The by-election campaign led directly to "considerable growth" in the party's membership.[48]
Tynged yr Iaith and the 1961 census
In 1962 Lewis gave a radio speech entitled
Lewis's radio speech was in response to the 1961 census, which showed a decrease in the percentage of Welsh speakers from 36% in 1931 to 26%, of the population of about 2.5 million.[50] In the census the counties of Merionethshire (Meirionnydd), Anglesey (Ynys Môn), Carmarthenshire (Sir Gaerfyrddin), and Caernarfonshire averaged a 75% proportion of Welsh speakers, with the most significant decreases in the counties of Glamorgan, Flint, and Pembroke.[50][51]
Assuming, "a gloomy sepulchral tone", Lewis argued that the Welsh language was, "driven into a corner, ready to be thrown, like a worthless rag, on the dung heap." The responsibility for this lay, according to Lewis, less in the hands of the
While Lewis' had wished to shame Plaid Cymru into more direct action promoting a Welsh
According to Marcus Tanner, "For the first time, the British government was forced to recognise the existence of a substantial non-Anglophone culture, and to rethink attitudes that had been set in stone since Henry VIII's so-called Acts of Union. The new, more conciliatory attitude began under Labour, but continued under the Conservatives."[54]
Responding to escalating demands for devolution in the United Kingdom, in 1964 the Labour Government established the Welsh Office (Welsh: Swyddfa Gymreig) and the post of Secretary of State for Wales. The Welsh Language Bill of 1967 granted Welsh equal status to English in the legal system. Further legislation belatedly granted century-old demands for Welsh-medium education.[54]
Nobel nominee
In 1970, Lewis was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature. His literary works include plays, poetry, novels and essays. He wrote mostly in Welsh, but he also wrote some works in English. By the time of his death in 1985 some rated him as amongst the most celebrated of Welsh writers.
Literary activity
Lewis was above all a dramatist. His notable plays include Blodeuwedd (The woman of flowers) (1923–25, revised 1948),
Lewis' use of poetic forms in the Welsh language included both the use of traditional strict metre forms in cynghanedd such as cywyddau and awdlau as well as the Sicilian School's sonnet form, "a variety of other rhyming stanzas", and "full breathed free verse", which were derived from poetry in other languages.[55]
Following his conversion to the
Lewis wrote the libretto for Arwel Hughes's opera Serch yw'r doctor (Love's the doctor), based on Molière's L'Amour médecin (first performance 1960 by Welsh National Opera).[57]
He published two novels, Monica (1930) and Merch Gwern Hywel (The daughter of Gwern Hywel) (1964) and two collections of poems as well as numerous articles and essays in various newspapers, magazines and journals. These articles have been collected into volumes including: Canlyn Arthur (Following Arthur) (1938), Ysgrifau dydd Mercher (Wednesday essays) (1945), Meistri'r canrifoedd (Masters of the centuries) (1973), Meistri a'u crefft (Masters and their craft) (1981) and Ati ŵyr ifainc (Go to it, young men) (1986).
Honorary doctorate and demand for Latin mass
In March 1983, at the age of 89, Saunders Lewis was made an honorary Doctor of Letters of the University of Wales at a ceremony specially conducted at his home in Penarth. The Catholic Herald, reporting the honour, noted that in the previous year Lewis had made a plea for Mass to be said in Latin in Wales rather than in the "foreign language of English", which he pointed out was "a later arrival".[58]
Legacy
Lewis's legacy remains a controversial one and his simultaneously
Particularly controversial was his belief, as expressed in Braslun o Hanes Llenyddiaeth Gymraeg, a 1932 outline of the history of
This was why Lewis urged Welsh-language writers as early as 1919 to read, translate, and draw influence from literature in many other European languages, rather than, as he and many others before him had once done, only reading and emulating literature in English. This is also why he particularly recommended translating into the Welsh-language and arranging regular performances in the theatres of the best and brightest French and Spanish poets and playwrights of both the Counter-Reformation and Baroque eras.
Without mentioning Pope Gregory XI or his 1373 "règle d'idiom", command for the Catholic clergy to both learn and communicate with their flocks in the local vernacular,[60] Lewis believed that the coercive Anglicisation of the Welsh people began with the Acts of Union passed under King Henry VIII following his break with the Holy See and commented, "it was this materialistic and pagan triumph that destroyed our Wales."[61]
Explaining his preference for the era before King Henry VIII, Lewis wrote, "There was one law and one civilisation throughout Europe, but that law, that civilisation took on many forms and many colours. It did not occur to the rulers of a country to destroy another land's civilisation, even when they conquered that land... Despite being conquered, being oppressed, too, and quite cruelly, it (Welsh civilisation) grew upright and without losing the innate qualities of its culture. No doubt Wales often yearned for freedom, but did not fear losing its heritage, nor did it. Because there was one law and one authority throughout Europe, Welsh civilisation was safe, and the Welsh language and the special Welsh way of life and society."[62]
For example, historian John Davies writes that, "in a notable article", Saunders Lewis argued that the Welsh bards of the Medieval era, "were expressing in their poetry a love for a stable, deep-rooted civilization." Lewis added that the bards "were the leading upholders of the belief that a hierarchical social structure, 'the heritage and tradition of an ancient aristocracy', were the necessary precondition of civilized life and that there were deep philosophical roots to this belief."[63]
Unlike Marxist historians and politicians, Lewis' intense hostility to the
Despite his many statements to the contrary, Lewis' allegedly "condescending attitude towards some aspects of the
Lewis, however, always insisted that his conversion to Catholicism did not keep him from understanding the sensibilities or appreciating the role played in Welsh culture by the Nonconformists. For example, he praised
Along with his careful study of how effectively these causes had worked in
In particular, Marxist D.J. Davies denounced Lewis' calls for Welsh
Left wing historian Geraint H. Jenkins has written:- "..Lewis was a cold fish. His reedy voice, bow tie, cerebral style and aristocratic contempt for the proletariat were hardly endearing qualities in a political leader, and his conversion to Catholicism lost him the sympathy of fervent Nonconformists. Heavily influenced by the discourse of right-wing French theorists, this profoundly authoritarian figure developed a grand strategy, such as it was, based on the deindustrialization of Wales. Such a scheme was both impractical and unpopular. It caused grave embarrassment to his socialist colleague D. J. Davies, a progressive economist who, writing with force and passion, showed a much better grasp of the economic realities of the time and greater sensitivity towards the plight of working people.[67]
While it was D. J. Davies's ideology which was adopted by Plaid Cymru after the Second World War, it was Lewis's "brilliance and charismatic appeal" which was firmly associated with Plaid Genedlaethol Cymru in the 1930s.[44] For the remainder of his life, however, Saunders Lewis continued to fight for the causes he cared most deeply about and remained an ideological thorn in the side of the Far Left leadership of the very political party he had helped to found.
During the post-
During the 1990s, in the midst of a debate over the
In 2001, former Plaid Cymru President Dafydd Elis-Thomas accused Saunders Lewis during a television documentary of being, "lousy as a politician, lousy as a writer, but a good Catholic".[69]
In contrast, however, Marcus Tanner, while researching in his 2004 book The Last of the Celts visited the decaying English-speaking industrial towns, which D.J. Davies once saw as Plaid Cymru's future. Pointing out that they were both dominated for decades by
In the same book, Tanner credited the famous 1962 radio lecture by Saunders Lewis with being the primary reason why the
According to Tanner, "Welsh is more visible than ever before. The moment I drove across the Severn Bridge, signs written in a different language proclaimed that I had entered a different land. It was not like
Lewis' legacy is further reflected by the fact that, even in traditionally English-speaking Welsh colliery and industrial cities,
For this and many other reasons, Saunders Lewis was overwhelmingly voted by the
Further reading
- Lewis, Saunders (1997) [1930]. Monica. Translated by ISBN 1-85411-195-7.
- Lewis, Saunders (1985–2002), The Plays of Saunders Lewis, 4 vols, translated by Joseph P. Clancy. ISBN 0-7154-0648-5, 0954056957, 0715406523.
- Lewis, Saunders (1993), Selected Poems, translated by Joseph P. Clancy. Cardiff: University of Wales Press. ISBN 0-7083-1194-6.
Electoral record
Lewis contested the University of Wales Constituency on two occasions, once in the general election of 1931;
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | Ernest Evans | 2,229 | 75.4 | +11.9 | |
Plaid Cymru | Saunders Lewis | 914 | 24.6 | N/A | |
Majority | 1,315 | 50.8 | +12.2 | ||
Turnout | 3,143 | ||||
Liberal hold | Swing | N/A |
and again in the University of Wales by-election of 1943.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | William John Gruffydd
|
3,098 | 52.3 | -9.0 | |
Plaid Cymru | Saunders Lewis | 1,330 | 22.5 | N/A | |
Independent
|
Alun Talfan Davies | 755 | 12.8 | N/A | |
Independent Labour
|
Evan Davies | 634 | 10.7 | N/A | |
Independent Labour
|
N.L. Evans | 101 | 1.7 | N/A | |
Majority | 1,768 | 29.8 | +7.2 | ||
Turnout | 5,918 | 53.4 | -9.0 | ||
Registered electors | 11,079 | ||||
Liberal hold | Swing | N/A |
References
- ^ Jan Morris (1984), The Matter of Wales: Epic Views of a Small Country, Oxford University Press. Page 352.
- ^ Jan Morris (1984), The Matter of Wales: Epic Views of a Small Country, Oxford University Press. Page 132.
- ^ a b Bevan is ultimate Welsh hero extracted 12-04-07
- ^ Jelle Krol (2020), Minority Language Writers in the Wake of World War One: A Case Study of Four European Authors, Palgrave. Pages 76-87.
- ^ Jan Morris (1984), The Matter of Wales: Epic Views of a Small Country, Oxford University Press. Page 352.
- ^ Jelle Krol (2020), Minority Language Writers in the Wake of World War One: A Case Study of Four European Authors, Palgrave. Page 87.
- ^ Jelle Krol (2020), Minority Language Writers in the Wake of World War One: A Case Study of Four European Authors, Palgrave. Page 88.
- ^ Chapman, T. Robin (2014). "Lewis, John Saunders". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 19 May 2018.
- ^ Jelle Krol (2020), Minority Language Writers in the Wake of World War One: A Case Study of Four European Authors, Palgrave. Page 87-88.
- ^ Jelle Krol (2020), Minority Language Writers in the Wake of World War One: A Case Study of Four European Authors, Palgrave. Page 88.
- ^ Jelle Krol (2020), Minority Language Writers in the Wake of World War One: A Case Study of Four European Authors, Palgrave. Page 88.
- ^ Jelle Krol (2020), Minority Language Writers in the Wake of World War One: A Case Study of Four European Authors, Palgrave. Page 88.
- ^ Jelle Krol (2020), Minority Language Writers in the Wake of World War One: A Case Study of Four European Authors, Palgrave. Page 89.
- ^ Jelle Krol (2020), Minority Language Writers in the Wake of World War One: A Case Study of Four European Authors, Palgrave. Page 89.
- ^ Jelle Krol (2020), Minority Language Writers in the Wake of World War One: A Case Study of Four European Authors, Palgrave. Page 89.
- ^ Jelle Krol (2020), Minority Language Writers in the Wake of World War One: A Case Study of Four European Authors, Palgrave. Page 106.
- ^ a b Williams, Gwyn A. (1993). "Saunders Lewis: Alien Face In The Mirror". Writing On The Line. Channel 4.
- ^ Jelle Krol (2020), Minority Language Writers in the Wake of World War One: A Case Study of Four European Authors, Palgrave. Page 105.
- ^ a b Jelle Krol (2020), Minority Language Writers in the Wake of World War One: A Case Study of Four European Authors, Palgrave. Page 75.
- ^ Jelle Krol (2020), Minority Language Writers in the Wake of World War One: A Case Study of Four European Authors, Palgrave. Page 89.
- ^ Jelle Krol (2020), Minority Language Writers in the Wake of World War One: A Case Study of Four European Authors, Palgrave. Page 89.
- ^ Jelle Krol (2020), Minority Language Writers in the Wake of World War One: A Case Study of Four European Authors, Palgrave. Page 107.
- ^ Jelle Krol (2020), Minority Language Writers in the Wake of World War One: A Case Study of Four European Authors, Palgrave. Page 98.
- ^ Jelle Krol (2020), Minority Language Writers in the Wake of World War One: A Case Study of Four European Authors, Palgrave. Page 98.
- ISBN 978-0-19-928266-1.
- ^ "BBC - Saunders Lewis". BBC.
- ^ Davies (1994a), pp. 415, 454
- ^ Davies (1994a), p. 544
- ^ a b Davies (1994a), p. 547
- ^ Davies (1994a), p. 547
- ^ a b "Penarth's Secret Role in Welsh History". Plaid Cymru Penarth. 5 December 2013.
- ^ a b "Site of Plaid Cymru's founding, Pwllheli". History Points.
- ^ Morgan (2002), p. 206
- ^ a b c d e Davies (1994a), p. 548
- ^ "BBCWales History extracted 12-03-07". Archived from the original on 9 June 2008.
- ^ "BBCWales history extracted 12-03-07". Archived from the original on 9 June 2008.
- ^ a b c d e f Davies (1994a), p. 591
- ^ "Royal plans to beat nationalism". BBC News. 8 March 2005. Retrieved 28 August 2012.
- ^ Manchester Guardian 1 August 1929
- ^ a b Davies (1994b)
- ^ Davies (1994b), pp. 70–71
- ^ RAF Penrhos
- ^ a b c d Davies (1994a), p. 593
- ^ a b c d e f g Davies (1994a), p. 592
- ^ a b c d e f Davies (1994a), p. 599
- ^ a b c Davies (1994a), p. 598
- ^ a b Davies (1994a), p. 610
- ^ a b c Davies (1994a), p. 611
- ^ a b c Marcus Tanner (2004), The Last of the Celts, Yale University Press. Page 212.
- ^ a b "BBCWales History extracted 12-03-07". Archived from the original on 9 June 2008.
- ^ "BBCWales History extracted 12-03-07". Archived from the original on 9 June 2008.
- ^ Morgan (2002)
- ^ Marcus Tanner (2004), The Last of the Celts, Yale University Press. Pages 212-213.
- ^ a b Marcus Tanner (2004), The Last of the Celts, Yale University Press. Page 213.
- ^ Translated by Joseph P. Clancy (1993), Saunders Lewis: Selected Poems, University of Wales Press. Pages ix-x.
- ^ Translated by Joseph P. Clancy (1993), Saunders Lewis: Selected Poems, University of Wales Press. Page ix.
- ^ "Serch yw'r Doctor (Love's the Doctor)". Opening Night! Opera & Oratorio Premieres. Stanford University Library. Retrieved 16 May 2014.
- ^ The Catholic Herald 4 March 1983
- ^ Jelle Krol (2020), Minority Language Writers in the Wake of World War One: A Case Study of Four European Authors, Palgrave. Pages 102-103.
- ^ Jelle Krol (2020), Minority Language Writers in the Wake of World War One: A Case Study of Four European Authors, Palgrave. Page 219.
- ^ Jelle Krol (2020), Minority Language Writers in the Wake of World War One: A Case Study of Four European Authors, Palgrave. Page 103.
- ^ Jelle Krol (2020), Minority Language Writers in the Wake of World War One: A Case Study of Four European Authors, Palgrave. Pages 102-103.
- ^ John Davies (1993), A History of Wales, Penguin Books. Pages 210–211.
- ^ Jan Morris (1984), The Matter of Wales: Epic Views of a Small Country, Oxford University Press. Pages 233-234.
- ^ Jelle Krol (2020), Minority Language Writers in the Wake of World War One: A Case Study of Four European Authors, Palgrave. Pages 100-102.
- ^ Davies (1994a), pp. 591–592
- ^ Jenkins (2007)
- ^ United Kingdom Parliament: Debate on Government of Wales Act 1998. Retrieved 31 August 2006.
- WalesOnline. 26 March 2013. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
- ^ Marcus Tanner (2004), The Last of the Celts, Yale University Press. Pages 186-218.
- ^ Marcus Tanner (2004), The Last of the Celts, Yale University Press. Pages 212-217.
- ^ Marcus Tanner (2004), The Last of the Celts, Yale University Press. Page 214.
Sources
- Griffiths, Bruce (1989), Saunders Lewis. Writers of Wales series. Cardiff: University of Wales Press. ISBN 0-7083-1049-4.
- Jones, Alun R. & Gwyn Thomas (Eds.) (1973), Presenting Saunders Lewis. Cardiff: University of Wales Press. ISBN 0-7083-0852-X.
- Jones, Harri Pritchard (1991), Saunders Lewis: A Presentation of His Work. Illinois: Templegate. ISBN 0-87243-187-8.
- 'Lewis, Saunders (1893–1985)'. In Meic Stephens (Ed.) (1998), The New Companion to the Literature of Wales. Cardiff: University of Wales Press. ISBN 0-7083-1383-3.
- Chapman, T. Robin (2006), Un Bywyd o Blith Nifer: Cofiant Saunders Lewis. Llandysul: Gomer. ISBN 1-84323-709-1(in Welsh; the only complete biography).
Bibliography
- ISBN 0-14-014581-8.
- ISBN 0-7083-1273-X.
- Jenkins, Geraint H. (2007). A Concise History of Wales. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-53071-2.
- ISBN 0-19-821760-9.
External links
- Saunders Lewis and the "Tynged yr iaith" ("The fate of the Welsh language") lecture from the National Library of Wales website
- Saunders Lewis, 'The Banned Wireless Talk on Welsh Nationalism' (Caernarfon, 1930) from the Gathering the Jewels website.
- Paham y Llosgasom yr Ysgol Fomio (Why we Burnt the Bombing School) by Saunders Lewis and Lewis Valentine (1936, Plaid Cenedlaethol Cymru, Caernarfon): their speeches to the jury at the Caernarfon Assizes (in Welsh).
- James, E. Wyn. "Williams Pantycelyn". Gwales (in Welsh). Welsh Books Council. Review of Lewis's book Williams Pantycelyn