Editing Welsh literature in English (section)

==Foundations==
The beginnings of an Anglo-Welsh tradition are found by some in the novels of [[Allen Raine]] (Anne Adalisa (Evans) Puddicombe) (1836–1908), from [[Newcastle Emlyn]], Carmarthenshire, whose work, [[Stephen Thomas Knight]] proposes, "realised a real, if partial, separate identity and value for a Welsh social culture".<ref>''A Hundred Years of Fiction'', p. 25.</ref> (Other possible precursors are [[Monmouthshire]]-born [[Arthur Machen]] (1863–1947), and [[Joseph Keating]] (1871–1934), who began his working life as a South Wales miner.) However, many see the Carmarthenshire-born satirical short-story writer and novelist [[Caradoc Evans]] (1878–1945) as the first—or first modern—Welsh writer in English. His short-story collections ''[[My People (story collection)|My People]]'' (1915) and ''Capel Sion'' (1916) were highly controversial, and [[Roland Mathias]] bitterly comments that "No other Anglo-Welsh prose writer. .. displayed such ill will to Wales or to Welsh people".<ref>''Anglo-Welsh Literature'', p. 82.</ref> [[W. H. Davies]] (1871–1940), born in [[Newport, Wales|Newport]], became famous principally for his ''[[The Autobiography of a Super-Tramp]]'' which was set mostly in North America. The principal themes in his work are observations about life's hardships, the ways in which the human condition is reflected in nature, his own tramping adventures and the various characters he met. In his poetry he was particularly inspired by birds, the weather and the seasons. His prose works were nearly all autobiographical and were sometimes, as with his 1918 "A Poet's Pilgrimage (or A Pilgrimage in Wales)", set in his homeland. (See also [[Gerard Manley Hopkins]] (1844–89), [[Edward Thomas (poet)|Edward Thomas]] (1878–1917) and Joseph Keating (1871–1934).)

''[[In Parenthesis]]'', a modernist [[epic poem]] by [[David Jones (poet)|David Jones]] (1895–1974) first published in 1937, is probably the best known contribution from Wales to the [[World War I in literature|literature of the First World War]].

To a large extent, though not entirely, "The first flowering of Welsh writing in English" was in industrial South Wales and this was linked to the rapid decline in the use of the Welsh language in the twentieth century, especially in this region.<ref name="A Pocket Guide, p. 102">''A Pocket Guide'', p. 102.</ref> David Jones and Dylan Thomas are two writers of the 1930s who do not fit into this paradigm.

===Early drama===
{{main|Theatre of Wales|List of theatres in Wales}}
[[File:Dylan Thomas Theatre Home of Swansea Little Theatre.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Dylan Thomas Little Theatre, Swansea]]

One of the chief impediments to the development of Welsh theatre (in both English and Welsh), throughout much of history, was the lack of major urban centres. With the growth of Swansea and Cardiff, this situation changed, but many churchmen opposed it. The Methodist Convention in 1887 recommended that chapels regard theatrical activity as an immoral practice on a par with [[gambling]]. It was not until 1902 when [[David Lloyd George]] called for patronage of Welsh drama at the National Eisteddfod that a profile of respectability started to be acquired among devout communities.<ref name=WalesCompanion>{{cite book|last=Stephens|first=Meic|title=The New Companion to the Literature of Wales|year=1998|publisher=University of Wales Press|isbn=0708313833|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/newcompaniontoli0000unse}}</ref>

The English language classical repertoire was first brought to those who could understand it by travelling troupes such as the [[Kemble family]] ([[Charles Kemble]] was born at [[Brecon]] in 1775).<ref name=WalesCompanion /> With the advance of the English language, theatre in English developed quickly between 1875 and 1925. By 1912 Wales had 34 theatres and many halls licensed for dramatic performances. However, the arrival of sound cinema in the 1930s led to the closure or transformation of most theatres.<ref name=WalesCompanion />

[[Emlyn Williams]] (1905–1987) became an overnight star with his thriller ''[[Night Must Fall]]'' (1935), in which he also played the lead role of a psychopathic murderer. The play was noted for its exploration of the killer's complex psychological state, a step forward for its genre. It was made into a film in 1937 and has been frequently revived. ''[[The Corn is Green]]'' (1938) was partly based on his own childhood in Wales. He starred as a Welsh schoolboy in the play's London premiere. The play came to Broadway in 1940 and was turned into a film. His autobiographical light comedy, ''[[The Druid's Rest]]'' was first performed at the [[St Martin's Theatre]], [[London]], in 1944. It saw the stage debut of [[Richard Burton]] whom Williams had spotted at an audition in [[Cardiff]].