Alun Lewis was a poet

Poet

A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...

 of the Anglo-Welsh

Anglo-Welsh literature

Anglo-Welsh literature and Welsh writing in English are terms used to describe works written in the English language by Welsh writers. It has been recognised as a distinctive entity only since the 20th century...

 school, and is regarded by many as Britain's finest Second World War poet.
He was born at Cwmaman

Cwmaman

Cwmaman is a former coal mining pit village near Aberdare, South Wales. The name Cwmaman is Welsh language for "Aman Valley" . For postal purposes, it comes under Aberdare....

, near Aberdare

Aberdare

Aberdare is an industrial town in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Dare and Cynon. The population at the census was 31,705...

 in one of the South Wales Valleys

South Wales Valleys

The South Wales Valleys are a number of industrialised valleys in South Wales, stretching from eastern Carmarthenshire in the west to western Monmouthshire in the east and from the Heads of the Valleys in the north to the lower-lying, pastoral country of the Vale of Glamorgan and the coastal plain...

, the Cynon Valley, in the South Wales Coalfield

South Wales Coalfield

The South Wales Coalfield is a large region of south Wales that is rich with coal deposits, especially the South Wales Valleys.-The coalfield area:...

. His father was a school teacher and he had a younger sister, Mair. By the time he attended Cowbridge

Cowbridge

Cowbridge is a market town in the Vale of Glamorgan in Wales, approximately west of Cardiff. Cowbridge is twinned with Clisson in the Loire-Atlantique department in northwestern France.-Roman times:...

 Grammar School

Cowbridge Grammar School

Cowbridge Grammar School was one of the best-known schools in Wales until its closure in 1974. It was replaced by a comprehensive school.Founded in the 17th century by Sir John Stradling and refounded by Sir Leoline Jenkins, it had close links with Jesus College, Oxford. The school took both...

, he was already interested in writing. He went on to the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth

University of Wales, Aberystwyth

Aberystwyth University is a university located in Aberystwyth, Wales. Aberystwyth was a founding Member Institution of the former federal University of Wales. As of late 2006, the university had over 12,000 students spread across seventeen academic departments.The university was founded in 1872 as...

 and the University of Manchester

University of Manchester

The University of Manchester is a public research university located in Manchester, United Kingdom. It is a "red brick" university and a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive British universities and the N8 Group...

, Manchester

Manchester

Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...

. He was unsuccessful as a journalist and instead earned his living as a supply teacher.
Lewis met the poet Lynette Roberts

Lynette Roberts

Lynette Roberts was a Welsh poet, born Evelyn Beatrice Roberts in Buenos Aires to parents of Welsh extraction.-Life:...

, whose poem "Llanybri" is an invitation to him to visit her home; but she was married to another poet, Keidrych Rhys

Keidrych Rhys

William Ronald Rhys Jones , who used the name Keidrych Rhys, was a Welsh literary journalist and editor, and a poet. He was married to Lynette Roberts from 1939 to 1949...

.