James Kitchener Davies
Encyclopedia
James Kitchener Davies also known as J. Kitchener Davies, was a Welsh
poet and playwright who wrote mostly in the Welsh language
. Davies's work is highly influenced by the industrial landscape of his adopted village of Trealaw
in the Rhondda
Valley and his own nationalistic beliefs.
Born and brought up in Llangeitho
in Ceredigion
, Davies spent his working life in the newly industrialised coalfields of the Rhondda Valley. The sometimes bleak conditions of his early life, especially as his early adulthood coincided with the economic despair of the depression, is reflected in his plays. Davies was part of the Cadwgan Circle, a literary group of likeminded writers from Rhondda, that centred their image of Wales on the new industrialised society they were brought up in. Members of the Circle included Rhydwen Williams
, Pennar Davies
and Gareth Alban Davies
.
His early play Cwm Glo (1934) was seen as controversial because it dealt with the social impact of the depression without the cultural romanticism which was stereotypical of Welsh literature. His verse play Meini Gwagedd (1944) is set in the Tregaron
area and again looks at the harshness of the industrialised Wales and the self destructive nature of people when drawn into a spiral of ill fortune.
In 1945, Davies stood in the United Kingdom general election
, standing in the Rhondda East constituency
as the first member of Plaid Cymru
to contest the seat in the Rhondda Valleys. He came last out of three candidates, gaining 2,123 votes (6.1%). The next election, in 1950
he ran again, this time the Rhondda West constituency
seat. He increased his vote to 6.6% and then improved this in the 1951 election
when he polled slightly higher with 7.7% of the vote, again in the Rhondda West constituency.
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
poet and playwright who wrote mostly in the Welsh language
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
. Davies's work is highly influenced by the industrial landscape of his adopted village of Trealaw
Trealaw
Trealaw is the longest village in the Rhondda Valley, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales.Trealaw stretches over two miles from the junction of Cemetery Road and Brithweunydd Road in the east, to the junction of Ynyscynon Road and Partridge Road to the northwest....
in the Rhondda
Rhondda
Rhondda , or the Rhondda Valley , is a former coal mining valley in Wales, formerly a local government district, consisting of 16 communities built around the River Rhondda. The valley is made up of two valleys, the larger Rhondda Fawr valley and the smaller Rhondda Fach valley...
Valley and his own nationalistic beliefs.
Born and brought up in Llangeitho
Llangeitho
Llangeitho is a village and community in Ceredigion, Wales situated on the upper river Aeron about 6 km due west of Tregaron and 11 km north of Lampeter. It has a population of 874....
in Ceredigion
Ceredigion
Ceredigion is a county and former kingdom in mid-west Wales. As Cardiganshire , it was created in 1282, and was reconstituted as a county under that name in 1996, reverting to Ceredigion a day later...
, Davies spent his working life in the newly industrialised coalfields of the Rhondda Valley. The sometimes bleak conditions of his early life, especially as his early adulthood coincided with the economic despair of the depression, is reflected in his plays. Davies was part of the Cadwgan Circle, a literary group of likeminded writers from Rhondda, that centred their image of Wales on the new industrialised society they were brought up in. Members of the Circle included Rhydwen Williams
Rhydwen Williams
Robert Rhydwenfro Williams, known as Rhydwen Williams , was a Welsh poet, novelist and Baptist minister. His work is mainly written in his native Welsh language, and is noted for adapting the established style and context of Welsh poetry from a rural and bygone age to that of a modern industrial...
, Pennar Davies
Pennar Davies
William Thomas Pennar Davies was a Welsh clergyman and author.Born simply William Thomas Davies, in Mountain Ash , the son of a miner, he took the name "Pennar" "as a sign of his identification with the native culture of Wales"...
and Gareth Alban Davies
Gareth Alban Davies
Gareth Alban Davies , was a Welsh poet, educator and Hispanist who spent the largest span of his academic career lecturing at the University of Leeds...
.
His early play Cwm Glo (1934) was seen as controversial because it dealt with the social impact of the depression without the cultural romanticism which was stereotypical of Welsh literature. His verse play Meini Gwagedd (1944) is set in the Tregaron
Tregaron
Tregaron is a market town in the county of Ceredigion, Wales, lying on the River Brenig , a tributary of the River Teifi. The town is twinned with Plouvien, in Finistere, France. According to the 2001 Census, Tregaron's population was 1,183, of whom 68.8% spoke Welsh fluently.-History:Tregaron...
area and again looks at the harshness of the industrialised Wales and the self destructive nature of people when drawn into a spiral of ill fortune.
In 1945, Davies stood in the United Kingdom general election
United Kingdom general election, 1950
The 1950 United Kingdom general election was the first general election ever after a full term of a Labour government. Despite polling over one and a half million votes more than the Conservatives, the election, held on 23 February 1950 resulted in Labour receiving a slim majority of just five...
, standing in the Rhondda East constituency
Rhondda East (UK Parliament constituency)
Rhondda East was a parliamentary constituency which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons to the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1918 until 1974...
as the first member of Plaid Cymru
Plaid Cymru
' is a political party in Wales. It advocates the establishment of an independent Welsh state within the European Union. was formed in 1925 and won its first seat in 1966...
to contest the seat in the Rhondda Valleys. He came last out of three candidates, gaining 2,123 votes (6.1%). The next election, in 1950
United Kingdom general election, 1951
The 1951 United Kingdom general election was held eighteen months after the 1950 general election, which the Labour Party had won with a slim majority of just five seats...
he ran again, this time the Rhondda West constituency
Rhondda West (UK Parliament constituency)
Rhondda West was a parliamentary constituency centred on the Rhondda district of Wales. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post system...
seat. He increased his vote to 6.6% and then improved this in the 1951 election
United Kingdom general election, 1951
The 1951 United Kingdom general election was held eighteen months after the 1950 general election, which the Labour Party had won with a slim majority of just five seats...
when he polled slightly higher with 7.7% of the vote, again in the Rhondda West constituency.