Wales was an English-language literary journal, published from 1937 to 1960. The magazine contained fiction, poetry, reviews and articles pertaining to
WalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom, bordered by England to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It is also an elective region of the European Union...
.
The journal started as a quarterly publication (No. 1 (Summer 1937)-No. 11 (Winter 1939-1940), became a Wartime Broadsheeet (No. 1 (1941), then moved to six-monthly publication (1943-1949). In 1958 it was re-started as a monthly publication with No. 32, ending with No. 47 in January 1960.
It was edited throughout its existence by
Keidrych RhysWilliam 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. He lived at Penybont farm, Llangadock, Carmarthen....
, and published on his behalf by The Druid Press, Carmarthen, and printed by Western Mail & Echo Ltd, and latterly by the Tudor Press, London.
The magazine was an important influence on Welsh literature.
Robert GravesGraves considered himself a poet first and foremost. His poems, together with his translations and innovative interpretations of the Greek Myths, his memoir of the First World war, Good-bye to All That, and his historical study of poetic inspiration, The White Goddess, have never been out of...
, who became a close correspondent with Rhys and Lynette Roberts, held high hopes for this magazine, which he felt could be a "record-vehicle" for a new movement of tradition-minded, modern Celtic poets.
In the
Wales magazine, Rhys published articles, short stories, and poems by an array of predominantly Welsh writers and thinkers, such as
Alun LewisAlun Lewis , was a poet of the Anglo-Welsh school, and is regarded by many as Britain's finest Second World War poet .- Education :...
,
Saunders LewisSaunders Lewis was a Welsh poet, dramatist, historian, literary critic, and political activist. He was a prominent Welsh nationalist and a founder of the Welsh National Party . Lewis is usually acknowledged to have been among the most prominent figures of twentieth-century Welsh-language literature...
,
Dylan ThomasDylan Marlais Thomas was a Welsh poet and writer[, Encyclopædia Britannica . Retrieved 11 January 2008.] who wrote exclusively in English. In addition to poetry, he wrote short stories and scripts for film and radio, which he often performed himself...
,
Glyn JonesFor other persons named Glyn Jones, see Glyn Jones .Glyn Jones was a 20th century Welsh author and important figure in Anglo-Welsh literature. He also served as both Chairman and President of the Welsh Academy's English-language section...
and
Lynette RobertsLynette Roberts was a Welsh poet, born Evelyn Beatrice Roberts in Buenos Aires to parents of Welsh extraction.-Life:...
. Early drafts of parts of Robert Graves's book on mythology and poetry,
The White GoddessThe White Goddess: a Historical Grammar of Poetic Myth is a book-length essay upon the nature of poetic myth-making by author and poet Robert Graves. First published in 1948, based on earlier articles published in Wales, corrected, revised and enlarged editions appeared in 1948, 1952 and 1961...
, were published there as three articles ('Dog', 'Roebuck' and 'Lapwing') between 1944 and 1945.
The magazine was a conscious attempt to provide a platform for 'younger progressive Welsh writers' who felt that their contribution to British culture was marginalised, and represented the creation of "Anglo-Welsh literature" (Welsh writing in English) as a concept..
The magazine is being digitized by the
Welsh Journals OnlineWelsh Journals Online is a free web resource created by the National Library of Wales, containing digitised back-numbers of academic, scholarly and popular journals and magazines relating to Wales.- Project details :...
project at the
National Library of WalesThe National Library of Wales is the national legal deposit library of Wales, located in Aberystwyth. It is one of the Assembly Government Sponsored Bodies....
.
Other journals called Wales
- O. M. Edwards published the monthly magazine Wales as the English-language version of Cymru, 1894-1897..
- J. Hugh Edwards edited the monthly magazine Wales, 1911-1914..