Culture, Welsh Language and Sport Committee

Policy Review - English Medium Writing In Wales

Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies

Thank you for your invitation to submit a written contribution to the review of English Medium Writing in Wales. I should like to make the following points under the headings which you suggested: i. In view of the fact that the overwhelming majority of the population of Wales are readers of the English rather than the Welsh language, it is imperative that they are provided with a diverse but high-quality range of reading material which enriches their culture and sense of identity. It is a matter of concern, therefore, that the 'Arts for All’ fund of the Lottery Division of the Arts Council of Wales has disappeared. This means that it will no longer be possible to finance pioneering, ambitious literary projects like this Centre’s 'The Visual Culture of Wales’ / 'Diwylliant Gweledol Cymru’, or the Academy’s 'Encyclopaedia of Wales’ / 'Y Gwyddoniadur Cymreig’, both of which have filled or will fill huge gaps in our cultural profile. It should surely be possible for such projects to be financed either by top-slicing Lottery grants or by providing the Welsh Books Council with an additional grant from the Assembly.ii. I have never understood why support mechanisms to writers in Wales never seem to include historians. It could be argued that Welsh historians over the past two generations have made a far richer and more enduring contribution to English-language culture in Wales as well as the politico-cultural development of our people than poets, playwrights or screenplay writers have done. Is the craft of writing history not to be considered a creative activity, an act of imaginative reconstruction, a vehicle by which a robust sense of national identity can be maintained? I would suggest that the National Assembly should broaden the current view of what kind of writers deserve support and that our historians should be welcomed into what has traditionally been a closed world of so-called 'literary’ writers.iii. There is a strong case to be made for setting up a commissions fund for Welsh publishers which would enable them to attract saleable authors both from within and without Wales, but with a particular emphasis on nurturing young indigenous talent in Wales. Private sector support should be canvassed in order to launch a modern, glossy and attractive version of the unwisely abandoned Books from Wales / Llais Llyfrau in order to market literature effectively, in conjunction with web-based and catalogue material, and provide up-to-date information, reviews etc. The dearth of regular and authoritative reviews of books in Wales is a matter of grave concern.iv. The current role played by major private bookselling chains in Wales is a major scandal. Book displays parallel and reflect that which can be found in any booksellers in any city or town outside Wales. English-language books relating to Wales are either deposited in inaccessible alcoves under the heading 'Local Interest’ or not stocked at all. In this insidious manner, the reading public is allowed to gain the impression that Welsh printed culture is of no consequence. It should be part of the Committee’s remit to persuade such chains to review their current policy by conducting a full-scale appraisal of the popularity of English-language books in Wales and, if I might suggest, by providing a timely reminder of the responsibility of the private sector to recognise the importance of sustaining the development of multi-language writing and multi-cultural traditions within Wales. I hope the above observations will prove of some value to your deliberations.Yours sincerelyGeraint H. JenkinsDirector