The Writers of Wales Database

WILLIAMS, HERBERT

63 Bwlch Road, Fairwater, Cardiff, CF5 3BX
Tel: (029) 2065 3211
Email: h.williams13@ntlworld.com
Website: www.herbert-williams.co.uk

Herbert was born in Aberystwyth and is a highly respected poet, novelist, short story writer and dramatist. His first collection of poetry was published 1965. He worked as a journalist, then a BBC producer before becoming a full-time writer in 1979. Herbert's poems, short stories and plays have been broadcast by BBC, HTV and Thames Television. He has contributed to New Welsh Review, Planet, Cambrensis, Western Mail, The Transatlantic Review, Aquarius, Decal, Iota and other journals. Herbert is co-founder of Roundyhouse Poetry Magazine.

Proving that age is no barrier to creativity, Herbert Williams – now in his 70s - has brought out seven books in the last decade, including the prize-winning novella The Marionettes. He is also the subject of a biography by Phil Carradice in the prestigious Writers of Wales series.

His awards include the Hawthornden Poetry Fellowship 1992. He adjudicated the Rhys Davies Short Story Competition 1998. Herbert is a Fellow of Academi. 


Reviews:
With respect to The Marionettes (Cinnamon, 2008)

”…Herb delivers his story of frailty and breakdown before the terrible power of human passions and needs with remarkable linguistic dexterity, convincing innovation, and the energy of a man half his age, He continues to move and impress, and long many he do so…”
Niall Griffiths

”…[The Marionettes] is contemporary, has psychological depth, is convincing, and entertaining. The characters seem t be drawn from life. The monologue is well done. It is, in short, a genuine novella in that it draws the reader into the world of its characters without being moralistic or maudlin and it tells a tale worth the telling…”
Meic Stephens


Selected Publications:
Come Out Wherever You Are (Quartet, 1976)
Stage Coaches in Wales (Stewart Williams, 1977)
Railways in Wales (Christopher Davies, 1981)
The Pembrokeshire Coast National Parks (National Parks Guide) (Webb & Bower, 1989)
Stories of King Arthur (John Jones, 1990)
Ghost Country (Gomer, 1991)
Davies the Ocean: Railway King and Coal Tycoon (University of Wales Press, 1991)
The Stars in their Courses (Alun Books, 1992)
John Cowper Powys (Seren, 1997)
Looking Through Time (Headland, 1998)
A Severe Case of Dandruff (Gomer, 1999)
Voices of Wales (Tempus Oral History Series) (Tempus, 1999) 
The Woman in Back Row (Gomer, 2000)
Punters (Gomer, 2002)
Come Out, Wherever You Are: The Great Escape in Wales (Gomer, 2004)
Wrestling in Mud (Cinnamon, 2007)
The Marionettes (Cinnamon, 2008)
Love Child (Y Lolfa, 2011)
Nice Work if You Can Get it (Cinnamon, 2011)

Telvision Scripts:
A Solitary Mister: The Life and Death of Dylan Thomas (BBC2)

Radio Scripts:
A Child’s Christmas in Wales by Dylan Thomas (adaptation) 
The Citadel by AJ Cronin (adaptation)



Wrestling in Mud (Cinnamon, 2007)

"…For anyone in Wales with the slightest interest in who we are and how we manage our rain-driven lives this is essential reading…"
Peter Finch

"…In Wrestling in Mud we encounter Herb Williams at the peak of his powers, a wise, reflective, mature poet who at the same time delights in being as scurrilous and acerbic as a thwarted teenager…"
Ifor Thomas

Eligible Writers on Tour subjects offered:

1. Readings from/discussions of own poetry or fiction
2. Readings from John Cowper Powys/discussions of his work

AGE RANGE: None. Schoolchildren, students, adults - anything goes!