Parry-Williams, Sir Thomas Herbert

(1887-1975)

   Welsh poet born in Rhyd-ddu, Caernarvonshire, the son of a schoolmaster. Educated at Porthmadog Intermediate School, he graduated M.A. from the University of Wales and earned a bachelor of literature from Oxford and a Ph.D. from Freiburg University, Germany. In 1912, he won both the chair and the crown at the National Eisteddfod of Wales in Wrexham, and again in 1915 at the National Eisteddfod held in Bangor. From 1914 until his retirement in 1952 he was lecturer, then professor, of Welsh at the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth. His Freiburg Ph.D. dissertation on Some Points of Similarity in the Phonology of Welsh and Breton was published in 1913; The English Element in Welsh followed in 1923. He is considered by some to be the most eloquent of all 20th century Welsh poets. He was awarded honorary doctorates from three universities and was knighted in 1958. He died at his home in Aberystwyth. Three of his other publications: Cerddi, 1931 (poem). Lloffion, 1942 (gleanings). Myfyrdodau, 1957 (meditation). Three of his poems: "Christmas Carol," "Llyn y Gadair [the seat by the pond]," "These Bones."

   Sources: Deg Soned. A book of 12 sonnets held by The University of London Library (http://www.ull.ac.uk/exhibitions/bookbeautiful.pdf ). Dictionary of National Biography. Electronic Edition 1.1. Oxford University Press, 1997. The National Portrait Gallery (www.npg.org.uk). The Columbia Granger's Index to Poetry. 11th ed. The Columbia Granger's World of Poetry, Columbia University Press, 2005 (http://www.columbiagrangers.org). The Oxford Book of Welsh Verse in English. Gwyn Jones, ed. Oxford University Press, 1977.