Raymond Williams, Wales and Japan / RW, Cymru a Siapan

On Friday October 16th, 2009, CREW with the support of the Richard Burton Centre for Welsh Studies and JSPS/MEXT Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research will host a one day symposium on Raymond Williams, Wales and Japan.

Following on from the success of the biography by Professor Dai Smith (Raymond Williams Research Chair at CREW), and last year’s conference celebrating 50 years of of ‘Culture and Society', this one day symposium draws on Williams’s work for comparative analyses of Wales and Japan from two eminent Welsh academics, and hears of Williams’s influence on contemporary Japanese cultural thought from two Japanese cultural critics associated with the leading journal Eigo Seinen (The Rising Generation).

The speakers are:

Shintaro Kono, Assistant Professor at the Graduate School of Commerce and Management, Hitotsubashi University. Co-translator of Eqbal Ahmad's Confronting Empire, Fredric Jameson's Cultural Turn, Edward W. Said's Power, Politics, Culture and Culture and Resistance into Japanese.


Chris Williams, Director, Richard Burton Centre. Professor Williams is currently completing Portrait of a British Town: Newport Society in 1851, to be published by the University of Wales Press. He is also working on The Victorians and the Alps and a pocket-guide to the mountains of Wales, and is co-editor of two volumes of the Gwent County History.

Takashi Onuki, Associate Professor of Kushiro Public University of Economics. Has published articles on David Hare, David Edgar, Arnold Wesker, as well as Raymond Williams, and is co-translator of Eqbal Ahmad’s Confronting Empire and Edward W. Said’s Reflections on Exile and Other Essays.

Gwenno Ffrancon, Senior Lecturer in Media Studies, Swansea University Main research interests are imaging Wales, Scotland and Ireland on screen; film and television in Wales; the history of film in Britain and America during its Golden Age and the careers of some of Wales’ foremost actors including Emlyn Williams, Hugh Griffith, Rachel Thomas, Richard Burton, Rachel Roberts and Siân Phillips. Cyfaredd y Cysgodion, was nominated for the long short list of the Academi Book of the Year Competition for 2004–5. She is currently researching a biography of Swansea-born actress Rachel Thomas.

A programme can be downloaded from the CREW website:
http://www.swan.ac.uk/CREW/Conferences/

For further information contact the organiser, Dr. Daniel Williams: daniel.g.williams@swansea.ac.uk

Ar ddydd Gwener, Hydref 16eg, 2009, bydd CREW, gyda chefnogaeth Canolfan Richard Burton a ‘JSPS/MEXT Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research’, yn cynnal cynhadledd undydd ar Raymond Williams, Cymru a Siapan. Yn dilyn llwyddiant bywgraffiad yr Athro Dai Smith, a’r gynhadledd y llynedd fu’n dathlu hanner canmlwyddiant y gyfrol Culture and Society, bydd y gynhadledd undydd hon yn cynnwys cyfraniadau gan ddau o academyddion blaenllaw Cymru, yn ogystal â chlywed am ddylanwad Williams ar feirniadaeth ddiwylliannol gyfoes Siapan gan ddau academydd o'r wlad, sy’n gysylltiedig â’r cyfnodolyn Eigo Seinen (Y Genhedlaeth sy’n Codi).

Y siaradwyr fydd:
Shintaro Kono, Athro Cynorthwyol yn Ysgol Ol-Raddedig Masnach a Rheolaeth, Prifysgol Hitotsubashi. Cyd-gyfieithydd Eqbal Ahmad, Confronting Empire, Fredric Jameson, Cultural Turn a Edward W. Said Power, Politics, Culture a Culture and Resistance.

Chris Williams, Cyfarwyddwr Canolfan Richard Burton. Mae’r Athro Williams wrthi’n cwblhau Portrait of a British Town: Newport Society in 1851, a fydd yn cael ei gyhoeddi gan Wasg Prifysgol Cymru. Mae e hefyd yn gweithio ar The Victorians and the Alps a chyfrol boced ar fynyddoedd Cymru, ac mae’n gyd-olygydd dwy gyfrol o Hanes Gwent.

Takashi Onuki, Athro Cysylltiol â Phrifysgol Gyhoeddus Economeg Kushiro. Mae e wedi cyhoeddi erthyglau ar David Hare, David Edgar, Arnold Wesker, yn ogystal â Raymond Williams, ac mae’n gyd-gyfeithydd Eqbal Ahmad, Confronting Empire a Edward W. Said, Reflections on Exile and Other Essays.

Gwenno Ffrancon, Uwch ddarlithydd yn yr adran cyfathrebu a chyfyngau, Prifysgol Abertawe. Ei phrif feysydd ymchwil yw delweddu Cymru, yr Alban ac Iwerddon ar sgrin, ffilm a theledu yng Nghymru; hanes ffilm ym Mhrydain ac America yn ystod ei Hoes Aur a gyrfaoedd rhai o actorion mwyaf blaenllaw Cymru gan gynnwys Emlyn Williams, Hugh Griffith, Rachel Thomas, Richard Burton, Rachel Roberts a Siân Phillips. Cafodd Cyfaredd y Cysgodion, ei enwebu ar gyfer rhestr hir Cystadleuaeth Llyfr y Flwyddyn yr Academi 2004-5. Ar hyn o bryd mae hi’n ymchwilio bywgraffiad o’r actors o Abertawe Rachel Thomas.

Gellir lawrlwytho rhaglen o wefan CREW: http://www.swan.ac.uk/CREW/Conferences/
Am wybodaeth bellach cysylltwch â’r trefnydd, Dr. Daniel Williams: daniel.g.williams@abertawe.ac.uk

The Meaning of Pictures

The latest publication to emerge from CREW is Peter Lord’s handsome volume The Meaning of Pictures (University of Wales Press).

Over the last twenty years, Peter Lord has revolutionised understanding of the visual art of Wales by drawing attention to the rich tradition of ‘artisanal art’ (usually mistakenly termed ‘folk art’). This is the remarkable body of nineteenth-century work produced by the usually itinerant artists, lacking formal academic training, who produced images of the rural minor gentry and bourgeoisie, in the process creating a composite image of ‘Nonconformist Wales.’ As Peter Lord emphasises in this new study, American paintings in this genre came to be very highly valued in the United States during the twentieth century. A museum of folk art containing images and artefacts in this artisanal tradition now stands next to MOMA at the very heart of New York, and any new paintings that appear in the salesrooms are likely to command astonishing prices. However, Wales had almost completely ignored this heritage under Peter Lord began to unearth it, and his resultant claims for its cultural importance generated a huge controversy in establishment fine art circles that continues to resonate to the present day.

Peter Lord includes in this new volume a gripping account of his epic struggles to ensure a fair ‘viewing’ for Welsh artisanal art in Wales, and in the process reflects ironically on the recent example of a Welsh artisanal painting sold in New York for an astonishing sum. But the book also includes many important additions to Peter’s imposing corpus of studies of individual artisanal images and figures, thus deepening our appreciation of Wales’ visual heritage.

Polish Translation of M. Wynn Thomas's Work

A forthcoming issue of the prestigious Polish journal, Literatura na Swiecie, will be dedicated to contemporary Welsh writing. The first major presentation of contemporary English-language Welsh literature in Poland will include excerpts from Gwyneth Lewis, Gillian Clarke, R.S.Thomas, Robert Minhinnick, John Sam Jones, Niall Griffths, and others.

It will also feature two essays of literary criticism by M. Wynn Thomas: "Hidden Attachments" (from his book Corresponding Cultures) and, co-authored with Jane Aaron, "Pulling You Through Changes. Welsh Writing in English Before Between and After Two Referenda" from Welsh Writing in English which Thomas also edited.

http://www.literaturanaswiecie.art.pl/english.htm