Here are some highlights and pictures from the Emyr Humphreys Centenary symposium and public lecture organised by CREW at Swansea on 13 April 2019.
We were very lucky to have photographer Bernard Mitchell in attendance and most of the pictures here are taken by him.
The Deputy Minister for Culture, Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas, opened the day with personal reflections on the national and international significance of Emyr Humphreys.
.@wgdep_culture reflects on the influence of Emyr Humphreys on his own cultural development.— The Learned Society of Wales (@LSWalesCDdCymru) 13 April 2019
Humphreys was producer of the Y Ddrama yn Ewrop radio series, which led to the translations of Beckett that @Rhianeddjewell considered in our lecture earlier this week!@CREWswanuni pic.twitter.com/cCYOsCsePt
Meanwhile some on Twitter were more interested in the stylish socks.
Personal reflections on the importance of Emyr Humphreys by the Minister for Culture @SwanseaUni pic.twitter.com/GEpPTQo7AI— CREW Swansea Uni (@CREWswanuni) 13 April 2019
M. Wynn Thomas delivers a powerful and moving paper on the ‘nonconformist consciousness’ of #EmyrHumphreys and #MarilynRobinson. #Gilead and #OutsideTheHouseOfBaal #Emyr100 pic.twitter.com/JRRaiYYunH— Daniel G. Williams (@DanielGwydion) 13 April 2019
— Michelle J Deininger (@dr_deininger) 13 April 2019
@dr_deininger on Emyr Humphreys’ “eco feminism”, environmentalism and the short story pic.twitter.com/X62wPiMhEA— CREW Swansea Uni (@CREWswanuni) 13 April 2019
Humphreys as critic of the civic. His Non-conformity not messianic universalism, much closer to the Jewish particularism of the early church as explored by W. D. Davies. The Welsh-Jewish analogy explored by @JasmineDonahaye characteristic of Humphreys’ fiction. 3 prophets look on pic.twitter.com/kofgVs8063— Daniel G. Williams (@DanielGwydion) 13 April 2019
@andywebbtweets a @ej_shepley yn trafod storiau byrion y 2000au. Storiau hwyr Humphreys yn trin themau cyson ei waith, ond o safbwynt henaint. Ewrop yn fygythiad ac yn ffynhonnell gobaith yn ôl Webb. #EmyrHumphreys100 pic.twitter.com/vnVXJQthLz— Daniel G. Williams (@DanielGwydion) 13 April 2019
@ej_shepley on the gendering of old age, Emyr Humphreys and “Reifungsroman” (novel of ripening) and EH’s late style. #EmyrHumphreys100 pic.twitter.com/sr14iibfHR— CREW Swansea Uni (@CREWswanuni) 13 April 2019
We managed to over-run a little what with me getting carried away with parallels between Tristan Hughes' Revenant and Emyr Humphreys' Toy Epic and a heated debate amongst the audience about whether Humphreys' writing can be described as Faulknerian. Faulkner was certainly important to the development of both Humphreys and Hughes.
@tristankhughes closes the conference @CREWswanuni @SU_EngLit_CW in conversation with organiser @kbohata . A novelist of Ynys Môn, never told about Humphreys. Revalation of discovering the work later in life. Faulknerian resonances of Welsh place. #EmyrHumphreys100 pic.twitter.com/p73Gbx13gJ— Daniel G. Williams (@DanielGwydion) 13 April 2019
And to finish the day we decamped to Cinema & Co, for a moving talk by Candida Clark. There was indeed wine - and futons!
We're in a cinema for the public lecture rounding off today's symposium. It has FUTONS! AND WINE! WOOHOO! #EmyrHumphreys100 @kbohata @CREWswanuni pic.twitter.com/EUq9TccY3w— Michelle J Deininger (@dr_deininger) 13 April 2019
#CandidaClark is doing a wonderful talk & being honest about talking about someone as accomplished as EH #EmyrHumphreys100 pic.twitter.com/H2fuYOwGEs— Michelle J Deininger (@dr_deininger) 13 April 2019
#EmyrHumphreys100 ends at the great Cinema and Co, Swansea. Candida Clark yn traddodi darlith Emyr Humphreys / delivers the Emyr Humphreys lecture. Recalls EH at 99 quoting Dante - in the original!— Daniel G. Williams (@DanielGwydion) 13 April 2019
Llongyfarchiadau Prof @kbohata on a great day! pic.twitter.com/T2q5RoFGZ7
We are very grateful to UWP who created a stupendous display of their Humphreys titles, coped with running upstairs to get a signal their card reader and still managed to sell loads of books.
We’re all ready to go at the Emyr Humphreys Centenary Symposium. Make the most of our discounted titles today! pic.twitter.com/lKJRqW6jap— Uni of Wales Press (@UniWalesPress) April 13, 2019
