Some tough decisions had to be made, but the writers at Wales Arts Review eventually managed to agree on the 10 best books to come from Welsh writers or Welsh publishers in 2016. From the Hitler Youth to a rewriting of the history of visual arts in Wales, our list of the 10 best Welsh books of 2016 provides a diverse reading list and a rich pool of ideas and talent. Yet again, Welsh literature proves to be in extremely rude health. For our original reviews on the books in the list, just click on the red.
10 Best Welsh Books of 2016:
My Own Dear Brother by Holly Müller (novel, Bloomsbury)
Durre Shahwar reviews My Own Dear Brother by Holly Müller a highly impressive debut novel exploring the other side of the Nazi Regime.
Perfect by Nicola Davies and Cathy Fisher (children’s book, Graffeg)
Nicola Davies shot to fame as one of the original presenters of TV’s The Really Wild Show, but it is as a children’s author she has received the most acclaim and has been nominated for some of the industry’s most prestigious awards. Here she writes about the process of creating a picture book, and how she created her latest, Perfect, for Graffeg.
Old Soldiers Never Die by Frank Richards (memoir, Library of Wales, Parthian)
Gary Raymond asks why has Wales’ military history been so absent from debates about national identity, and looks at the republication of Frank Richards’ two early twentieth century army memoirs, Old Soldiers Never Die and Old Soldier Sahib from The Library of Wales.
The Other Tiger: Recent Poetry from Latin America edited by Richard Gwyn (poetry, Seren)
Ahead of this year’s Fiction Fiesta, Richard Gwyn discusses the evolution of a new bilingual anthology of modern Latin American poetry, The Other Tiger.
The Tradition: A New History of Welsh Art by Peter Lord (non-fiction, Parthian)
Andrew Green casts a critical eye over the major new art history of Wales from Peter Lord, The Tradition.
Ritual, 1969 by Jo Mazelis (short stories, Seren)
John Lavin casts a critical eye over Jo Mazelis’ new collection of short stories from Seren Book, Ritual 1969.
Çekoslovakyalılaştıramadıklarımızdanmısınız by Nia Davies (poetry, Hafan Press)
An extract from a new series of poems by Nia Davies – Çekoslovakyalılaştıramadıkla
What It’s Like to Be Alive: Selected Poems by Deryn Rees-Jones (poetry, Seren)
Addlands by Tom Bullough (novel, Granta)
What Possessed Me by John Freeman (poetry, Worple Press)
