Poems From the Book of Taliesin - Paperback

by J. Gwenogvryn Evans (Author)

The poems of Taliesin, some of which were used by Robert Graves for his book The White Goddess, are among the most fascinating works in the bardic tradition. John Gwenogvryn Evans (1852 - 1930) is best remembered for his facsimile editions and diplomatic texts of ancient Welsh literature. His facsimile edition of Llyfr Taliesin, the Book of Taliesin, was renowned for its accuracy, but in the edition and translation of these mysterious poems prsesented here he made many controversial emendations and translational decisions. Though his translations should be checked against modern scholarly standards, there is much to explore in this book . This is a Bardic Press Celtic Classic Edition.

Author Biography

Reverend John Gwenogvryn Evans (20 March 1852 - 25 March 1930) was a Welsh palaeographic expert. Evans was born at Llanybydder in Carmarthenshire. He was apprenticed to a grocer, but returned to school, one of his teachers being William Thomas (Gwilym Marles). He studied theology and became a Unitarian minister, but gave up his pastorate because of ill-health. He began to take an interest in ancient Welsh manuscripts, and set up his own printing press in order to create facsimiles of major Welsh medieval manuscripts, such as the books of Aneirin and Taliesin. In 1880 he moved to Oxford, where he spent most of the rest of his life. From 1894 to 1920, Evans was employed by the Historical Manuscripts Commission, producing a major Report on Manuscripts in the Welsh Language. In 1905 he facilitated the purchase of the Peniarth manuscript collection from Sir John Williams, 1st Baronet Williams. Since 1909, these have been lodged in the National Library of Wales at Aberystwyth. Evans retired to Llanbedrog in Caernarfonshire, where he ran his own printing press as a hobby. He and his wife Edith are both buried there.