Not Quite White

Disgrifiad Cymraeg / Welsh Description

Nofel sy'n archwilio'r tensiynau rhwng y Cymry a'r Saeson. Ceir rhagymadrodd gan Dafydd Elis-Thomas, a dyfyniadau o gerddi R. S. Thomas a Gerallt Lloyd Owen. Pwysleisir gwerth hunaniaeth ddiwylliannol a gwleidyddol, ochr yn ochr â goddefgarwch, er gwaetha'r elfennau o dwyll a rhagfarn a geir mewn tref fach wledig. Adargraffiad; cyhoeddwyd gyntaf ym mis Gorffennaf 2010.

Disgrifiad Saesneg / English Description

A novel exploring the tensions between the Welsh and the English. It's a passionate defence of cultural and political identity, and a plea for tolerance. It's also a sustained attack on the forces of small-town bigotry and corruption. But, above all, it's an acknowledgement of the subtleties and ambiguities that exist in even the most entrenched attitudes. Reprint; first published 2010.

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Bywgraffiad yr Awdur / Author Biography

Bu’n gwethio fel gohebydd ac is-olygydd papurau newyddion am ugain mlynedd ac wedyn, yna gydag elusen cynllun meddygol, ac yn nes ymlaen fel darlithydd marchnata. Trefnodd ŵyl lenyddol yn Durham, ac ysgrifennodd ddrama i BBC2, fel rhan o ymgyrch lwyddiannus i ryddhau bardd ifanc oedd wedi ei garcharu yn Rwsia oherwydd ei ddaliadau Cristnogol. Symudodd Simon Thirsk, i’r Bala yn 1997, ac mae’r nofel Not Quite White yn tynnu ychydig ar ei brofiad fel Sais ymlith y Cymry, fel dysgwr Cymraeg, ac fel cadeirydd Antur Penllyn a Grŵp Twristiaeth y Bala.

Bywgraffiad yr Awdur / Author Biography

Simon Thirsk is chairman and founder director of the renowned poetry publisher Bloodaxe Books. He was chairman of the Antur Penllyn town development group in Bala, North Wales, and, having learnt the language, describes himself as ‘a moderately fluent’ Welsh speaker. He has two children.

Adolygiad y Cyhoeddwr / Publisher Review

Nofel Saesneg newydd gan awdur lleol yn creu cynnwrf yn Y Bala Mae Not Quite White yn canolbwyntio ar bynciau llosg mewn tref ddychmygol o’r enw Llanchwaraetegdanygelyn rywle ar y Migneint. “Ffrwyth dychymyg yw’r stori, yn llawn cymeriadau ffuglennol, ond mae elfen ddychanol yma hefyd,” dywedodd Simon. “Un bwriad difrifol yn y llyfr ydy tynnu sylw byd eang at brobleamau cefn gwlad – problemau cadw’r iath yn fyw ac yn fywiog, a phrinder swyddi a thai rhad ar gyfer pobl leol – ond stori o gariad ydy hi yn y bôn, a stori ddoniol.” Mae Simon yn rhedeg tŷ cyhoeddi barddoniaeth llwyddiannus, sef Bloodaxe Books, ers 30 o flynyddoedd. “Fe wnaeth ddechrau fel diddordeb ond erbyn hyn mae’n swydd yn fwy nag un llawn amser,” dywedodd. “Un peth sy’n fy niddori ydy’r tensiwn rhwng Cymry Cymraeg a Saeson. Yn y nofel, mae’r bobl leol yn ceisio amdiffyn yr iaith yn erbyn y mewnfudwyr trwy ddefyddio’r iaith ei hun fel eu prif arf. Mae’r rhai o’r rhain yn bobl blwyfol a chul, heb y sgilau angenrheidiol i redeg y dre yn effeithiol, felly mae Saeson yn rhwystredig iawn, iawn. “Nid yw Saesneg yn cael ei chaniatau yn nhrafodaethau’r Cyngor, a does dim ffordd i bobl ddi Gymraeg wybod beth sy’n digwydd. Mae hyn oll yn creu tensiwn a difyrrwch yn y stori, yn enwedig pan anfonir dyn ifanc gan Westminster i roi trefn ar bethau. “Mae yna lawer o bobl ddrwg yn y stori – Saeson a Chymry – ac mae yna grŵp ddychmygol o genedlaetholwyr o’r enw Gwrthsafiad. Ond mae hefyd ferch dlos o’r enw Gwalia. A’r cwestiwn sylfaenol yw: Pwy sy’n gallu achub Llanchwaraetegdanygelyn?” Pan oedd yng Ngogledd Ddwyrain Lloegr, sefydlodd Simon fudiad Saeson a Phacistaniaid ifanc yn erbyn hiliaeth, a bu’n aelod o’r Cyngor er mwyn hybu integreiddio. “Mi es i’r brifysgol, fel myfyriwr aeddfed, i astudio athroniaeth, ac roeddwn yn ffodus iawn i cael un o brif athronwyr moeseg y byd fel tiwtor, sef Mary Midgley.” Dwedodd Simon fod Wythnos yn Ngymru Fydd gan Islwyn Ffowc Elis yn ddylanwad mawr arno fo. “Darllenais hon wrth astudio’r Gymraeg, ac mae hi’n dangos beth sy’n bosib a beth sy’n beryg i gymunedau Cymraeg. “A’r un gofid sydd yn y nofel ag sydd yng nghefn gwlad yn awr: sut mae cadw’r iath yn fyw yn wyneb y mewnlifiad o Saeson, a sut i wneud hynny heb fod yn anghyfeillgar.”

Adolygiad y Cyhoeddwr / Publisher Review

The young Jon Bull is sent by Westminster to Wales’s last remaining Welsh-speaking town to see why all attempts to bring it into the twenty-first century have failed. Waiting for him is the beautiful but embittered Gwalia ... Not Quite White explores the complex tensions that spit and seethe when English colonialism and Welsh nationalism go head to head. It is a passionate defence of cultural and political identity, and a considered plea for tolerance. It is also a sustained attack on the forces of small-town bigotry and corruption. But, above all, it is an acknowledgement of the subtleties and ambiguities that exist in even the most entrenched attitudes. ‘An uplifting and utopian vision of Wales and its language.’ Helen Dunmore ‘A tragic-comic battle between two cultures.’ Gillian Clarke ‘An important book for readers of all backgrounds.’ Angharad Price *********************************************** Age old tensions between the English and the Welsh are at the heart of a new novel by author Simon Thirsk “ Not Quite White is a satire on the worst of Welsh and English attitudes,” said Simon. “Like all good satire, the characters are caricatured and exaggerated. That, I hope is part of the fun and I hope both sides will be able to laugh at themselves.” When Westminster sends Jon Bull to solve the politically embarrassing problems of the last totally Welsh-speaking town in Wales, little does he know how his life will change. Waiting for him is the beautiful but embittered Gwalia, who has been instructed to thwart him at every turn. Initially his ideas are rejected by a town that has resisted change for so long. But in need of a plan to protect their way of life, they later turn to Jon for help. With Gwalia’s fate woven into that of her birthplace, Jon knows that he must succeed in saving the town, even if it means sacrificing his own feelings. The novel explores the prejudices of both sides, but it also explores the good and optimistic facets of both countries, and the ancient, and sometimes difficult love affair between England and Wales. The story is set in a mythical town, near to Tryweryn, the close-knit village that became notorious in the sixties, after it was forcibly flooded to create Llyn Celyn reservoir to supply water to Liverpool. The lasting legacy of bitterness and anger which was left by this cruel act of colonialism is still felt by the characters of the novel, and they struggle to break free from it. Author Simon Thirsk has seen both sides of the argument, from the inside. Originally from North-East England, he moved to Bala, a predominantly Welsh speaking town in North Wales thirteen years ago. He set about immersing himself in the culture of Wales, and learnt the language. Now fluent, he can identify with both sides, and had a rare perspective from which to write on such an emotive subject.