The Alone to the Alone by Gwyn Thomas (English) Paperback Book

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Offers the underlying meaning of South Wales' history. This title, with its plural narration, presents a choric commentary on human illusion and knowledge, on power and its attendant deprivation, on dreams and their destruction. It is History as Carnival and a comic vision of humanity that recognises no geographical boundaries.

FORMATPaperback LANGUAGEEnglish CONDITIONBrand New Publisher Description

The Alone to the Alone unites Gwyn Thomas's lyrical and philosophical flights of narrative in a satire whose savagery is only relieved by irrepressible laughter. It is Gwyn Thomas' most shaped work: the underlying meaning of South Wales' history is not so much documented as laid bare for universal dissection and dissemination. The novel, with its distinctive plural narration, is a choric commentary on human illusion and knowledge, on power and its attendant deprivation, on dreams and their destruction.

Notes

Republication of the sequel to The Dark Philosophers, first published in 1947, from this important Welsh writer.

Author Biography

Gwyn Thomas was born into a large and boisterous family in Porth, in the Rhondda Valley, in 1913. After a scholarship to Porth County School he went to St Edmund Hall, Oxford, where he read Spanish. Mass unemployment and widespread poverty in South Wales deepened his radicalism. After working for the Workers' Educational Association he became a teacher, first in Cardigan and from 1942 in Barry. In1962 he left teaching and concentrated on writing and broadcasting. His many published works of fiction include The Dark Philosophers (1946); The Alone to the Alone (1947); All Things Betray Thee (1949); The World Cannot Hear You (1951) and Now Lead Us Home (1952). He also wrote several collections of short stories, six stage plays and the autobiography A Few Selected Exits (1968). He died in 1981.

Review

'The condemnation of capitalism comes over loud and clear, yet it's so resolutely low-key as to resemble a Welsh Last of the Summer Wine.' The Guardian

Review Text

The Alone to the Alone was first published in 1947. It came, Gwyn Thomas recalled, as the "last gasp of the first violent mood" of creation with which he had written his early masterpieces Oscar and The Dark Philosophers . The Alone to the Alone unites Gwyn Thomas lyrical and philosophical flights of narrative in a satire whose savagery is only relieved by irrepressible laughter. It is Gwyn Thomas' most shaped work: the underlying meaning of South Wales' history is not so much documented as laid bare for universal dissection and dissemination. The novel, with its distinctive plural narration, is a choric commentary on human illusion and knowledge, on power and its attendant deprivation, on dreams and their destruction. The Alone to the Alone is History as Carnival and, in Gwyn Thomas' unique voice, a comic vision of humanity that recognises no geographical boundaries. The Alone to the Alone On a weather-beaten, windswept wall dug out in the backyard of nowhere, the men of the valleys Terraces gather nightly to discuss such topics as the right to work, real wages, imperialism and religion during the inter-war years in south Wales. Poverty is stark, work scarce and the population in this corner of the world is grey and disillusioned by economic and social constraint. The Alone to the Alone is, however, a love story of sorts. The discussions on the wall change direction slightly when Eurona, a young daughter of the Terraces, takes an interest in their views and starts asking questions about love. Disappointed by their dismissal of this feeling as purely a means of keeping warm in winter, Eurona gets to experience its repercussions first hand when she falls head over heels for Rollo, a young, uniform-clad bus conductor on his way up in the world.What ensues is a tale of heartache, betrayal, revenge and determination set amid the harsh realities of life in the south Wales valleys during the first half of the 20th century.The bleak backdrop gives way to Gwyn Thomass dark humour, present in the quick wit of his characters and the frank, articulate observations of his narrator. This novel, a reprinted classic of Welsh literature, speaks of a certain time in a specific place but the beat of its themes and the hum of its sufferings will resonate with readers the world over. Cyfnewidfa Ln Cymru/Wales Literature Exchange Guardian Reviw 13 December 2008 Gwyn Thomas was the wit of the Welsh valleys and a popular Brains Trust panellist who observed: "There are still parts of Wales where the only concession to gaiety is a striped shroud." Set amid the grinding poverty of the Rhondda during the Great Depression, this anecdotal satire follows the adventures of Thomas's Dark Philosophers: village elders who sit on a wall discussing religion, imperialism and "whatever little stocks of wisdom that life had battered into us ...". What little action there is circulates round the friends' charitable efforts on behalf of Eurona, a plain village girl who needs new clothes to take up a domestic appointment "because wealthy folk who hire other folk to do their dirty work are kept so busy organising a cleaner world that they have no time for anything other than first impressions". Meanwhile, the Philosophers grapple with their ethics when offered employment as sandwich-board men for a stoutly Conservative grocer. The condemnation of capitalism comes over loud and clear, yet it's so resolutely low-key as to resemble a Welsh Last of the Summer Wine. Alfred Hickling

Author Comments

Gwyn Thomas was born into a large and boisterous family in Porth, in the Rhondda Valley, in 1913. After a scholarship to Porth County School he went to St Edmund Hall, Oxford, where he read Spanish. Mass unemployment and widespread poverty in South Wales deepened his radicalism. After working for the Workers Educational Association he became a teacher, first in Cardigan and from 1942 in Barry. In 1962 he left teaching and concentrated on writing and broadcasting. His many published works of fiction include The Dark Philosophers (1946); The Alone to the Alone (1947); All Things Betray Thee (1949); The World Cannot Hear You (1951) and Now Lead Us Home (1952). He also wrote several collections of short stories, six stage plays and the autobiography A Few Selected Exits (1968). He died in 1981.

Details ISBN1905762968 Author Dai Smith Short Title ALONE TO THE ALONE Pages 184 Series Library of Wales Language English ISBN-10 1905762968 ISBN-13 9781905762965 Media Book Format Paperback UK Release Date 2008-10-24 Imprint Parthian Books Place of Publication Cardigan Country of Publication United Kingdom Illustrations Illustrations, black and white AU Release Date 2008-10-24 NZ Release Date 2008-10-24 Publisher Parthian Books Year 2008 Publication Date 2008-10-24 Edited by Dai Smith DEWEY 823.914 Series Number v. 18 Audience General We've got this

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