Goronwy Rees

(Paperback)

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Description

After gaining an Oxford fellowship at the age of 21, Goronwy Rees (1909-79) went on to write for the "Guardian" and the "Spectator" before becoming Principal of the universiy College of Wales, Aberystwyth in 1953. A Marxist intellectual turned cold warrior, who also claimed that "writing books is the only thing I'm serious about", Rees became a full-time writer in 1957 following his acrimonious resignation from Aberystwyth over revelations about his friendship with Guy Burgess. This study of Goronwy Rees (1909-79) sets his writings in the context of a dramatically eventful life. The author also discusses Rees' complex relationship with Wales and how, although an unwavering advocate of home rule, he was perceived in his native country as being anti-Welsh.

Reviews

" This is the first substantial, objective study of Rees's fascinating life and was assisted by the unstinting co-operation and reminiscences of his only daughter, Jenny Rees...Dr Harris has provided us with a rigorously researched, lucidly written and well-illustrated tome which examines the extraordinary career of the Oxford fellow, intellectual and top-ranking journalist, employed by the Manchester Guardian and the Spectator, who became principal in the sleepy university seaside town in the 1950s and was dramatically forced to resign following startling revelations about his friendship with Guy Burgess." Gwales.com

Author Bio

Formerly a lecturer in bibliography at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth, John Harris has edited numerous works by Caradoc Evans and written extensively on Anglo-Welsh publishing history. He is the compiler of A Bibliographical Guide to Twenty-Four Modern Anglo-Welsh Writers (1994) and the editor of Goronwy Rees: Sketches in Autobiography (2001).