While writing her latest book, a reimagining of the story of Cordelia, Alexandra Walsh was struck by the way some figures reappear in different tales through the ages. Why, she wondered, do we tell and retell these stories? So she set about finding Cordelia. Towards the end of my new novel Daughter of the Stones, my […]
The magic and science of 18th-century Wales
Wales in the 18th century was a land where old magical beliefs and new science met, clashed, mixed and evolved, says Susan Stokes-Chapman, author of The Shadow Key. Her book explores the possibilities of this tension – and is also a “love letter to Wales and the Gothic”. The 18th century was a time of […]
The Shadow Key by Susan Stokes-Chapman
After a grave mistake, Henry Talbot has been forced to take a position as village doctor in remote Wales where he can’t speak the language and belief in myth and magic is rife. When Henry discovers his predecessor died in mysterious circumstances, and starts to notice a cryptic symbol appearing in odd places, he sets […]
The King’s Jewel by Elizabeth Chadwick
Wales, 1093, and the warm, comfortable family life of young Nesta, daughter of Prince Rhys of Deheubarth, is destroyed when her father is killed and she is taken hostage. Her honour is further tarnished when she is taken as an unwilling concubine by King William’s ruthless younger brother Henry, who later ascends the throne under […]
Vulcana by Rebecca F John
On a winter’s night in 1892, Kate Williams, the daughter of a Baptist Minister, leaves Abergavenny and sets out for London with a wild plan: she is going to become a strongwoman. But it is not only her ambition she is chasing. William Roberts, the leader of a music hall troupe, has captured her imagination […]
Vulcana, the strongwoman history forgot
Kate Williams, known as Vulcana, was a world-famous strongwoman in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but she has slipped out of history since then. When Rebecca F John came across her she knew she had to tell Vulcana’s extraordinary story. Here she does just that, and wonders why Vulcana was forgotten. Was she […]
History, historicity, historiography and Arthurian legend
Does it matter whether King Arthur, or someone who the legend is built on, existed in history? For Nicola Griffith, author of Spear, it doesn’t. What was important when she was writing her book was to make a place and a voice for people who have been left out of the stories, and to create […]
Castles of Wales by John Paul Davis
In 1277, Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, Prince of Gwynedd, met with Edward I of England in Aberconwy to finalise a treaty that would change the fate of both nations. His hand forced by Edward’s invasion earlier that year, Llywelyn’s acceptance of the terms confirmed not only short-term peace but also that the rule of Wales would […]