Is, Was, Now & Ever More shall be!

Recent Sad News Literature Wales is deeply saddened to hear of the passing of three Fellows of the Welsh Academy, John Davies, Meredydd Evans and John Rowlands. Dr John Davies (1938 - 2015) Dr John Davies was an eminent Welsh historian, academic and writer. John is the author of Hanes Cymru (A History of Wales), one of the most comprehensive and important works on Welsh history. He was co-editor of The Welsh Academy Encyclopaedia of Wales. To read a tribute to John Davies by Lleucu Siencyn, Chief Executive of Literature Wales, click here.  Dr Meredydd Evans (1919 - 2015) Dr Meredydd Evans was an academic, campaigner, composer, performer and an expert on the history of Welsh-language folk singing. He was the head of BBC Wales light entertainment for ten years during the 1960s and 1970s, and was a prominent figure in Welsh culture.  Professor John Rowlands (1938 - 2015) John Rowalnds was a writer, lecturer and literary critic. He was a Professor of Welsh Literature at the University of Wales Aberystwyth until his retirement in 2003. He greatly influenced many of Wales’ contemporary writers. He was co-editor of Taliesin magazine with Gerwyn Williams during the 1990s.  We extend our sympathy to the families of John Davies, Meredydd Evans and John Rowlands. Interesting to me, that the above 3 'Greats' of Welsh Cultural Life are referred to as 'was' as if their lives and achievements are in the past tense. They may no longer exist in the physical realm but their legacies live on in the present.