Caradog Prichard facts for kids
Caradog Prichard (born November 3, 1904 – died February 25, 1980) was a famous Welsh poet and novelist. He wrote many important works in the Welsh language. His daughter, Mari Prichard, was married to the late Humphrey Carpenter.
Caradog Prichard grew up in Bethesda, a town in north-west Wales known for its slate quarries. His father passed away when Caradog was just a baby. His mother faced mental health challenges. Caradog started his career as a journalist, working for Welsh newspapers in places like Caernarfon, Llanrwst, and Cardiff. Later, he moved to London, where he lived for most of his life.
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His Most Famous Book: Un Nos Ola Leuad
Caradog Prichard's most well-known book is Un Nos Ola Leuad, which means 'One Moonlit Night'. It was published in 1961. The story is set in a fictional version of his hometown, but it has a magical and sometimes unsettling feel. This novel was so popular that it was made into a film in 1991.
Un Nos Ola Leuad Around the World
Un Nos Ola Leuad has been translated into many different languages, allowing people all over the world to read Caradog Prichard's story. Some of the translations include:
- Full Moon (English, 1973)
- Une nuit de pleine lune (French, 1990)
- One Moonlit Night (English, 1995)
- Za úplnku (Czech)
- Una noche de luna (Spanish)
- In einer mondhellen Nacht (German)
- Mia núhta me fengári (Greek)
- In de maneschijn (Dutch)
- [En manelys nat] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help) (Danish)
- Jedna księżycowa noc (Polish, 2017)
Un Nos Ola Leuad on the Radio
The English translation of Un Nos Ola Leuad was very successful. Because of this, the BBC asked Philip Mitchell, who translated the book, to turn it into a radio play. This play, called 'One Moonlit Night', was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1996. More recently, in 2023, a new radio version by Rhiannon Boyle was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and BBC Radio Cymru.
His Poetry and Other Writings
Besides Un Nos Ola Leuad, Caradog Prichard also wrote other books. These include a collection of short stories called Y Genod yn Ein Bywyd (1964) and a unique autobiography, Afal Drwg Adda (1973).
He was also a talented poet from a young age. He won the prestigious Bardic Crown at the National Eisteddfod three years in a row, from 1927 to 1929. He also won the chair at the Llanelli National Eisteddfod in 1962 for his poem Llef un yn Llefain. His poems are often as powerful and thought-provoking as his famous novel.
His published poetry collections include:
- Canu Cynnar (1937)
- Tantalus (1957)
- Llef Un yn Llefain (1963)
A complete collection of all his poems was published in 1979.
