Gwynfor Dafydd is the winner of the Rhondda Cynon Taf National Eisteddfod Crown. The poet from Tonyrefail came out top in a competition which attracted 33 entries
The Crown and the prize money of £750 are donated by Ysgol Garth Olwg, which continues to foster proud Welsh-speakers in the Pontypridd area. The Crown was designed and produced by Elan Rhys Rowlands of Neil Rayment Goldsmith’s, Cardiff Bay, with the support and help of Neil Rayment himself.
The Crown is presented for a ‘pryddest’ or collection of poems not in cynghanedd, of no more than 250 lines, on the subject of ‘Atgof’ (memory or remembrance). The subject was chosen by the Eisteddfod Literature Committee to mark exactly a century since Prosser Rhys won the Pontypool National Eisteddfod Crown for a poem on the same subject, talking about his sexual relationship with another man, when being gay was illegal.
This year’s adjudicators were Guto Dafydd, Elinor Gwynn and Tudur Dylan Jones, who spoke on behalf of his fellow judges during the adjudication on the Pavilion stage, saying, "Samsa presents a collection which suits this year’s Eisteddfod perfectly, as the poet’s roots are in the local area. The work evokes a range of emotions, from the sadness of the Senghennydd wives, to the comedy surrounding the attention given to Guto Nyth Brân. The writer has both a close and distant relationship with the area and its people, and feels at one with society, and yet slightly apart.
“It’s a great temptation to quote extensively from the poems to show Samsa's talent and craft, but that would be futile for two reasons. Firstly, isolating quotes would hinder their meaning, as the poems work together within the whole collection so tightly, and secondly, the collection is published in the ‘Cyfansoddiadau a Beirniadaethau’ in all its magnificent context. The history of the valleys is richly complex, and the richness and complexity are echoed in the poet's response to the area and its people, with the poet telling it as it is, frankly and honestly."
Guto Dafydd also praises Samsa’s work in his adjudication, and says, “This is a witty and fierce collection, measured and masterful, which lovingly-critically examines the poet's relationship with the valleys that his grandfather introduced to him as a child, emphasising the stark commonness as well as the romance and honour, “â’i alaw broletaraidd-browd, chwyldroi/ diflastod pentre’n lle llawn chwedlau coeth’.
"The writer described the enormity of the complexity of his own relationship with his habitat, repaying the debt he owed to his grandfather. He made a brilliant, honest, multi-faceted contribution to the literature of the valleys and gay literature, and to the ongoing effort of Welsh culture to cope with de-industrialisation and gave a voice to under-represented identities. He is a great successor to Ben Davies and Prosser Rhys.”
Elinor Gwynn also welcomes Samsa's words in her adjudication, and says, "From Samsa we get poems that interweave humour and intensity, the present and the past, and scathing commentary with moving reflections about their own identity. In an original and engaging way, the writer offers an insight into the experiences, stories and myths that create our places and shape our relationship with them.
"By introducing the reader to different aspects of one specific area in Wales, and their relationship with the place, the poet has created a deep map of a poem reflecting their feelings of being inside and on the other side of the area where they grew up - but an area where their core relationship with their grandfather creates an unshakable anchor."
Gwynfor was born and raised in Tonyrefail, Rhondda Cynon Taf, and was educated at Ysgol Gynradd Tonyrefail and Ysgol Llanhari. It was at secondary school that Gwynfor began to write poetry, initially in strict measure, following a visit by Mererid Hopwood to the school, when he first encountered cynghanedd.
He went on to win the Urdd Chair when he was still a pupil in Llanhari in 2016, and then for the second time on his home turf in Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr Taf ac Elái in 2017. Gwynfor also composed the Cywydd Croeso that year.
He studied German and Spanish literature at Cambridge University and spent a year working for the British Chamber of Commerce in Chile. After graduating from university during lockdown, he returned to Tonyrefail to live for three years, before moving to London, where he now works as a journalist for the BBC on the News at Six and 10 O'Clock News.
Gwynfor is a member of the Glamorgan team in Yr Ymryson, and the Tir Iarll team on the Y Talwrn radio series. He has won the Cledwyn Roberts Memorial Trophy twice for the best vers libre poem on the series.
Gwynfor would like to thank his Welsh teacher in Llanhari, Catrin Rowlands, for her support and advice over the years. It’s a great pleasure to know she is being honoured to the Gorsedd this year, after doing so much to ensure that local children have a chance to speak Welsh beyond the classroom.
He would also like to acknowledge his debt to his family for their support, and for ensuring that a pavilion has come to Rhondda Cynon Taf. His parents have worked tirelessly over the past two years on the Eisteddfod in Ynysangharad Park, especially his mother, Helen Prosser, who is Chair of the Executive Committee this year.
It’s a tremendous privilege for Gwynfor to win the Crown in Rhondda Cynon Taf, for a collection of poems discussing the history, humour and local culture.
The rich heritage of the town of Pontypridd has inspired the design of this year's Eisteddfod Crown, with the impressive features of Pontypridd's Old Bridge blending perfectly with the pattern of the notes of our national anthem.
The Crown was created with small pieces of pure silver placed like waves, weaving the musical history of the area into the Crown. Elan Rhys Rowlands cut over 160 pieces of small silver to create the Crown with two larger pieces creating the 'bridge'. And money forms sound waves based on the anthem creating a visual symphony.
By basing the design on the national anthem, the Crown symbolises the power of language and music to unite people, and by combining this with the Old Bridge, which stands as a central figure on the Crown, the design also emphasises the importance of the connection with a journey. No material is required inside the Crown as it is designed to be comfortable to wear.
The Eisteddfod’s name was placed on the bridge to anchor the design and the Nod Cyfrin, symbol of Gorsedd Cymru since the time of Iolo Morganwg, decorates the front of the Crown, incorporating the strong historical connection with the tradition of the Eisteddfod.
The winning poems will be published on the Eisteddfod website following the ceremony and the -=-‘Cyfansoddiadau a Beirniadaethau’, which includes the full adjudication for this competition and the winners of all the other composition winners at this year’s Eisteddfod will be published at the end of the Chairing Ceremony on Friday afternoon.
The Rhondda Cynon Taf National Eisteddfod is held in Parc Ynysangharad, Pontypridd until 10 August. For more information go online, www.eisteddfod.wales.