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Straeon y Pentan
Casgliad o straeon byrion gan Daniel Owen a gyhoeddwyd gyntaf yn 1895.
156 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1895
7 people want to read
About the author
Daniel Owen
38 books3 followersOwen was born in Mold, Flintshire, into a working class family, his father, Robert Owen, being a coalminer. His father and two brothers, James and Robert, were killed on 10 May 1837 in a mining accident when the Argoed mine became flooded. The loss impacted heavily on the family who remained in poverty. Owen received no formal education, but he acknowledged his debt to his Sunday school.
At the age of 12, Owen was apprenticed to a tailor, Angel Jones, who was an elder with the Calvinistic Methodist. Owen described his apprenticeship as a 'kind of college', and began writing poetry after being influenced by one of his work colleagues. Owen used the tailor shop as an opportunity to discuss and argue topics with workers and customers, a theme that is evident in his novels. This style of education is recounted in his novel Rhys Lewis, given to the character 'Robyn y Sowldiwr'.
Owen began writing poetry under the nom-de-plume Glaslwyn, entering his work into local eisteddfodau and succeeding in publishing some of his work. His first significant work in Welsh was a translation of Timothy Shay Arthur's novelette Ten Nights in a Bar-Room and What I Saw There. Owen then trained unsuccessfully for the ministry, preaching from 1860. He intended to enter the ministry as a Methodist preacher and enrolled in Bala Theological College in 1865, but failed to complete the course. From 1867 until 1876, he worked as a tailor in Mold, preaching on Sundays.
He is credited with starting the tradition of the Welsh language novel, Rhys Lewis often being credited as the first novel written in Welsh. He was an influence on many later novelists, such as Kate Roberts and T. Rowland Hughes. He is considered one of the greatest of Welsh language novelists.
At the age of 12, Owen was apprenticed to a tailor, Angel Jones, who was an elder with the Calvinistic Methodist. Owen described his apprenticeship as a 'kind of college', and began writing poetry after being influenced by one of his work colleagues. Owen used the tailor shop as an opportunity to discuss and argue topics with workers and customers, a theme that is evident in his novels. This style of education is recounted in his novel Rhys Lewis, given to the character 'Robyn y Sowldiwr'.
Owen began writing poetry under the nom-de-plume Glaslwyn, entering his work into local eisteddfodau and succeeding in publishing some of his work. His first significant work in Welsh was a translation of Timothy Shay Arthur's novelette Ten Nights in a Bar-Room and What I Saw There. Owen then trained unsuccessfully for the ministry, preaching from 1860. He intended to enter the ministry as a Methodist preacher and enrolled in Bala Theological College in 1865, but failed to complete the course. From 1867 until 1876, he worked as a tailor in Mold, preaching on Sundays.
He is credited with starting the tradition of the Welsh language novel, Rhys Lewis often being credited as the first novel written in Welsh. He was an influence on many later novelists, such as Kate Roberts and T. Rowland Hughes. He is considered one of the greatest of Welsh language novelists.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 3, 2025
4.5 blue stars.
Daniel Owen was a Welsh novelist from Mold. He is generally regarded as the foremost Welsh-language novelist of the 19th century and the first significant novelist to write in Welsh. This translation of Straeon y Pentan is excellent, and I am enjoying also working through the stories in Welsh. But for those who don't know the language, this is an important translation and I hope it will be reprinted so that it is available to a wider English audience. I visited Mold 25 years ago, and tributes to Daniel Owen were all over the town. Until now, I had not read any of his work, and I will certainly be reading more. His characters are memorably drawn, and 1890's Flintshire, Wales comes vividly to life.
Description: Populated by a cast of beautiful women, over-zealous preachers, gullible simpletons and the occasional ghost, Daniel Owen's Fireside Tales appear here in English for the first time. This new collection of nineteen short stories showcases the trademark quick wit and good-natured satire for which the author's novels are admired. Often based on popular urban legends of the period, Fireside Tales is full of fascinating, often funny depictions of nineteenth century life in Wales. This book was intended to be read by the fireside on long Victorian evenings; it is sure to bring a welcome warmth to our modern lives.
Daniel Owen was a Welsh novelist from Mold. He is generally regarded as the foremost Welsh-language novelist of the 19th century and the first significant novelist to write in Welsh. This translation of Straeon y Pentan is excellent, and I am enjoying also working through the stories in Welsh. But for those who don't know the language, this is an important translation and I hope it will be reprinted so that it is available to a wider English audience. I visited Mold 25 years ago, and tributes to Daniel Owen were all over the town. Until now, I had not read any of his work, and I will certainly be reading more. His characters are memorably drawn, and 1890's Flintshire, Wales comes vividly to life.
Description: Populated by a cast of beautiful women, over-zealous preachers, gullible simpletons and the occasional ghost, Daniel Owen's Fireside Tales appear here in English for the first time. This new collection of nineteen short stories showcases the trademark quick wit and good-natured satire for which the author's novels are admired. Often based on popular urban legends of the period, Fireside Tales is full of fascinating, often funny depictions of nineteenth century life in Wales. This book was intended to be read by the fireside on long Victorian evenings; it is sure to bring a welcome warmth to our modern lives.
January 4, 2025
2.5 stars
A selection of short stories from 19th century North Wales. They were written with the intention that they be read in the evenings around the fireside. It is mostly a mix of local myths about the locals of the area told by "Uncle Edward". Some were obviously better than others, but very little character development, more stories with a moral lesson. I'm not a big short story fan as I really like character development when reading.
A selection of short stories from 19th century North Wales. They were written with the intention that they be read in the evenings around the fireside. It is mostly a mix of local myths about the locals of the area told by "Uncle Edward". Some were obviously better than others, but very little character development, more stories with a moral lesson. I'm not a big short story fan as I really like character development when reading.
March 27, 2012
As usual with short story collections, a mixture of good and dull. Some of the characters are intriguing but the stories are so short you don't really get enough of them.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews