Caradog Prichard’s One Moonlit Night was originally published in Welsh in 1961.    The book is a classic of Welsh literature, which though greatly admired in its native country, is still shamefully neglected in the English-speaking world.  Set in a small village in North Wales, One Moonlit Night is the breathless monologue of a young boy who unveils the sorrows and torments, the ecstasies and revelations of a poverty stricken, but close-knit community as it weathers the distant storm of the First World War.  

Over the course of the episode, we discuss the significance of The Great War in the book, Prichard’s narratorial style, and consider whether One Moonlit Night may be thought of as a political novel.  

The wonderful readings in this episode are by Tris Rhys, a listener who very kindly offered his services and his Welsh-language skills, for which we’re very grateful.  

Bibliography:

Welsh Gothic by Jane Aaron (University of Wales Press, 2013) 

https://www.walesartsreview.org/the-winner-of-the-greatest-welsh-novel-is-un-nos-ola-leuad-by-caradog-prichard/

https://biography.wales/article/s10-PRIC-CAR-1904#?c=0&m=0&s=0&cv=26&manifest=https%3A%2F%2Fdamsssl.llgc.org.uk%2Fiiif%2F2.0%2F4633846%2Fmanifest.json