author
H. Elvet (Howell Elvet) Lewis
1860–1953
A Welsh minister, hymn-writer, and devotional poet, he wrote with warmth and musical feeling under the bardic name Elfed. His work sits at the meeting point of faith, poetry, and Welsh cultural life.
1 Audiobook
Men of the Bible; Some Lesser-Known Characters
by George Milligan, Walter F. (Walter Frederic) Adeney, J. Morgan (James Morgan) Gibbon, J. G. (John Gershom) Greenhough, H. Elvet (Howell Elvet) Lewis, Alfred Rowland, David Rowlands, W. J. (William John) Townsend
About the author
Born in Carmarthenshire in 1860, Howell Elvet Lewis became widely known as Elfed, the bardic name under which much of his poetry and hymn writing appeared. He was a Welsh Congregational minister as well as a literary figure, and his writing often carried the reflective, spiritual tone that made him a familiar voice in devotional reading.
Lewis was deeply involved in Welsh cultural life. He won major honors at the National Eisteddfod and later served as Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales from 1924 to 1928, a sign of the respect he earned as both a poet and public figure. Alongside his religious work, he also wrote about Welsh hymnody, helping preserve and interpret a rich musical and literary tradition.
For audiobook listeners, Lewis is especially appealing as a writer whose pages bring together faith, lyric language, and a strong sense of place. He died in 1953, leaving behind work that reflects both personal devotion and the wider world of Welsh Nonconformist culture.