author
John Blackwell
1797–1840
A self-taught Welsh poet and prose writer, he rose from a shoemaker’s apprenticeship to become one of the most admired literary voices of early 19th-century Wales. Writing under the bardic name Alun, he helped shape a more modern Welsh lyric style.
1 Audiobook
Gwaith Alun
by John Blackwell
About the author
Born in Mold in 1797, John Blackwell grew up without much formal schooling and was apprenticed as a shoemaker while still young. Even so, he became an eager reader and began winning prizes for Welsh poems and essays, building a reputation through talent and determination.
He wrote under the bardic name Alun and is remembered as a Welsh-language poet and prose writer whose work pointed toward a newer lyrical tradition in Welsh literature. His writing earned him lasting respect, despite the fact that he did not leave behind a very large body of work.
Later in life he entered the Church and served as a cleric. He died on May 19, 1840, and was remembered warmly enough that his life and literary remains were collected and published after his death.