Sir Owen Morgan Edwards

Born in Llanuwchllyn in Meirionnydd in 1858, Sir Owen Morgan Edwards became one of the best-known Welsh men of letters of his time. He studied in Wales, Scotland, and at Oxford, where he later taught modern history. Alongside his academic work, he wrote widely in Welsh and English and became a strong voice for Welsh culture and education.

He is especially remembered for encouraging a revival of Welsh reading and writing, and for helping shape modern Welsh national consciousness. As an editor and author, he produced books and periodicals that brought history, travel, storytelling, and everyday Welsh life to a broad audience, including younger readers.

Often known as O. M. Edwards, he was knighted and remained a deeply influential public figure until his death in 1920. His work still stands as part of the cultural energy that helped renew Welsh literature in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.