Strict meter poetry declined in the 19th century. Although the volume produced was enormous, the quality was poor. Eben Fardd was probably the last of the eisteddfodic poets to make any real contribution. The influence of the hymn writers of the 18th century was seen in the development of the lyric. In fact, all the poetry of the 19th century betrays a religious origin. The influence of contemporary English songs was also seen, as in the work of John Blackwell (Alun). More originality was shown by Evan Evans (Ieuan Glan Geirionydd), who founded the Eryri school of poetry, inspired by the scenery of Snowdonia. The earlier lyricists were followed by a more bohemian group—Talhaiarn (John Jones), Mynyddog (Richard Davies), and Ceiriog (John Hughes), the latter the greatest lyrical writer of the century. Only one poet, Islwyn (William Thomas), made a success of the long poem: his Y Storm is a series of meditations on life and art.

This was the most prolific period of Welsh prose, though much of it was of poor quality, partly because it was produced by a people who had had little formal education in their own language and who had lost touch with their own literary past. Much of it was marred also by the pretentious style of the followers of William Owen Pughe, who tried to “restore” literary standards. A tremendous volume of prose was produced—periodicals, religious books and tracts, biographies, sermons, letters, and monumental works such as Y Gwyddoniadur (“The Encyclopaedia”) and Hanes y Brytaniaid a’r Cymry (“History of the Britons and the Welsh”). Political writings became an important part of Welsh literature, the two great political writers of the century being Samuel Roberts and Gwilym Hiraethog (William Rees). Lewis Edwards, founder and editor of Y Traethodydd (“The Essayist”), tried to introduce a wider, European standard of literary criticism. There were some interesting attempts at creative writing, but the only great novelist was Daniel Owen, whose work portrays the extraordinary influence of religion on contemporary society.

The second revival

The most important event for the second revival in Welsh literature was the establishment of the University of Wales (1872–93). The immediate result was a great widening of literary horizons, accompanied by a strong reaction toward the old Welsh classical ideas. Sir Owen M. Edwards, Sir John Morris-Jones, Emrys ap Iwan (Robert Ambrose Jones), and others made the Welsh conscious of their literary identity and set new standards for correctness of language and integrity of thought. The great literary renaissance that followed was marked by T. Gwynn Jones’s masterly use of the old strict meters to express modern thought and W.J. Gruffydd’s lyrical use of the free meters to express his rebellion against society and his love for the countryside of his youth. R. Williams Parry showed a superb gift of poetic observation, while Sir Thomas Parry-Williams combined a mystical love for his native Gwynedd with an almost scientific analysis of his own metaphysical preoccupations. Older poets, such as Cynan (A. Evans-Jones), William Morris, and Wil Ifan (William Evans), clung to earlier lyrical models, although many others, like D. Gwenallt Jones and Saunders Lewis, drew increasingly on the rhythms and vocabulary of colloquial speech. Waldo Williams, Gwilym R. Jones, the younger Bobi Jones, and particularly Euros Bowen experimented with form and subject. Their work was followed and developed by writers of the next generation, the most distinctive and prolific being Gwyn Thomas. Interest in the use of the strict meters of cynghanedd was revived, as represented by the publication of the popular periodical Barddas (“Bardism”), whose editor, Alan Llwyd, was an outstanding poet. The work of most poets, old and young, reflected a varying involvement in contemporary Welsh political activity.

The high standard of the periodical Y Llenor (“The Litterateur”; 1922–51) indicated the advances made in prose. Contributors were generally involved in a wide range of activities: its editor, W.J. Gruffydd, was both poet and essayist; Saunders Lewis was a poet, dramatist, and politician; Sir Thomas Parry-Williams a poet and essayist; and R.T. Jenkins an essayist and historian. Together with novelists and short-story writers such as Tegla Davies, T. Rowland Hughes, Kate Roberts, and D.J. Williams, they effectively mirrored contemporary Wales. John Gwilym Jones and Islwyn Ffowc Ellis were innovators in form and subject matter, and they were followed by an enthusiastic younger generation. Postmodernism enlivened the Welsh novel in the last two decades of the 20th century through the works of William Owen Roberts, Angharad Tomos, Robin Llywelyn, and Mihangel Morgan. Literary criticism also benefited. The standard set by Y Llenor was maintained in Ysgrifau Beirniadol (“Critical Essays”). In this field as in others, the establishment of the Welsh Academy (Yr Academi Gymreig) in 1959 and the publication of its review Taliesin made an outstanding contribution.

Drama in Wales was first written in the 20th century. At first realistic, it developed into poetic, symbolic drama, often based on historical and mythological themes but dealing with moral, social, and psychological contemporary problems. The outstanding Welsh dramatists of the 20th century were Saunders Lewis, John Gwilym Jones, Emyr Humphreys, and Gwenlyn Parry.