Rape of the Fair Country

Product Information

Although the story exudes violence, the exploitation of a downtrodden workforce, sadistic floggings and bestial behaviour, it has its gentler and romantic moments. When Iestyn falls in love with his lovely Irish girl, Mari, there are delightful passages describing their courtship amongst the parts of the Usk valley which have yet to be destroyed by coal mines and ironworks. There also exist audio versions of the book in circulation read by Philip Madoc and there have been successive attempts to get the book made into a film. [3] My mum suggested this book to me after I watched the episode of the crown that surrounded the Aberfan disaster. My grandfather was Welsh, and my great grandparents came to Canada because the working conditions in Wales were so atrocious.

I first read Rape of the Fair Country in the mid sixties, not long after it was first published. At the time I'd recently moved to South Wales and was puzzled by an iciness towards the English: I was nudged in the direction of Alexander Cordell's Rape of the Fair Country and The Hosts of Rebecca (the final part of the trilogy, Song of the Earth would not be published until the end of the decade) and soon understood why memories are long and forgiveness slow. There's an unflinching look at the hardships suffered, not just by the Mortymers but by all the workers and their families. Serious injuries and even death are commonplace. This seems to have come from The Crawshay’s of Cyfarthfa Castle, by Margaret Stewart Taylor. The other source referred to is The History of the Iron, Steel, Tinplate and other Trades of Wales, by Charles Wilkins 1903.It is a small village tale which is a part of a huge, ultimately worldwide movement - the birth of socialism, collective bargaining and universal suffrage. Don’t get me wrong, I love my Welsh history, but even I only just managed to keep up with where Eames was leading. It all felt like there was too much ‘telling’; as though I’d turned up at a history lecture and needed a fast recap on last week’s notes. And that’s fine if you already know what’s going on, but if you are hoping for some kind of introduction to Welsh history, I’m afraid you are going to feel excluded by Eames’s adaptation, and this seemed to cater only for those already initiated. The failure of the works (in 1919) was a devastating blow to the local community, as it had depended heavily on the works for its economic livelihood.” Although Iestyn was the main character, I liked Dada as there was a strength of character in him but also a softer side and a sense of humour, not unlike some Welsh men that I know.

Yes, indeed! You cheeky hobbledehoy! And Bacon the Pig before the Crawshays? God alive, we thought him bad enough. What right have you to march for freedom, Garndyrus, if you have not worked the firebox under Bacon and Crawshay? Tell me, have you seen Cyfarthfa by night even?” Rape of the Fair Country is a novel by Alexander Cordell, first published in 1959. It is the first in Cordell's "Mortymer Trilogy", followed by The Hosts Of Rebecca (1960) and Song of the Earth (1969). [1] The book has been translated into seventeen languages. In addition to the book having been adapted for numerous plays over the years and more recently. [2] The owners will not negotiate and we have been sitting tight for too long. It is war if they insist in it. It has taken me twenty years of loyalty to learn that they make profits out of peace”. From the belly of my mother,” I said, talking the old language to please him. “She was born in Cyfarthfa long before Bacon puddled a furnace.”If you can get past the title, which makes it sound like a Mills and Boon bodice-ripper, the rewards are great! This is the delightful, though, at times, harrowing tale of Iestyn Mortymer, a boy from Blaenavon caught up in the birth of the unions and Chartism amidst the beauty of the Brecon hills and valleys, brought to life by another Blaenavon boy, Matt Addis. For more from Matt Addiss we can recommend his narrations of Princes Gate and Stalin's Gold, both written by Mark Ellis.

For me, the best parts of this story were the details of everyday life, love and survival during a period when working people had few choices or freedoms. Cordell's prose often verges on the poetic to create a vivid picture of the life and times of Iestyn Mortymer. I was particularly interested in the story of Iestyn's older sister, Morfydd, who struggles against convention and suffers for her pioneering opinions on politics and the role of women The whole book is an emotional journey! I was pleased and relieved when life and relationships went well for the Mortymer family, annoyed by some of the pig-headed opinions inflicted on it from within and without, and saddened by the people who were lost along the way But for me, as a very proud Welshman, it can be a little anti-English in its sentiments at times. The author isn't Welsh, though he settled here eventually, and had an obviously very strong affinity with the country. But in his constant anti English rantings;

Develop

The book centres around Iestyn Mortymer, growing up as a child labourer in the mines of the south Wales valleys - fighting, drinking, seducing and struggling under the watchful eye of his strict Calvinistic father. The attitude of “Dada” Hywel is played off against Iestyn’s older sister Morfydd, who clearly represents the reformist views which would come to prominence in industrial Wales. Those who accept their fates versus those who strive for more is always a compelling theme. The sights and sounds of his upbringing are well detailed as he tries to steer himself through this harsh life. Maybe it is because it is coming from the perspective of a young hot-blooded Iestyn, but it seems like every introduction of a female character begins with a description of her breasts and what they are doing (e.g. quivering, bouncing) which is always a bit weird if a woman isn't moving.