Roland Mathias

Roland Mathias has been one of the foremost literary figures in post-war Wales, playing a crucial role in the creation of a distinctive Anglo-Welsh literary and cultural identity. A founder of Dock Leaves (later renamed The Anglo-Welsh Review), he edited the magazine between 1961 and 1976, a task which he combined with a busy career as an educationalist and prolific writing in both creative and critical modes. His five volumes of poetry are characterized by a meticulous craftsmanship. They also express at the most profound level his unique personal vision, imbued with a deeply-held yet questioning religious belief, a strong sense of history and place, and a progressively stronger identification with Wales. This first book-length account of his extraordinarily busy life and writing career reveals the origins and depth of his commitment to peace, to moral principles and to a Welsh literature in the English language.