Capel Celyn - Deng Mlynedd o Chwalu/Ten Years of Destruction 1955-1965
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Capel Celyn - Deng Mlynedd o Chwalu/Ten Years of Destruction 1955-1965 by Einion Thomas
Words and images combine to tell the story of the destruction of the thoroughly Welsh community of Capel Celyn in Merioneth between 1955 and 1965. Step by step, and image by image, the tragedy gradually unfolds before our eyes. This visually disturbing book records the events that were to become a major factor in the growth of recent Welsh... -- Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru
English review follows ‘Mae argae ar draws Cwm Tryweryn Yn gofgolofn i’n llwfrdra ni’ meddai un o ganeuon cynnar Dafydd Iwan, ond efallai y byddai diymadferthedd yn air tecach, o sylweddoli, unwaith eto, wrth bori drwy’r gyfrol ardderchog hon, mai’r hyn ddigwyddodd oedd brwydr anghyfartal rhwng cymuned fechan wledig, glòs a chyngor dinas fawr, a’r Goleiath corfforaethol yn concro’r Dafydd egwyddorol dinod. Er bod y gyfrol yn cyflwyno stori’r boddi o’r dechrau i’r diwedd yn union fel y digwyddodd pethau, nid yw’n ddiduedd. Mae’r glorian yn pwyso’n drwm ar ochr yr annhegwch, yn pwysleisio’r chwalu ar gymuned yn hytrach na’r angen am ddŵr dros glawdd Offa. Nid beirniadaeth mo hyn; brwydr annheg ydoedd, ac anghyfiawnder gariodd y dydd. Lluniau gwych yw crynswth y gyfrol, a’r ffaith mai Geoff Charles oedd y ffotograffydd i gymaint ohonynt, yn warant o safon. Ond mae ynddi draethiad hefyd, ac y mae yna gydbwysedd derbyniol rhwng y gair a’r llun, a’r Gymraeg a’r Saesneg (gan mai cyfrol ddwyieithog ydyw) yn gorwedd ochr yn ochr yn gwbl ddidramgwydd. Clod arbennig am y ffordd yr aethpwyd ati i labelu lluniau’r bobl, roedd pob un ond y rhai torfol yn cynnwys enwau pawb. Golygodd hyn, mi dybiaf, waith ymchwil manwl a llafurus. Y mae’r gosod hefyd drwodd a thro’n dderbyniol, er imi deimlo y byddai’r gyfrol wedi elwa o sicrhau amgenach cydosod gair a llun mewn ambell fan, gan fod yn rhaid troi yn ôl ac ymlaen weithiau o lun i air, fel canu emyn y mae ei dôn ar y dudalen nesaf. Dethol fu raid, debyg iawn, mewn cyfrol fel hon, ac nid yw popeth ynddi. Does fawr ddim dyfynnu o Hansard adeg y drafodaeth yn y Senedd, sy’n drueni gan y byddai gwneud hynny wedi tanlinellu’r hyn a haerir yn un o daflenni Plaid Cymru (Rhif 90 pwynt 5) ac a gredir yn gyffredinol, mai gwrthwynebiad gwangalon a gafwyd gan ein haelodau etholedig i’r mesur seneddol. Does yna chwaith ddim sôn am agwedd stad y Rhiwlas na rhai o’r tirfeddianwyr eraill at y boddi. Gwae’r genedl sy’n ddibris o’i hanes. Cymwynas â Chymru gyfan yw ailgyhoeddi’r gyfrol ar ei newydd wedd. Na fodlonwn ar ei mwynhau, ond hefyd, dysgwn y wers. Elfyn Pritchard ********************* Is there such a thing as corporate guilt, or is guilt a personal matter only? That was the dilemma facing Einion Thomas, the author of this excellent book, and the dilemma of the story of Capel Celyn itself, perhaps. Councils have no conscience, only individuals have a conscience, and yet council and corporate decisions, made in cold blood and made for expediency’s sake, more often than not affect individuals as well as communities. The author steers a middle course between relating, in words and pictures, the machinations and corporate vandalism of Liverpool City Council and the effect on individuals and families in Capel Celyn; a middle course in the selection of material, yes, but not in attitude, since the book comes down strongly on the side of the small community and its members, and the whole story is told from their standpoint. And I for one would not argue with that. The whole episode was a complete travesty, fair play and fair dealing went out through the window, and God seemed to be on the side of the big battalions. The book, through vivid, clear pictures (many of them by that doyen of Welsh photographers, Geoff Charles) and apt comments and labelling in Welsh and English, paints a graphic picture of the unrelenting progress of desecration over a period of ten years, and the well written English narrative by Beryl Griffiths presents a succinct account of the events as they unfolded, and is faithful to the original. There are some examples of words and pictures being separated but on the whole, the book is well designed and presented. A volume twice its size could have been produced, so selection was important, and one would have wished for more quotations from Hansard to underline the allegedly feeble efforts of our elected members to oppose the bill in Parliament, and perhaps more could also have been made of Bala Urban Council’s meek decision not to oppose the flooding, a decision which greatly weakened the opposition and was seized upon by the advocates of the scheme. However, its adaptation and publication as a bilingual volume is important, and underlines the fact that Tryweryn belongs to the whole of Wales, that the rape of Capel Celyn was the rape of a nation and that we all, whether we are Welsh speakers or not, should learn from history. -- Elfyn Pritchard @ www.gwales.com
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781900437929 |
| ISBN 10 | 1900437929 |
| Title | Capel Celyn - Deng Mlynedd o Chwalu/Ten Years of Destruction 1955-1965 |
| Author | Einion Thomas |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Cyhoeddiadau Barddas |
| Year published | 2007-04-19 |
| Number of pages | 131 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |