Dreaming a City - From Wales to Ukraine
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Dreaming a City - From Wales to Ukraine by Colin Thomas
The history of Ukrainian town Hughesovka, a mining/steel town founded in the 1870s by Welsh entrepreneur John Hughes and 70 Welsh workers, which later became Stalino and then Donetsk. Includes free DVD of 1991 BAFTA Cymru-winning documentary series 'Hughesovka and the New Russia', directed by the author and presented by Gwyn Alf Williams. -- Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru
John Hughes was a very remarkable manIn 1870, at the age of 54, he decided he wanted to create a town, and did just that. Moreover, his town was nowhere near his native Merthyr Tydfil, but rather in the heart of Eastern Europe. Together with seventy Welsh workers, and with the support of the Russian and British authorities, he created an industrial centre for mining and steel-making that still exists today. Colin Thomas' book is partly based on the 1991 TV documentary, Hughesovka and the New Russia, which he made with the late historian Gwyn Alf Williams. A DVD of the film, which won a Bafta award, is included with the book, and it is clear that in revisiting the film, Thomas has been able to retell and expand on the story of Hughes' town with the gift of the perspective of the last two decade's major historical changes. Through the history of Hughesovka, now called Donestak, Thomas is able to tell a bigger story; the rise and fall of the Soviet Union in microcosm. From Bolshevism, through Stalin and on into the post-Glasnost age, Hughes' town's fortunes mirrors those of the Soviet Empire through name changes, huge industrial development, persecution and eventual liberation. A book for anyone interested not only in one man's remarkable vision and drive, but also social and political history played out on a large stage, but examined on a very human level. -- Michael Nobbs @ www.gwales.com
Colin Thomas is a prize-winning documentary screenwriter and producer, whose accolades include the Celtic Film and TV Festival Jury Award; the Gold Award at Houston International Film Festival; the Prix Europa and three BAFTA Cymru awards. The TV documentary series, ‘Hughesovka and the New Russia’, from which this book stems, won Best Documentary at the inaugural BAFTA Cymru awards in 1991. His BBC Radio 4 drama documentary on the subject of this book, ‘Hiraeth in Hughesovka’, was broadcast in 2008.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781912631438 |
| ISBN 10 | 1912631431 |
| Title | Dreaming a City - From Wales to Ukraine |
| Author | Colin Thomas |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Y Lolfa |
| Year published | 2022-04-21 |
| Number of pages | 112 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |