When Was Wales?: A History of the Welsh

In the interest of precision, I will state that I read the Penquin paperback edition of this book.

At this point, this book is somewhat dated with regard to recent history, but remains well worth reading because of the questions that it raises, as exemplified by the title. They are worth pondering, not just with regard to the Welsh, but in relation to nationality, nation and nationalism in general.

Williams points out that at many points in history, not everyone that we think of as Welsh would have been considered as such. In the pre-Norman days, only gentry were considered to be true Welshmen and women, the many serfs and slaves were not, just as so much of the population of ancient Athens were considered to be foreigners. This would apparently include one of my favorite fictional sleuths, Brother Cadfael. Williams is concerned that in the present, this includes people who do not speak Welsh. He notes that, at the time of writing at least, there was little English-language programming on Welsh subjects, even though that excluded a large percentage of the population.

Williams also recounts the regional differences in Wales, which sometimes persist over a long period of time.

The history is never romanticized, and Williams seems rather pessimistic about the future. He has me rooting for Welsh, none the less. ( )

Very anti-imperialist and anti-English. Argues that the Welsh always have and always must create their Welsh identity, but fears that the Welsh will stop doing this and will cease to be Welsh. Beautifully and passionately written, but a lot of the historiography is questionable. ( )

When I first read this, it gave me a sense of excitement of how history could be writtern so one gained a sense of the "whole" of a country's heart. ( )