Robert Williams Parry

Robert Williams Parry (6 March 1884 – 4 January 1956) was one of Wales's most notable poets in the twentieth century.

R. Williams Parry was born in Talysarn, in Dyffryn Nantlle, a first cousin to T. H. Parry-Williams and Sir Thomas Parry. He studied at UCW Aberystwyth for two years (1902–4) and completed his graduate degree qualifications at UCNW Bangor (1907–8); he was awarded an M.A. degree in 1988 for a dissertation on points of contact between Welsh and Breton.

He taught, first, as a primary-school teacher; then, after his graduation, as a secondary-school teacher in both English and Welsh. He was in the army from 1916 to 1918. In 1922 he was appointed a lecturer in the Welsh and Extra-Mural Studies Departments at University College Bangor, where he remained until his retirement in 1944.

He earned widespread recognition as an established poet when he won the chair at the 1910 National Eisteddfod for his poem 'Yr Haf' ('The Summer'), which has been described as "the best known and admired of all the eisteddfod awdlau of the 20th century".

He published two collections of poetry; Yr Haf a cherddi eraill (1924) and Cerddi'r Gaeaf (1952).

Some of his most notable works include 'Y Llwynog' ('The Fox'), 'Eifionydd' and Englynion coffa Hedd Wyn. In the latter he laments, using the traditional four-line verse, or englyn, and cynghanedd the death of the poet Ellis Humphrey Evans at the Battle of Passchendaele in 1917. Evans was posthumously awarded the Chair at the National Eisteddfod of Wales.

There is a fine short biography and appreciation of his work by his cousin Sir Thomas Parry in the Welsh Biography Online.

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