Fflur Dafydd is a Welsh award-winning novelist, singer-songwriter and musician. Although predominantly publishing in Welsh, she also writes in English. She records in Welsh and her work is regularly played on the Welsh-language Radio Cymru.
Early life
Dafydd is the daughter of Welsh poetMenna Elfyn and a cousin of BBC broadcaster Bethan Elfyn. She grew up in Llandysul, a Welsh-speaking community, and although she received the majority of her education in Welsh, she chose to study English in higher education. She graduated in English from Aberystwyth University. While she was there she first came to prominence as a student in 1999, by winning the Literature Medal at the Urdd National Eisteddfod at Lampeter. This success led to the publication of Y Gwir Am Gelwydd, a collection of 12 poems and five short stories. After graduating from Aberystwyth, she gained an MA in Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia in 2000, followed by a PhD on the poetry of R. S. Thomas from Bangor University in 2001.
Writer
Dafydd has written for stage, screen and radio, and her wide repertoire includes short fiction, journalism, lecturing, songwriting, screenwriting, poetry, novels, plays and films. She was nominated for a D.M. Davies award at the Cardiff International Film Festival for her short film "Bathtime". In 2005 her first novel Lliwiau Liw Nos was published and shortlisted for the Prose Medal. It was followed in 2006 by her second novel Atyniad, which won the Prose Medal at the National Eisteddfod in Swansea. In 2005 she was selected for the Scritture Giovani project for emerging European writers. She has also undertaken literary residencies in Helsinki and on Bardsey Island. In 2008 she published her first English novel, Twenty Thousand Saints, inspired by her six-week experience as a writer-in-residence on Bardsey in 2002. Regarding her choice of language, she said, "It started out as a translation of a Welsh-language novel, and after about a year or so, I decided that it really wasn't working – so I decided to start from scratch with a completely different story." This work won for her the Oxfam Hay Award. In 2009 she won the Daniel Owen Memorial Prize for her novel Y Llyfrgell. In the same year, she was a participant in the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa. The novel was adapted by Dafydd herself into a 2016 film, directed by Euros Lyn. She publishes regularly in a variety of publications: New Welsh Review, Welsh Writing in English Yearbook, Barn, Golwg and Planet. For some years has been Editor of the periodical "Tu Chwith". Dafydd was also a television columnist for the Western Mail. She has taught film theory and scriptwriting at the University of Aberystwyth and Trinity College Carmarthen; her scriptwriting has included work for the popular S4C series Pobol y Cwm.
Musician
Dafydd described her sound as "a fusion of blues, soul and pop". She has released five albums to date:
Pethau Rhyfedd - released when she was part of the girl band Y Panics; she emerged as a solo artist in 2005, although is supported by her regular band, Y Barf, who, along with Dafydd on guitar and piano, comprised core members Rhys 'Y Barf' James, Iestyn Jones, Jon Bradford Jones and Iwan 'Llangain' Evans.
Coch am Weddill fy Oes - her first release as a solo artist, it was recorded at the Millennium Centre in Cardiff
Un Ffordd Mas - her second solo album, under the name of Fflur Dafydd a'r Barf
Byd Bach - also released by Fflur Dafydd a'r Barf
Ffydd Gobaith Cariad - made no mention of Y Barf, although several of the musicians appearing on the album were members of the band
As a singer-songwriter Dafydd has performed in many countries, and has been performing regularly in literary and music festivals and events throughout Wales, including larger events such as the National Eisteddfod and the Faenol Festival.
