It’s that time of year again! With Christmas nearing and 2022 drawing to a close, we take a look back at some of the best art and cultural offerings to come out of Wales this year. Today, we’re taking a look at our favourite Welsh non-fiction books from 2022.
Not Quite White – Laila Woozeer (Simon and Schuster)
A memoir tackling the alienation and isolation which comes with growing up as a person of colour in North Wales, and the UK more broadly.
The Sound of Being Human – Jude Rogers (White Rabbit)
Part memoir, part study into the effect of music on our brains.
Welsh [Plural]: Essays on the Future of Wales (Repeater Books)
A new collection of essays which promises to break down the clichés and binaries which have traditionally shaped our thinking about Wales and Welsh identity
An Indigo Summer – Ellie Evelyn Orrell (Calon Books)
In the summer of 2017, Ellie Evelyn Orrell returned to her native North Wales, where she learnt the art of indigo dyeing from her grieving mother. This evocative memoir from a debut author weaves together mediations on landscape, family and the healing powers of art.
An Open Door: New Travel Writing for a Precarious Country – ed. Steven Lovatt (Parthian Books)
A collection of essays which put a “Welsh gaze on the rest of the world”.
Red Dragons: The Story of Welsh Football – Phil Stead (Y Lolfa)
The updated version of Red Dragons covers the story of Welsh football since its earliest days in the 19th century. It looks at the characters, controversies and developments of the country’s clubs, players, and most importantly, the national team.
Welsh Food Stories – Carwyn Graves (Calon Books)
An evocative and insightful exploration of the past, present and future of Welsh food. Carwyn Graves travels Wales to uncover the country’s traditional foods and tells the unique and compelling stories of the people making them today.
Brittle With Relics – Richard King (Faber and Faber)
An oral history of the politics and culture of Wales in the second half of the twentieth century by some of the people that helped shape it.
The Art of Music: Branding the Welsh Nation – Peter Lord and Rhian Davies (Parthian Books)
This beautiful new volume situates the visualisation of Welsh music and musicians both in the context of the evolution of the self-image of the Welsh people, and of its influence on outside perceptions of Welshness within Britain and the wider world.
Fury of Past Time: A Life of Gwyn Thomas – Daryl Leeworthy (Parthian Books)
The new biography of Gwyn Thomas by Daryl Leeworthy which our reviewer, Bethan Jenkins, described as being “destined to be the definitive work on ‘the Rhondda Runyon’ for many years to come.”
A Life Beyond the Boundaries: A Biography of CLR James – John L. Williams (Constable)
Historian, revolutionary and cricket writer, CLR James was one of the truly radical voices of the twentieth century. In this new volume, John L. Williams unveils his rich and compelling story.
The Campaigns of Margaret Lloyd George: The Wife of the Prime Minister 1916-1922 – Richard Rhys O’Brien (Y Lolfa)
