Literature Wales have announced the Welsh-language winners of the Wales Book of the Year Award 2022 Welsh @BangorUniversity Fiction and Poetry categories.
The two winners were announced on a special edition of BBC Radio Cymru’s culture programme, Stiwdio, this evening. Ffion Dafis was crowned the winner of the Welsh-language 2022 Welsh @BangorUniversity Fiction category with her novel, Mori (Y Lolfa), while Grug Muse was the Welsh-language Poetry category winner, with merch y llyn (Cyhoeddiadau’r Stamp).
Both winners will receive a prize of £1,000 along with a trophy designed by the artist Angharad Pearce Jones, and both titles are still in running for the Golwg360 Barn y Bobl Award and the Wales Book of the Year Main Prize 2022 still to be announced on Radio Cymru between 6.30 pm – 7.00 pm on 21 July.
Moris is the debut novel of actor and presenter Ffion Dafis who first experienced writing success with her 2017 memoir, Syllu ar Walia. Grug Muse published her first collection, Ar Ddisberod, in 2017 following winning the Chair at the Urdd Eisteddfod in 2013.
The independent judging panel included broadcaster Mirain Iwerydd, presenter and columnist Melanie Owen, academic, editor and author Siwan Rosser (Gwion Hallam was also originally appointed to the panel but was not included in discussions about the fiction category due to a conflict of interest).
Leusa Llewelyn, Literature Wales’ Joint Interim CEO said: “Many congratulations to Ffion and Grug on winning their categories, with two books that both draw an echo of the heroines and anti-heroines of our legends from the depths (literally in the case of merch y llyn) and place them in the twenty-first century to haunt our minds… These are books that will remain with readers for a long time.”
Stay tuned for the announcement of the Welsh-language Children and Young People category and the Creative Non-Fiction category on BBC Radio Cymru at 6.30pm on 20 July, and the Golwg360 Barn y Bobl and the Main Winner being announced on Thursday 21 July also at 6.30pm. The winners of the English-language categories will all be announced on Friday 29 July on The Arts Show, BBC Radio Wales.
You can still vote for Wales Book of the Year People’s Choice Award 2022 on Wales Arts Review by clicking here.
