The Welsh Canon!

This Fascinating Bit of News Just Received

John Watson and Sherlock Holmes speak Welsh for the first time

Buttons, being part Welsh, thought this was super!

At the Emmys Award ceremony in Los Angeles recently, BBC Wales’ Sherlock drama series was accredited with international acclaim. This has given the Welsh capital much grounds for celebration, particularly as the whole series had been produced at Cardiff’s Roath Harbour studios. It is timely therefore that a Welsh adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s most popular tale of all has been published this week.

Y Cylch Brith is Eurwyn Pierce Jones’ adaptation of The Speckled Band – a classically famous Conan Doyle short story; and this exiting enterprise has established the Welsh Language as the hundredth language in which one or more of Sir Conan Doyle’s grand literary works are now available.

The Speckled Band was indeed the famous author’s most favourite tale from amongst the whole of his collective writings concerning the mysterious crime-solving exploits of Sherlock Holmes. Welsh author Eurwyn Pierce Jones together with Y Lolfa Press at Talybont near Aberystwyth, have high hopes that Welsh readers in their myriads will delight themselves in hearing the illustrious detective speaking naturally in Welsh for the very first time since he ever appeared in print in 1887.

“Constructing a readable modern Welsh version of the Victorian-styled English narrative which characterises the source text was quite a challenge,” explains the Abermule-based author and translator, who hails originally from the Welsh-speaking heartland area of Y Bala, and has commissioned a Sherlock Holmes outfit to celebrate the book’s publication.

“I was keen to ensure that the end product would preserve the essential nuances and characteristics of the famous original English text, whilst simultaneously satisfying the demands of the adopted Welsh language, which claims the prestigious reputation of being the oldest living language in Europe.

“So, although the general diction of Y Cylch Brith tends towards a literary style, I have tried to ensure that it is suitable for young readers, and is particularly appropriate reading material for English speakers of all ages who may be currently learning Welsh.  A major benefit to those readers is the assurance that this Welsh version follows Conan Doyle’s own initial English text as near as could possibly be achieved, almost sentence by sentence.  Doyle’s original English version is even freely available on-line.”

Author Eurwyn Pierce Jones is keen to express his sincere gratitude to the executive committee of the Deerstalkers and all its members who comprise the Welshpool based first Sherlockian Society of Wales.  They were the ones who were primarily responsible for initialising this venture, for securing the copyrights and publishing rights, and for facilitating the sales and promotional aspects of this publication – by marketing this short volume to Sherlockian enthusiasts and book collectors all over the world.

Author’s biographical details:

During his childhood years Eurwyn lived in the Bala area, in the heartland of Welsh speaking North Wales; then pursued various occupations which led him in turn from one Welsh county to another.  At thirty years of age he left a career in aircraft flight and navigational instrumentation engineering, to graduate in Welsh language and literature at the University of Wales in Aberystwyth, before serving as a secondary school teacher; from where he moved on as a careers and commercial management adviser.  For the last twenty years he has worked as a freelance Welsh-English text translator and simultaneous interpreter, in which capacity he has frequently engaged in assignments which have strong literary aspects.

Author’s contact details:
Mr Eurwyn Pierce Jones
‘ 01686  630 628
8 epj@dialstart.net