Jerry Hunter wins 2010 Eisteddfod Prose Medal

Dr Jerry Hunter, a reader in the School of Welsh, is the winner of the Blaenau Gwent and Heads of the Valleys National Eisteddfod Prose Medal, one of the three main literary prizes awarded during the National Eisteddfod week. This year’s Prose Medal was presented for a volume of creative writing of no more than 40,000 words on the subject ‘Adfywiad’ (Regeneration). Jerry’s novel, entitled Gwenddydd, relates to the experiences of a brother and sister during the Second World War and draws heavily on the earliest Welsh traditions concerning Myrddin (Merlin).

Jerry was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. He studied English at Cincinnati University, and was introduced to Welsh literature as part of his degree course. Inspired by the richness of the language and its literature, he decided to come to Wales. He first came to Lampeter to learn the language for eight weeks before throwing himself into Welsh life in Aberystwyth, where he completed an MPhil degree in Welsh. Following a period playing in rock bands in Wales and London, he returned to Cincinnati. He taught in a school in the city centre, worked with Greenpeace, and worked on his father’s farm. He then attended Havard University to study Celtic Languages and Literature. After receiving his doctorate he lectured at Havard for a while before returning to Wales. He taught in the Welsh Department at Cardiff University before moving to Bangor University.

He has published four academic books, and one of them - Llwch Cenhedloedd – won the Welsh Arts Council Book of the Year Award in 2004. He published a short novel for children, Ceffylau’r Cymylau, earlier this year,

Speaking about the winning work, the author said: “With war still affecting our world, one often hears about the way Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder affects the lives of soldiers and former soldiers. Of course, this is not a new thing; the poets and storytellers of Wales in the Middle Ages had ways of discussing the same thing. There is a story about Myrddin Wyllt becoming mad during the Battle of Arfderydd (Arthuret). He went to live in the woods – a mad man of the woods – where he wrote prophetic poetry. He avoided other people and his sister, Gwenddydd, was the only person who was allowed to speak to him.

My aim was to reveal the age-long aspect of the story by placing it in recent times. When I think about the link between the present and the past, I often think about the Second World War – the crossroads of the modern world, an experience which belongs to history and is yet close enough to us. My late mother in law, Jane Humphreys, nursed in a military hospital during the war; I wouldn’t say that the character, Gwen, is based on her, but hearing about what she did during the years of the war made me feel closer to these experiences.”