This year’s Gwerddon Award winner is Dr Hannah Sams, lecturer in Welsh at Swansea University, with her article ‘Emerging as adults: New Adult literature in the Welsh language’.
The Gwerddon Award is presented jointly by the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol and the Learned Society of Wales. It is awarded every other year to the author of the best article published in Gwerddon during the last two years.
Originally from Penrhiwgoch in Carmarthenshire, Hannah studied Welsh and Spanish at Swansea University before staying to do a Masters by Research degree. She went on to complete a PhD that allowed her to look at the Theatre of the Absurd in Wales. Since completing her PhD Hannah has been further developing elements of her thesis and now works as a lecturer in Welsh at Swansea University.
Her article in Gwerddon derives from research conducted as part of a European research project led by Dr Ríona Nic Congáil, University College Dublin.
Explaining the article, Hannah said:
“This article gives attention to a new literary category in the Welsh language: New Adult literature. The term New Adult fiction was coined by the New York-based publisher St Martin’s Press. The press’ aim was to fill a gap in the book market by developing a literary category to cater for the reading requirements of New Adults between the ages of around 18 to 25 years old who were negotiating the period between adolescence and adulthood. Since 2009, authors, readers and the publishing industry have adopted and adapted elements of St Martin’s Press’ vision to provide literature for New Adults.
“This article is the first to chart the beginnings of New Adult writing in Welsh prose by using Twll Bach yn y Niwl (2020) by Llio Elain Maddocks, Sgen i’m Syniad: Snogs, Secs, Sens (2022) by Gwenllian Ellis and Cwlwm (2022) by Ffion Enlli as case studies. The article demonstrates and analyses how the prose of the three authors considered express, challenge and offer creative responses to coming of age as women in the period being between teenagers and adults in terms of national and linguistic identities and sexuality.”
Nominations for the award were submitted by members of Gwerddon's Editorial Board, and it was up to editor and deputy editor, Professor Anwen Jones and Dr Hywel Griffiths, to choose who would come out on top. Both agreed that Dr Hannah Sams’ article was the winner this year.
Hannah will receive a trophy along with £100 on the Coleg’s stall at the Eisteddfod on Thursday, 7 August at 3pm.