Wythnos yng Nghymru Fydd
Encyclopedia
Wythnos yng Nghymru Fydd ("A Week in the Wales of the Future") is a science fiction
novel
in the Welsh language
written by Islwyn Ffowc Elis
and published by Plaid Cymru
in 1957.
Set in the 1950s, the narrator Ifan Powel takes part in a time travel
experiment and lands in Cardiff
in the year 2033. He is hosted by a family and for 5 days is taken in a journey around Wales
. He finds that Wales has secured self government and is prosperous economically, and socially harmonious; everyone is bilingual in both Welsh and English. He falls in love with the daughter of his host family, Mair, and when he returns to the Wales of the 1950s his longing for her makes him want to return to 2033. The scientist conducting the experiment cautions him against this as the future is not set and Ifan may therefore encounter a very different future if he travels again (see Rules of Time Travel), but after Ifan begs for his help he agrees to send Ifan back.
However, when Ifan returns he finds a totally different Wales. In this Dystopian future, the Welsh language
has died out and traces of Welsh identity have all but disappeared. Indeed even the country's name has been changed to "Western England". Violence and social tensions are also commonplace. Ifan only stays here for two days in order to look for Mair, but when he finds her he discovers that her name in this future is Maria, and she has no memory of him.
After returning to the present for the second time, the scientist explains to Ifan that both scenarios that Ifan encountered are possible for Wales and that it is up to the Welsh people which one comes to pass. This converts Ifan into a Welsh nationalist
(he had previously been opposed to nationalism
) and he swears to do everything within his power to ensure that the Wales that he visited first is the one that will be realised.
The novel is significant in the history of Welsh-language literature
in that it was the first major science fiction work for adults to be written in the Welsh language, but it has been argued that the fact that it is (on the author's own admission) a blatant work of political propaganda
diminishes its literary value to an extent.
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
in the Welsh language
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
written by Islwyn Ffowc Elis
Islwyn Ffowc Elis
Islwyn Ffowc Elis was one of Wales's most popular Welsh-language writers.Born Islwyn Ffoulkes Ellis in Wrexham, Elis was educated at the University of Wales colleges of Bangor and Aberystwyth. During World War II he was a conscientious objector and he began writing poetry and prose, winning the...
and published by Plaid Cymru
Plaid Cymru
' is a political party in Wales. It advocates the establishment of an independent Welsh state within the European Union. was formed in 1925 and won its first seat in 1966...
in 1957.
Set in the 1950s, the narrator Ifan Powel takes part in a time travel
Time travel
Time travel is the concept of moving between different points in time in a manner analogous to moving between different points in space. Time travel could hypothetically involve moving backward in time to a moment earlier than the starting point, or forward to the future of that point without the...
experiment and lands in Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
in the year 2033. He is hosted by a family and for 5 days is taken in a journey around Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. He finds that Wales has secured self government and is prosperous economically, and socially harmonious; everyone is bilingual in both Welsh and English. He falls in love with the daughter of his host family, Mair, and when he returns to the Wales of the 1950s his longing for her makes him want to return to 2033. The scientist conducting the experiment cautions him against this as the future is not set and Ifan may therefore encounter a very different future if he travels again (see Rules of Time Travel), but after Ifan begs for his help he agrees to send Ifan back.
However, when Ifan returns he finds a totally different Wales. In this Dystopian future, the Welsh language
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
has died out and traces of Welsh identity have all but disappeared. Indeed even the country's name has been changed to "Western England". Violence and social tensions are also commonplace. Ifan only stays here for two days in order to look for Mair, but when he finds her he discovers that her name in this future is Maria, and she has no memory of him.
After returning to the present for the second time, the scientist explains to Ifan that both scenarios that Ifan encountered are possible for Wales and that it is up to the Welsh people which one comes to pass. This converts Ifan into a Welsh nationalist
Welsh nationalism
Welsh nationalism emphasises the distinctiveness of Welsh language, culture, and history, and calls for more self-determination for Wales, which may include more Devolved powers for the Welsh Assembly or full independence from the United Kingdom.-Conquest:...
(he had previously been opposed to nationalism
Nationalism
Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what...
) and he swears to do everything within his power to ensure that the Wales that he visited first is the one that will be realised.
The novel is significant in the history of Welsh-language literature
Literature of Wales (Welsh language)
After literature written in the classical languages literature in the Welsh language is the oldest surviving literature in Europe. The Welsh literary tradition stretches from the 6th century to the twenty-first. Its fortunes have fluctuated over the centuries, in line with those of the Welsh...
in that it was the first major science fiction work for adults to be written in the Welsh language, but it has been argued that the fact that it is (on the author's own admission) a blatant work of political propaganda
Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
diminishes its literary value to an extent.