Rape of the Fair Country
- Brand: Unbranded
Description
Poeetiline ülimasendav naturalistlik-realistlik pilguheit 19. sajandi esimese poole Walesi rauasulatustööstusesse, ehk siis Inglise industrialismi sünnivaludele. Neidsamu sünnivalusid jälgitakse läbi Mortymeride perekonna suht traagilise käekäigu. Ehedat autentsust lisavad walesikeelsed väljendid ja mõningad tavad. Eks see raamat vene ajal 1964. aastal ilmuski kuna teda saab ka kirjeldada kui "tööliste võitlust kapitalistlike ekspluataatorite vastu" ja eks pidanud marksismi klassikud tšartiste miskiteks eel-revolutsionäärideks niikuinii, kahe silma vahele on aga jäänud täiesti keltidest waleslaste suht vabad abielueelsed suguelukombed ja julmad kaklused millega nad omavahel tülisid lahendasid, samuti walesi tööliste suht vankumatu ja konservatiivne usklikkus. Olles seda raamatut lugenud vähemalt 10 korda on mind alati siiski haaranud äärmine poeetiline traagika, mis tegelastele osaks saab, samuti walesi looduse ülistus.
My mum suggested this book to me after I watched the episode of the crown that surrounded the Aberfan disaster. My grandfather was Welsh, and my great grandparents came to Canada because the working conditions in Wales were so atrocious. Rape Of The Fair Country’ is a dramatic account of the industrial revolution in the raw. It is set in the early years of the nineteenth century, when that turbulent and cruel period in British history was in full flight - destroying the countryside and creating dreadful sufferings for the working population – whose former gentle life in green fields was replaced by brutal labour in quarries, factories, coal mines and ironworks. It is a small village tale which is a part of a huge, ultimately worldwide movement - the birth of socialism, collective bargaining and universal suffrage. I would listen to this again and again, I had read the book before (hard copy) and enjoyed it but this added a new dimension It's not just the story of the Mortymers, or even of Blaenavon and Nantyglo, but of the Chartist Movement and the birth of Trade Unionism. The events might be fictional, but they're true to the course of history, with Rape of the Fair Country ending with the disastrous Newport Rising of 1839. The research to write the book must have been extensive, but Cordell makes it seem effortless: momentous events viewed through the lense of a very human and likeable family.Although there are flaws in this book - the place of the Welsh language in the narrative, and the inaccurate use of "Wenglish", the portrayal of women, and many of the historical details, this is nevertheless a powerful, powerful story.
Matt Addis completely captured the mood of the book from the start. The characters all had their own personalities, which is quite a feat with such a cast of supporting roles, and he brought a warm lilt to the narrative; like the style of the book itself, his storytelling was subtle yet powerful. There also exist audio versions of the book in circulation read by Philip Madoc and there have been successive attempts to get the book made into a film. [3] Two of the women in the story – Iestyn’s sister Morfydd and the girl he eventually marries, Mari Dirion– work in the mines crawling on all fours dragging coal tubs. When Mari become pregnant she stays in the job, and Morfydd observes: The failure of the works (in 1919) was a devastating blow to the local community, as it had depended heavily on the works for its economic livelihood.” For me, the best parts of this story were the details of everyday life, love and survival during a period when working people had few choices or freedoms. Cordell's prose often verges on the poetic to create a vivid picture of the life and times of Iestyn Mortymer. I was particularly interested in the story of Iestyn's older sister, Morfydd, who struggles against convention and suffers for her pioneering opinions on politics and the role of women
Preview Book
What a land it is, this Wales! And of all its villages Llanelen is surely the best. The river is milk here, the country is honey, the mountains are crisp brown loaves hot from the baker’s oven one moment and green or golden glory the next. Beauty lies here by the singing river where the otters bark and the salmon leap, and I wish to God the English had stayed in England and ripped their own fields and burst their own mountains.” From the brightly lit foyer to every seat in the stalls, a buzz of expectation hovered over the theatre-goers who turned up to see Rape of the Fair Country which opened at the New Theatre, Cardiff this month. Rarely have midweek performances drawn audiences of this size and it was clear that expectations were running high for this re-run of Manon Eames’ adaptation of Alexander Cordell’s novel. I wish to God the English had stayed in England and ripped their own fields and burst their own mountains.”
This seems to have come from The Crawshay’s of Cyfarthfa Castle, by Margaret Stewart Taylor. The other source referred to is The History of the Iron, Steel, Tinplate and other Trades of Wales, by Charles Wilkins 1903. I have walked from Merthyr hand in hand with St Tydfil,” he said. “I have been splashed eight times and blinded, but the saint led me across The Top to the great Zephaniah Williams, for I put no trust in our mad Dr. Price. I put my trust in no man but Williams, whom I once saw spit at the feet of Robert Crawshay, who starved us.” For it is greed you are discussing not politics. And until greed is taken from the hearts of men you will always have masters and poor, and which way round it is matters little" Violence in fact has a strong presence throughout the entire novel. Iestyn himself is involved in many fights, and tragedy strikes the family again when Iestyn’s sister Edwina is murdered and Morfydd’s fiancé, Richard, is killed in a riot. The Chartists’ commitment to violence is confirmed on the night of 3-4 November 1839 when support for the movement is at its highest. Several thousand marchers, including Iestyn Mortymer, go to the Westgate Hotel in Newport, expecting to seize the town and trigger a national uprising.What does Matt Addis bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book? I live in Newport, and although this story is fiction it has a basis in the areas history, which makes it very interesting to me, but it is a great story for anyone, it is earthy and has humour, romance and gives an alternative view re the conditions suffered by the workers Cordell is at pains to point out through the mouths of his Chartist characters that the appalling conditions the workers endured were not confined to South Wales. He is not, however, interested in giving a social or economic overview, but simply in portraying the price paid by the people of Wales. This short passage, for me, was the most moving: The book centres around Iestyn Mortymer, growing up as a child labourer in the mines of the south Wales valleys - fighting, drinking, seducing and struggling under the watchful eye of his strict Calvinistic father. The attitude of “Dada” Hywel is played off against Iestyn’s older sister Morfydd, who clearly represents the reformist views which would come to prominence in industrial Wales. Those who accept their fates versus those who strive for more is always a compelling theme. The sights and sounds of his upbringing are well detailed as he tries to steer himself through this harsh life. Maybe it is because it is coming from the perspective of a young hot-blooded Iestyn, but it seems like every introduction of a female character begins with a description of her breasts and what they are doing (e.g. quivering, bouncing) which is always a bit weird if a woman isn't moving. The whole book is an emotional journey! I was pleased and relieved when life and relationships went well for the Mortymer family, annoyed by some of the pig-headed opinions inflicted on it from within and without, and saddened by the people who were lost along the way
- Fruugo ID: 258392218-563234582
- EAN: 764486781913
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