Tongue Tied

It is 1876 when we are fist introduced to Elfed Evans and Edwards Jones - Elfed of the Tryweryn Valley and Edward of the Celyn, two childhood friends whose friendship has been forged in the shadow of the inspirational Arenig Fawr. The lives of the two nineteen-year-olds then head in different directions. Edward decides to leave the beautiful countryside of north Wales in hope of a more secure future in the coal pits of the Rhondda in south Wales, while Elfed chooses to remain in Tryweryn to farm his father's land. The two friends never meet again, but they are forever bound by an act of camaraderie, a symbol of their deep friendship, the consequences of which will be felt by their families. Tongue Tied allows us to witness Welsh family life during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, from the perspective of the farm and the coal pit, as we follow the lives and struggles of the Evans and Jones families. This is a powerful story that explores relationships, religion, language and identity - and how all these things can , ultimately, tear families apart.

About the Author :
Peter Griffiths was born in 1942 in Cynheidre near Llanelli in Carmarthenshire. He was educated at Five Roads Primary School, Llandovery College and Lincoln College, Oxford. He and his family emigrated to Denver, Colorado in 1972, where he worked as an Investment Councellor. Over the last fifteen years, he and his wife Yvonne have gravitated back to Wales.

Review :
When I first heard of this book I wondered whether it was about the notorious treason of the Blue Books. The title certainly suggested that it could be, but I was proved wrong. It is, in fact, the story of family life during the final part of the nineteenth century and the early decades of the twentieth century. The central characters are Edward, who spends his life in the Tryweryn valley, and his friend Elfed, who moves to take up work in the coal mines of south Wales. They share a strong bond of friendship and although they never meet again after Edward leaves Tryweryn, their lives remain inseparable. Implicit throughout the story is their sense of pride in being Welsh so I felt some of the overtly polemical writing was unnecessary, fine in a history book but not in a novel. This is a powerful story which explores relationships, religion, language and identity. In setting much of the book in Tryweryn, I can’t help feeling that this was a very deliberate choice on Mr Griffiths’s part. I hope he goes on to write a further novel but this time based on the destruction of the village of Capel Celyn in order to supply Liverpool its water supply, a subject which still touches raw nerves. It is 1876 when we are fist introduced to Elfed Evans and Edwards Jones - Elfed of the Tryweryn Valley and Edward of the Celyn, two childhood friends whose friendship has been forged in the shadow of the inspirational Arenig Fawr. The lives of the two nineteen-year-olds then head in different directions. Edward decides to leave the beautiful countryside of north Wales in hope of a more secure future in the coal pits of the Rhondda in south Wales, while Elfed chooses to remain in Tryweryn to farm his father's land. The two friends never meet again, but they are forever bound by an act of camaraderie, a symbol of their deep friendship, the consequences of which will be felt by their families. Tongue Tied allows us to witness Welsh family life during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, from the perspective of the farm and the coal pit, as we follow the lives and struggles of the Evans and Jones families. This is a powerful story that explores relationships, religion, language and identity - and how all these things can , ultimately, tear families apart. Welsh-American Author Writes Novel after feeling “ludicrously patriotic” A Welsh author living in America was overcome by emotion twenty five years since leaving his homeland and became “ludicrously patriotic”, so decided to write a novel glorifying Wales. Peter Griffiths is a Welsh-speaking author from Cynheidre near Llanelli, moved to Denver, Colorado in 1972, but in the last few years has gravitated back to Wales. Peter Griffiths said: “In 1990, while driving from Heathrow to Bala, climbing the Berwyn from Llangynog, I distinctly remember being moved by the grandeur, and feeling ludicrously patriotic. How could I not write a novel glorifying Wales, its people, and its language? It would be aimed mainly at my circle people in the States, who go weak at the knees over Scotland and Ireland, but rarely over Wales.” The novel is called, Tongue Tied, and is set in the Tryweryn valley and the Rhondda. The novel considers how language has had an unifying and some times divisive role over the centuries. The author said: “One is Welsh if one feels Welsh. The novel recognises the tension that arises at times between the majority of Welsh people who can’t speak Welsh and the minority who can; and the divisiveness of the language in these instances is compared, with sadness, to its crucial unifying role over the millennia.”