Hiraeth

by Huw Jones

INTRODUCTION

Huw Jones's story is set in the late 1960s, a period of momentous change in British society. A 14-year-old baby-boomer, Huw experiences more tragedy, pain and confusion than any youngster should experience. Sadly, he faces it totally alone. Despite huge loss, he is driven by hiraeth, a concept from the ancient language of Wales. Hiraeth has no direct English translation but can be defined as a Welshman's abiding sense of longing and belonging and his connectedness to the land of Wales.

Huw embarks upon a quest to fill a huge void in his innermost being, created by loss. A loss made even more painful by the continuing seemingly fruitless search for his real identity as a boy and as a man, as he walks barefoot over the broken glass, upturned rusty nails and hot coals at the cusp of the threshold between childhood and being an adult.

Although most of the conversation that takes place in this narrative would have been in the Welsh language, I have only included a few words where they help flow of the story. A few explanations to help you understand the context: "The Valleys" are a series of parallel valleys in South Wales, running broadly north-south, in which much of the industrial base of Wales was found. The Valleys had, and still have, a distinct identity, sub-culture and a unique accent easily discernible to another Welshman.

The Welsh spoken in the North and the South of Wales (by more than 600,000 people) is broadly similar although a few words vary regionally. A few words that occur often in this story: Grandfather is Taid (pronounced 'tide') and Grandmother is Nain (pronounced 'nine'). Mother is Mam everywhere in Wales. Bach (roughly, 'little one') is a general term of affection used by a family member or by a close of friend. Cariad (literally, 'love') is another term of endearment which is used for a close friend or family member as well as in a romantic way. Duw is Welsh for God.

The First XV rugby team is a school's premier rugby team. Teams are always shown with Roman numerals. XV = fifteen. This would be equivalent to the USA's Varsity team in a sport. Huw's position "hooker" is not as risqué as it sounds. In British rugby, a hooker is the central forward in the front row of a scrum whose main job is to win the ball. A hooker also throws the ball in when it goes out of play on the sides of the pitch, to two columns of opposing players known as a lineout.

Grammar schools were state schools that selected their pupil intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude. Most authorities abolished secondary selection in the late 1960s.

This story is dedicated to my friend and literary inspiration Mihangel. Many thanks to Chris and Liz for suggestions and to Solsticeman for patiently editing and translating from the original English.