Library of Wales: In the Green Tree

In the Green Tree was first published in 1948. This edition is published by Parthian for the Welsh Assembly Government backed Library of Wales series (series editor Dai Smith) which aims to highlight and celebrate Wales’s literary heritage in the English language. It is an example of the way in which an initiative such as this can bring to a new readership some of the treasures of literature. It is also an opportunity for important current writers to give a personal reflection on the work and how it has stood the test of time. In this case Owen Sheers, in his foreword, describes how he has recently come to appreciate Alun Lewis’s letters and stories, and follows the development of Lewis’s skills and how the effects of his experiences in war and his separation from home influenced his poetry, letters and stories. In the afterword, John Pikoulis records the history of the original publication of In the Green Tree by Alun Lewis’s widow, Gweno Lewis, and Professor Gwyn Jones and lists other publications in which some of these and other letters and stories appeared. He questions the choice of letters which were included in the book, suggesting that other letters, written to some of Alun Lewis’s friends, throw another light on his complex character. Lewis’s experiences in India and Burma led to periods of unhappiness and times of joy, both of which, as Pikoulis points out, affected his writings and are reflected in his poetry and some of the letters and stories in this book. Pikoulis discusses the text and the illustrations by John Petts, reproduced in this edition, accompanying the stories. The book itself, published exactly as in the first edition, is a collection of excerpts of letters, mostly written to Gweno Lewis, as Alun Lewis was on his way to India in 1942 and from India and finally from Burma. They are a touching intimate portrait of a sensitive person exposed to unimaginable experiences in strange countries. He grapples with his feelings and beliefs and describes how he struggles to express his thoughts in poetry and prose. Those parts of the letters give an intriguing insight into the workings of the mind of a gifted poet. The six short stories are all related to his life in the army in India and Burma except for the first, ‘Night Journey’, which tells of an incident on a train from Paddington. All are compelling, often shocking and difficult to forget. This new edition will bring a new generation of readers to the work of this remarkably gifted Welsh writer and poet. -- Beryl Thomas @ www.gwales.com