About Gerallt Lloyd Owen
Lived 1944 – 2014 (aged 69). Gerallt Lloyd Owen was a British writer and poet.
Gerallt Lloyd Owen (6 November 1944 – 15 July 2014) was a Welsh-language poet who lived in Llandwrog. He is considered to be one of Wales's leading "strict-metre" poets.
Works Owen began as a "political poet" in the 1960s, often using medieval forms or imagery for purposes of promoting Welsh nationalism. His political works at times satirized the failings of the Welsh people, or Welsh history, rather than simply praising them.
The 1982 Bardic Chair at the National Eisteddfod of Wales was awarded to Owen for his awdl Cilmeri, which Hywel Teifi Edwards has called the only 20th-century awdl, that matches T. Gwynn Jones' 1902 masterpiece Ymadawiad Arthur ("The Passing of Arthur"). Owen's Cilmeri reimagines the death of Prince Llywelyn ap Gruffudd of the Royal House of Gwynedd in battle near the village of the same name on 11 December 1282, while leading a doomed uprising against the occupation of Wales by King Edward I of England. Owen's poem depicts the Prince as a tragic hero and invests his fall with an anguish unmatched since Gruffudd ab yr Ynad Coch wrote his famous lament for the Prince immediately following his death. Owen also, according to Edwards, encapsulates in the Prince's death the Welsh people's continuing "battle for national survival."
One of his earlier works, Afon, is more about childhood. Part of it is quoted in a document on early children's education in Wales.
Death Owen died on 15 July 2014 in hospital at the age of 69.
Awards 1992 Wales Book of the Year winner, Welsh-language. 2002 Glyndŵr Award for literature.
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Important facts
People in Gerallt Lloyd Owen's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Gerallt Lloyd Owen's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Gerallt Lloyd Owen?
Welsh poet (1944-2014)
When was Gerallt Lloyd Owen born?
Gerallt Lloyd Owen was born on 6 November 1944 in Llandderfel.
When did Gerallt Lloyd Owen die?
Gerallt Lloyd Owen died on 15 July 2014 in Ysbyty Gwynedd.
What was Gerallt Lloyd Owen's occupation?
Gerallt Lloyd Owen was a writer and poet.
What nationality was Gerallt Lloyd Owen?
Gerallt Lloyd Owen was British.
Sources & further reading
· Wikipedia: Gerallt Lloyd Owen
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Gerallt Lloyd Owen. https://biography.guide/gerallt-lloyd-owen/
MLA: "Gerallt Lloyd Owen." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/gerallt-lloyd-owen/.
Chicago: "Gerallt Lloyd Owen." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/gerallt-lloyd-owen/.
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