Tony Bianchi

Tony Bianchi (5 April 1952 – 2 July 2017) was a prize-winning novelist, poet, short-story writer and critic, writing in both Welsh and English.

Early life Tony Bianchi was born in North Shields, near Newcastle-upon-Tyne. His father was a policeman of Italian ancestry. He attended a Catholic school on Tyneside, then studied English & Philosophy at St David's University College in Lampeter, Wales.

Bianchi obtained a doctoral degree with a thesis on Samuel Beckett. While studying in Wales, he met his future wife, Diana, who was an activist Welsh speaker, and who instilled a passion for the language in him. They had two daughters, Rhiannon and Heledd, named after early Welsh literary figures. sealing his fame as a superb exponent of Welsh language in the 21st century. The book delves into the thoughts of Tomos Rowlands who is obsessed with sounds and tries to make sense of his life through them.

Bianchi won the Micro-fiction Prize at the 2017 Anglesey Eisteddfod. A collection of his Welsh-language poetry and micro-fiction, Rhwng Pladur A Blaguryn (Between the Scythe and the Green Shoot), will be published by Barddas in August 2018. The title is taken from one of the poems:

Writings in English Bumping, which came out in 2010, was Bianchi's only English-language novel, and narrated themes of home, vicissitudes of youth and the delusions of old age. A posthumous collection of short stories Staring Back at Me was published by Cinnamon Press in May 2018.

Bianchi also translated several of his works into English: Pryfeta (Daniel's Beetles), Ras Olaf Harri Selwyn (Harri Selwyn’s Last Race), Esgyrn Bach (The Bone Pickers).

Academic writings Besides his literary works, Bianchi also contributed to the academy with a monograph on Richard Vaughan as well an anthology of Welsh poetry titled Blodeugerdd Barddas o Farddoniaeth Gyfoes (2005).

Bianchi was made a Fellow of the Welsh Academy of Writers.

Selected works Welsh

English

Harry Selwyn's Last Race 2012 Staring Back at Me. 2018