Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- [c. 1919]-1995 / (Creation)
Level of description
Fonds
Extent and medium
0.108 cubic metres (9 boxes, 1 volume); 4 boxes were purchased February 2007.
Context area
Name of creator
Biographical history
Harri Webb (1920-1994), poet, from Swansea, Glamorgan, went to Magdalen College Oxford. He worked as a bookseller and librarian in Cardiff, Dowlais and Mountain Ash, Glamorgan, retiring in 1974; in the 1970s he wrote several television scripts. He was strongly influenced by the Scottish poet Hugh Mac Diarmid, writer and nationalist politician. He was a member of the Welsh Republican Movement, as well as Plaid Cymru; he was a prolific journalist, and editor of Welsh Nation magazine. He was an active member of the New Nation/Cilmeri group in the 1960s, aiming to replace the leadership of Plaid Cymru. He stood as Plaid Cymru candidate in the general election of 1970 at Pontypool, but in the mid 1970s became disillusioned with the party. His poetry was published in the collections 'The Green Desert' (1969) and 'A Crown for Branwen' (1974). He mainly wrote in English, although he also used Welsh. He contributed regularly to the magazine Poetry Wales, which he had helped to establish; he also acted as a reader for the Welsh Arts Council, and published two collections of songs and ballads. Since his death in 1994, a Collected Poems and selections from his political and literary journalism have been published.
Archival history
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Part deposited by Meic Stephens, 1987, and later purchased 1997
Content and structure area
Scope and content
Papers of Harri Webb, [c. 1919]-1995, including poetry, 1942-1989; reviews and reader's reports, 1974-1986; correspondence with publishers, broadcasters and editors relating to Webb's work, 1949-1995; correspondence from literary and artistic figures, [1940s]-1983; political correspondence, 1964-1974; political press cuttings, 1952-1981; papers relating to Plaid Cymru, 1961-1978, and Scottish politics, 1967-1969; and personal papers, [c. 1919]-1984.
A collection of Harri Webb's diaries. This group remains uncatalogued.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Action: All records purchased by the Library have been retained..
Accruals
Accruals are not expected.
System of arrangement
Arranged into the following: works of Harri Webb; material relating to uses made of Harri Webb's work; correspondence from literary and artistic figures; material relating to other authors; literary institutions and societies; political Plaid Cymru, and others; personal; and miscellaneous. The 1999 purchase is arranged separately by subject.
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Readers consulting modern papers in the National Library of Wales are required to sign the 'Modern papers - data protection' form.
Conditions governing reproduction
Usual copyright regulations apply.
Language of material
Script of material
Language and script notes
English, Welsh.
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Finding aids
A hard copy of the catalogue is available at the National Library of Wales. The catalogue can be accessed online.
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related units of description
Notes area
Note
Title supplied from contents of fonds. The archive contains some material post-dating Webb's death, relating to publication of his work and tribute events.
Alternative identifier(s)
Virtua system control number
Project identifier
Access points
Place access points
Name access points
- Welsh Arts Council. (Subject)
- Welsh Republican Movement. (Subject)
- Webb, Harri, 1920- -- Correspondence (Subject)
Genre access points
Description control area
Description identifier
Institution identifier
Rules and/or conventions used
Description follows ANW guidelines based on ISAD(G) 2nd ed.;AACR2; and LCSH
Status
Level of detail
Dates of creation revision deletion
March 2003
Language(s)
- English
Script(s)
Sources
Archivist's note
Compiled by Annette Strauch for the ANW project. The following sources were used in the compilation of this description: NLW, Schedule of Harri Webb Papers.