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Papers, 1901-1991, of dramatist, poet and literary critic John Saunders Lewis consisting mainly of correspondence and comprising letters, 1914-1955, between Saunders Lewis and Margaret Lewis (née Gilcriest), including letters written whilst Saunders Lewis was serving in the First World War and whilst he was imprisoned in Wormwood Scrubs in 1937; letters, 1919-1984, to Saunders Lewis from various correspondents, including seventy-three letters, 1923-1983, from Kate Roberts, and fifty-three letters and cards, 1948-1974, from artist and writer David Jones, together with letters, 1937, to Margaret Lewis from David Jones and from various correspondents to her, 1919-1951; letters, 1919-1924, to Saunders Lewis from his father Lodwig Lewis, and letters, 1952, 1984-[c. 1986], to Mair Saunders Jones, daughter of Saunders and Margaret Lewis, including a letter, 1952, from Kate Roberts; together with autograph and typescript drafts of plays by Saunders Lewis, 1936-1983, articles, notes and addresses by him, including students notebooks of 1914-1920, and poetry, 1912-1947, by both Saunders and Margaret Lewis.
References include those to Plaid Cymru, Welsh nationalism, contemporary Welsh literature, the state of the Welsh language at the time, and Roman Catholicism.

Fifty-three letters and cards, 1948-1974, from the artist and writer David Jones to Saunders Lewis, discussing his creative work, the Welsh language, aspects of Welsh and Classical antiquity and literature, the Roman Catholic faith and culture in general. Drawing on f. 51 and inscriptions on ff. 10-13, 29 verso, 36 verso, 44 verso. Also included are three letters, 1937, from David Jones to Margaret Lewis, written during her husband's imprisonment (ff. 91-3 verso) and a copy of a speech by David Jones, delivered in absentia when he was awarded the honorary degree of DLitt by the University of Wales in 1960 (ff. 21-7).

Articles and notes, [c. 1920]-1979, in Welsh and English, mainly by Saunders Lewis, some written on the back of letters addressed to him, including an apparently unpublished article, 'Y Bomiau a Chwm Dulas' and drafts of articles on Gutun Owain and Siôn Cent, published in Meistri a'u Crefft (Caerdydd, 1981).

First draft, June-July 1968, of Saunders Lewis's radio play, 'Y Cyrnol Chabert', based on a story by Honoré de Balzac. First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 Wales, 19 December 1968, and repeated on 13 March 1970. The play was published in 1989.

Seventeen letters, mostly in Welsh, to Saunders Lewis from Lascelles Abercrombie (2) 1926 and n.d., W. R. P. George (1) 1978, David Howell ('Llawdden') (1) 1901, R. S. Thomas (1) ?1970s, and Lewis Valentine (12) 1972-83; together with three letters, 1936-7, to Margaret Lewis from P. Mansell Jones, J. E. Jones, and Siân Williams, written during Saunders Lewis's imprisonment.

Over one hundred and thirty letters, 1918-1923, from Margaret Gilcriest to Saunders Lewis, written while she was employed as a schoolteacher in Workington, Cumberland, and relating mainly to personal matters.

Some thirty poems, three in the hand of Saunders Lewis, composed by Margaret Lewis, 1914-47, including poems collected, together with three stories 'For Mair'.

University of Liverpool Students' Handbook, 1914-1915 and 1919-1920, of Saunders Lewis containing a few brief diary entries and other memoranda.

Notebooks of Margaret Lewis, MS 23231A containing book lists and memoranda. 1914-15, and MS 23232B containing poetry composed by Margaret Lewis, 1914-27 and 1940-7, transcripts of poems, and book lists.

A copy of a draft typescript outline, with manuscript revision, by Emyr Humphreys (b. 1919), of 'The Hidden Kingdom', a proposed volume of essays on the history and traditions of Wales to be edited by him, together with a covering letter, 1979, from the author to Saunders Lewis.

Seventy-three letters in Welsh, 1923-83, from the novelist and short-story writer Kate Roberts to Saunders Lewis, reflecting the growth of Kate Roberts as a writer and the early recognition and constant encouragement shown to her in her literary career by Saunders Lewis. Other matters discussed include the activities of the Welsh Nationalist Party mainly before 1945 and the state of Welsh literature in general during the period of the correspondence.

Twelve articles, 1921-2, written by Saunders Lewis for the Workington Star, under the pseudonym 'John-Sack-and-Sugar', mostly discussing English, Irish and French literature.

First draft of Saunders Lewis's address to the jury during his trial at Caernarfon Assizes, October 1936, for arson at Penyberth Bombing School. The address was subsequently published as a pamphlet, Why we burnt the Bombing School (1936). Also included is a draft of his account entitled 'The Story of the Burning' (ff. 32-8).

Typescript of an English version of Saunders Lewis's libretto 'Serch yw'r Doctor', adapted from Molière's L'Amour Médecin, for an opera by Arwel Hughes. The Welsh text was published in Esther a Serch yw'r Doctor (Llandybïe, 1960).

Printer's copy of Y Cyrnol Chabert (Pen-y-groes: Gwasg Dwyfor, 1989), bearing emendations by R. Geraint Gruffydd, literary executor of Saunders Lewis. The copy is a photocopy of a typescript containing minor revisions by the author. 'Darlledwyd gyntaf ar Radio Cymru, B.B.C., 5 Mawrth 1970' (f. i) is presumably incorrect (see MS 22957C).

One hundred and six letters and a telegram, 1915, from Saunders Lewis to Margaret Gilcriest, written while serving as a private soldier in Merseyside and later as an officer with the South Wales Borderers, and containing references to literature, including drafts of his own poems (ff. 102 verso, 179 verso-80, 196, 218 verso, 238, 252-3).

Eighty letters and a postcard, 1916, from Saunders Lewis to Margaret Gilcriest, many written from the trenches in France, including drafts of his poems (ff. 22 recto-verso, 118 verso, 119 verso, 143).

Fifty-five letters, 1922-3, from Saunders Lewis to Margaret Gilcriest, written while he was working as a rural librarian for the Glamorgan County Library at Pont-y-clun, and later as a lecturer in the Department of Welsh at University College, Swansea, including many comments on his early playwriting.

A notebook containing a manuscript poem 'Julian in Hercynia' by Edward Glyn Jones, Liverpool, together with a covering letter, 1923, sent by the poet to Saunders Lewis; and a child's story-book, comprising photographs and accompanying text, compiled by Kate Roberts for Mair Saunders Jones, 1930s.

Two typescript copies of Saunders Lewis's play, Problemau Prifysgol (Llandybïe, 1968), which was written in 1962.