{"product_id":"parch-paperback","title":"Parch - Paperback","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eMenna Elfyn\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMenna Elfyn is the best-known, most travelled and most translated of all Welsh-language poets - until now writing exclusively in Welsh. Her work has been translated into English and other languages by leading poets from around the world.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFollowing many years of campaigning, Menna Elfyn is moving towards her own sense of resolution as the Welsh language is now accepted and respected as an official language in Wales. In this hybrid book - for the first time - she has translated or written many of the original poems in English, now describing herself as 'a proud bilingual'. Other poems in the book are translated by Emma Baines, Joseph P. Clancy, Gillian Clarke, Robert Minhinnick and R.S. Thomas.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe poems in \u003ci\u003eParch\u003c\/i\u003e offer a voice to those whose liberty or dignity have been undermined, seeking religious, linguistic and cultural tolerance for all, and not shying away from the effects of (in)humanity on our environment, histories and lives. Among these are powerful poems responding to sexual harassment, exploitation and violence against women, as well as to the plight of people caught up in armed conflicts past and present. Mercy is a recurring theme, with poems addressing the tension between justice and forgiveness.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn Welsh, 'parch' (the 'ch' is guttural) simply means respect. Menna Elfyn's collection explores the many ways in which respect can be expressed, as well as how our world can so often feel parched of simple kindnesses.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eMenna Elfyn shares Herta Müller's belief that 'holding one's own language up to the eyes of another leads to a solid relationship, a relaxed kind of love'. This distils the essence of \u003cem\u003eParch\u003c\/em\u003e: respect as refuge; the triumph of compassion over conflict.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMenna Elfyn\u003c\/b\u003e is one of the foremost Welsh-language writers. As well as being an award-winning poet, she has published plays, libretti and children's novels, and co-edited \u003ci\u003eThe Bloodaxe Book of Modern Welsh Poetry\u003c\/i\u003e (2003) with John Rowlands. Her books include two bilingual selections, \u003ci\u003eEucalyptus: Detholiad o Gerddi \/ Selected Poems 1978-1994 \u003c\/i\u003e(Gomer Press, 1995), and \u003ci\u003ePerfect Blemish: New \u0026amp; Selected Poems \/ Perffaith Nam: Dau Ddetholiad \u0026amp; Cherddi Newydd 1995-2007\u003c\/i\u003e (Bloodaxe Books, 2007), a Welsh-only selection \u003ci\u003eMerch Perygl: Cerddi 1976-2011\u003c\/i\u003e (Gomer Press, 2011), and two later bilingual collections from Bloodaxe, \u003ci\u003eMurmur\u003c\/i\u003e (2012), a Poetry Book Society Recommended Translation, and \u003ci\u003eBondo\u003c\/i\u003e (2017). Her most recent Welsh language collection, \u003ci\u003eTosturi\u003c\/i\u003e (Mercy), with illustrations by Meinir Mathias (Cyhoeddiadau Barddas, 2022), was shortlisted for the 2023 Welsh-language Wales Book of the Year Poetry Award. She was Wales's National Children's Laureate in 2002, and was made President of Wales PEN Cymru in 2014. She was, until 2016, Creative Director in the School of Cultural Studies at the University of Wales, Trinity Saint David; she is also Professor of Poetry and Creative Writing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 128\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.4 x 9.1 x 6 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e December 16, 2025\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47354193576185,"sku":"9781780377544","price":18.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0789\/2782\/3097\/files\/wtXKjVQfbo9781780377544.webp?v=1769833032","url":"https:\/\/bookscloud.io\/products\/parch-paperback","provider":"BooksCloud Book Dropshipping","version":"1.0","type":"link"}