A Small Country is an English-language novel by Siân James, first published by Collins in 1979. It is James's third novel, and has come to be regarded as a significant publication in Anglo-Welsh literature.[1][2] It includes themes of Welsh identity and women's experience in the pre-First World War period.[3]

First edition (publ. Collins)

Set in 1914, the novel deals with the lives of a farming family in Carmarthenshire. The son, Tom, and daughter, Catrin, are both restless in their rural existence and their father, Josi, abandons his wife and the farm to live with a local schoolteacher.

A new edition, with an introduction by Stan Barstow, was published by Seren Books in 1999. The book was adapted for television in 2006, for a Welsh-language serial, Calon Gaeth;[4] the dramatisation won the 2008 BAFTA Cymru award for Best Drama/Drama Serial for Television.[5]

References

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  1. ^ Meic Stephens, A Book of Wales: an Anthology (JM Dent, 1987)
  2. ^ Tony Curtis, Wales at War: Critical Essays on Literature and Art (Seren, 2007)
  3. ^ Mary Eagleton; Emma Parker (29 April 2016). The History of British Women's Writing, 1970-Present: Volume Ten. Springer. pp. 151–. ISBN 978-1-137-29481-4.
  4. ^ "Calon Gaeth (Small Country)". British Council Film. Retrieved 28 June 2018.
  5. ^ "Cymru Drama/Drama Serial For Television in 2008". BAFTA. Retrieved 28 June 2018.