T. J. Llewelyn Prichard: Poetry (Including Theatrical Poems), Publishers and Politics

Discussion of the life and work of Thomas Jeffery Llewelyn Prichard (1790–1862) has steadily increased over the past forty years. His novel, Twm Shon Catti (1828), with its disputed claim to be ‘the first Welsh Novel’, has been the chief focus of attention, while his poems have been relatively neglected. That the bulk of his poetry consists of long narratives on historical and legendary subjects, which he considered by their very nature superior, has not helped his case. With the recent discovery of Theatrical Poems (1822), known previously only from citations on the title pages of his other publications, it becomes possible to survey and ­re-­evaluate his poetic output. His true strength lay in satire. Satirical poetry, supporting the fallen Napoleon while condemning Louis XVI and European monarchies in general, testifies to his radical thinking, as does his consistent nomination as “publishers” of his work those who had risked legal sanction (and in some cases suffered imprisonment) for offences against the laws on libel. Some of his most powerful poems describe the suffering of the rural poor and attack callous landowners. In Theatrical Poems a similar furious concern on behalf of actors exploited by unscrupulous theatre managers re-­emphasises Prichard’s close knowledge of the stage and tends to confirm his connection with the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden.