Diary of a Soul

Foreword by Dr Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury. ~Publisher: Y Lolfa

Between 20 January 1955 and 16 February 1956, Y Tyst, the newspaper of the Welsh Independents, published a soul-searching diary. There was much speculation as to the identity of the author, who called himself ‘Y brawd o radd isel’ (The brother of low degree), until he was revealed as Pennar Davies, Principal of the denomination’s theological college in Brecon. The diary subsequently appeared as a volume entitled Cudd fy Meiau (Hide My Sins) in 1957 and was reissued in 1998.



This excellent annotated translation by the late Herbert Hughes, a student of Pennar Davies at Brecon, makes this acknowledged spiritual classic available in English for the first time. In a notable foreword, Archbishop Rowan Williams wonders what world-wide fame the author might have enjoyed as a writer and academic had he not chosen to stay in Wales and commit his life to the service of his country, people and language. But the publication of this diary in English will enable a wider audience to appreciate the central themes of Pennar’s meditation: honesty about temptation and failure, and devotion to the person of Jesus.



The diary follows a whole year from 1 January to 31 December and the entries are grouped in chapters with titles such as ‘Freedom and Dedication’, ‘Confession’, ‘Anger’, and ‘Jealousy’. There are contemporary references to now unfamiliar events and personalities of the 1950s, but the narrative is timeless in that it deals with the unchanging human condition. It belongs to a tradition of confessional writing which reaches back to St. Augustine and which in Wales found a noted exponent in William Williams of Pantycelyn with his Drws y Society Profiad (The Door of the Experience Meeting). Its intense soul-searching will not appeal to everyone, but its honesty and spiritual integrity excite admiration. ~Rhidian Griffiths @ www.gwales.com