Identity area
Type of entity
Person
Authorized form of name
Griffiths, Niall, 1966-
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Description area
Dates of existence
1966-
History
Niall Griffiths (1966- ) is a writer of novels and short stories who lives near Aberystwyth. Born in Liverpool, his family had strong Welsh connections and most of his work is set in Wales. It was a Welsh writer, Ron Berry, who initially inspired Griffiths's desire to portray the underside of society in unromantic and politically conscious prose, and it was an Outward Bound course in Snowdonia which Griffiths attended after getting into trouble as a teenager that convinced him of the value of education. As a child, Griffiths also lived in Australia when his family moved there for three years, and he would later return to compare his travels there as an adult with his childhood memories.
After spending some time in low-paid jobs, Griffiths took a degree in English and was accepted for a PhD scholarship in poetry at Aberystwyth, which he failed to complete. His research continued, however, and his interest in the disaffected margins of society in rural Wales led to his first novel, Grits, which was published in 2000 to widespread critical acclaim. His later work followed similar themes, and in 2003 Stump won awards as both the Welsh Books Council Book of the Year and the Arts Council of Wales Book of the Year.
In 2015, Griffiths released his first collection of poetry, Red Roar: 20 Years of Words.
Places
Aberystwyth (Wales)
Legal status
Functions, occupations and activities
Writer
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Internal structures/genealogy
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Control area
Authority record identifier
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Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru = The National Library of Wales
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Status
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Dates of creation, revision and deletion
March 2019
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Script(s)
Sources
Niall Griffiths, Grits (Jonathan Cape; London : 2000); idem, Sheepshagger (Jonathan Cape; London : 2001); idem, Kelly and Victor (Jonathan Cape; London : 2002); idem, Stump (Jonathan Cape; London : 2003); idem, Wreckage (Jonathan Cape; London : 2005); idem, Runt (Jonathan Cape; London : 2007); idem, Real Aberystwyth (Seren; Bridgend : 2008); idem, Real Liverpool (Seren; Bridgend : 2008); papers in Niall Griffiths's personal archive (Niall Griffiths Papers, NLW); Wikipedia page on Niall Griffiths (viewed February 2019); conversation with Niall Griffiths, July 2018.