Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 1932-2015 (Creation)
Level of description
Fonds
Extent and medium
3 large boxes + 4 small boxes (0.122 mᶟ)
Context area
Name of creator
Biographical history
Archival history
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Purchased from Dr John Pikoulis, Dinas Powys, November 2022.
Content and structure area
Scope and content
Papers of author and academic Dr John Pikoulis, almost all of which relate to his research into the life of Second World War Anglo-Welsh poet Alun Lewis (1915-1944) in the course of editing his anthology of Lewis's works Alun Lewis: A Miscellany of his Writings (Poetry Wales Press, 1982) and of compiling his two memoirs Alun Lewis: A Life (Poetry Wales Press, 1984, 2nd ed. 1991) and Alun, Gweno and Freda (Seren Books, 2015), the latter focusing on Lewis's relationship with his wife Gweno and with Freda Aykroyd, his mistress and muse whilst he was on active service in India from 1942 to 1944, the 'central feature' of the collection - as expresssed by Pikoulis in his accompanying note - being the voluminous correspondence between Pikoulis and Freda Aykroyd, which spans over three decades and provides an eloquent and heartfelt account of Aykroyd's brief but passionate relationship with Lewis. The archive comprises correspondence between John Pikoulis and members of Lewis's circle of family, friends and acquaintances and with Lewis's military and work/academic colleagues, as well as correspondence with individuals who had no direct acquaintance with Alun Lewis but who contributed to Pikoulis's research and correspondence between Pikoulis and his publishers Poetry Wales Press/Seren Books regarding publication of Alun Lewis: A Life (1984) and Alun, Gweno and Freda (2015); notes taken during interviews conducted by John Pikoulis with Lewis's family, friends and colleagues, together with Pikoulis's own biographical notes on Alun Lewis; photocopied and transcribed poetry, prose and correspondence of Alun Lewis; Pikoulis's general research material comprising press cuttings, articles and other material relating to Alun Lewis and to others of the 'war poets', which includes commemorative poetry following Lewis's death and material relating to the centenary of Lewis's birth; and other papers of family, friends and colleagues of Alun Lewis which directly relate to Lewis, including responses to queries from Pikoulis or to Pikoulis's published works on Alun Lewis.
The archive also includes a small amount of material not directly related to John Pikoulis's research into the life and work of Alun Lewis, but which nevertheless was in the possession of or had been obtained by Pikoulis during his period of research.
A sheet of typescript notes by John Pikoulis, kept in Box 1 of the collection, comprises background information to this archive.
Many of the individuals mentioned within the archive - for example, correspondents of John Pikoulis - may be found via the index in John Pikoulis: Alun Lewis: A Life (Poetry Wales Press, 1984).
Many names are cross-referenced throughout the archive, particularly within correspondence.
CONTENT WARNING: Researchers are advised that suicide and suicidal motives are discussed within this archive.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Accruals
System of arrangement
The archive is divided into the following two categories:
Alun Lewis research papers:
Comprising papers of John Pikoulis and of those connected to Alun Lewis which are directly related to John Pikoulis's research into Alun Lewis's life and work in the course of writing Alun Lewis: A Miscellany of his Writings (Poetry Wales Press, 1982) and his two memoirs Alun Lewis: A Life (Poetry Wales Press, 1984) and Alun, Gweno & Freda (Seren Books, 2015). These include John Pikoulis's correspondence with family members, friends, colleagues and others connected with Alun Lewis; notes taken during Pikoulis's interviews with family members, friends, colleagues and others connected with Alun Lewis and Pikoulis's own more general notes relating to Lewis's life and work; material by or relating to Alun Lewis, including photocopied and transcribed poetry and prose by Lewis and press articles relating to Lewis and to others of the 'war poets'; and papers of or relating to family members, friends and colleagues of Alun Lewis, which includes correspondence and responses to enquiries relating to Lewis made by Pikoulis. Sections are headed with the name of the individual/group with whom Pikoulis communicated in the course of his research, along with their designated category (Alun Lewis research papers); sections may also contain the named individual/group's own papers, such as correspondence addressed to/from correspondents other than Pikoulis, or, in the case of Freda Aykroyd or Gwladys Lewis, for example, the named individual's own literary work.
Other material:
Miscellaneous papers which bear no apparent direct relevance to Pikoulis's research on Alun Lewis but which have nevertheless been obtained by Pikoulis or were in his possession during his period of research. These include papers of Freda Aykroyd and members of the Lewis family whose contents are not directly related to Alun Lewis and also letters to John Pikoulis from the poet R. S. Thomas and correspondence between Pikoulis and academic colleagues at Cardiff University. As with the Alun Lewis research papers category, sections are headed with the name of the individual/group with whom Pikoulis communicated in the course of his research, along with their designated category (Other material).
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Readers consulting modern papers in the National Library of Wales are required to sign the 'Modern papers - data protection' form.
Conditions governing reproduction
Usual copyright regulations apply.
Language of material
- English
Script of material
Language and script notes
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Finding aids
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related units of description
Notes area
Note
Dr John Pikoulis was born in Selukwe, Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), the son of Nicholas and Afrula Pikoulis. He was Senior Lecturer in the Department of Extra-Mural Studies and the Department of English at Cardiff University and co-Chair of Literature Wales. He is the author of three books on the Anglo-Welsh Second World War poet Alun Lewis (1915-1944): Alun Lewis: A Miscellany of his Writings (ed. John Pikoulis) (Poetry Wales Press, 1982), Alun Lewis: a Life (Poetry Wales Press, 1984) and Alun, Gweno & Freda (Seren, 2015).
Note
The Anglo-Welsh poet Alun Lewis was born in Cwmaman in 1915, the son of teachers Thomas John and Gwladys Lewis and the elder brother of Glyn (born 1917), Huw (born 1919) and Mair (later Fenn) (born 1921). Following an unsuccessful early career as a journalist, Lewis earned his living as a supply teacher. In July 1941, he married fellow teacher Gweno Ellis. Despite his pacifist tendencies, he enlisted in 1940 with the Royal Engineers in the hope of obtaining a non-combatant role, but later joined the 6th Battalion South Wales Borderers, with whom, in November 1942, he was sent to India. Whilst recuperating from surgery at Wallace and Freda Aykroyd's home at Coonoor in the Nilgiri Hills during the summer of 1943, Lewis and Freda embarked on a brief but intensely passionate affair. Lewis's death, from a revolver shot to the head on the eve of the Burma campaign in March 1944, was stated at the time as being accidental, but is today generally considered to have been suicide.
Note
Language note: Letters to John Pikoulis from Ulrich Schaefer and letters to Ulrich Shaefer contain material in German and French (see under Letters to John Pikoulis from various correspondents).
Language note: Correspondence with Jean Gilbert includes material in French (see under Letters to John Pikoulis from friends and acquaintances of Alun Lewis).
Language note: General research material: One item in French.
Alternative identifier(s)
Alma system control number
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
- Pikoulis, John, 1941- (Subject)
- Lewis, Alun, 1915-1944 (Subject)
Genre access points
Description control area
Description identifier
Institution identifier
Rules and/or conventions used
Description follows ANW guidelines based on ISAD(G) 2nd ed.;AACR2; and LCSH
Status
Level of detail
Dates of creation revision deletion
May 2023.
Language(s)
- English
Script(s)
Sources
Archivist's note
Description compiled by Bethan Ifan, May 2023, utilising primary source material; John Pikoulis: Alun Lewis: A Life (1984); Alun Lewis: A Cypress Walk (ed. Freda Aykroyd) (2006); John Pikoulis: Alun, Gweno & Freda (2015); and online search engines.