Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 1925-1978 (Creation)
Level of description
Fonds
Extent and medium
0.702 cubic metres (41 boxes)
Context area
Name of creator
Biographical history
Louis-Paul Nemo (Roparz Hemon, 1900-1978), Breton writer and scholar, was born in Brest, France, the second of six children. He trained as an English teacher, studying English and History at Leeds University. In 1922, Nemo began writing in Breton; his short story 'An Diouganer' was published in 1923, under the pseudonym Roparz Loeiz Hemon. Soon afterwards, he dropped the Loeiz and signed himself Roparz Hemon; this became his name within the Breton nationalist movement. He launched the literary journal Gwalarn with Olier Mordrel in 1925. During the Nazi Occupation, he was appointed Director of Radio-Rennes and the station began regular broadcasts in Breton. This ended with the Allied invasion of France in 1944, and the French government accused many Breton nationalists of collaboration with the Germans. Together with other Breton nationalists he was sentenced to ten years 'indignite nationale'. Under restrictions, he moved to Ireland, where he worked at the Dublin Institute of Advanced Studies. Despite a general amnesty, he decided to remain in Ireland. He published La Langue Bretonne et ses Combats (La Baule, 1947). Despite spending forty years in exile he was an influential figure in Breton cultural affairs and part of his campaign for oral literature was the increasing emphasis he placed on the theatre. From 1945 to 1971 he published seventeen plays. He attended the Celtic Congress in Bangor, Wales, in 1949, during which the Breton branch of the Celtic Congress was established. He died in 1978 and was buried in Brest.
Archival history
Roparz Hemon's papers were sorted and collected after his death by Ivona Martin.
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Donated by An Aotrou Per Denez and An Aotrou Bernard Le Nail, November 1985. Two items (nos 379 and 395) were donated separately in January 1986. Further groups were donated by Per Denez in August 1989, April 1991 and May 1992.
Content and structure area
Scope and content
Literary, research and personal papers of Louis P. Nemo (Roparz Hemon, 1900-1978), comprising personal and general correspondence, 1941, 1947-1978; manuscript and typescript drafts of novels and novellas, short stories, poetry and plays; drafts of articles by Roparz Hemon and collected by him as editor of Ar Bed Keltiek; research papers, including notes and transcripts of Breton literary texts; miscellaneous fragments of manuscript and typescript draft translations into English; personal papers, including papers collected by Roparz Hemon or submitted to him by other authors and scholars; notebooks relating to the Breton language, drafts of Breton dictionaries including Geriadur Istorel ar Brezhoneg, and drafts of articles on the Breton language; notes on other Celtic languages, including Irish, Welsh and Manx, and notes on Esperanto; papers relating to organisations of Breton or Celtic interest including Skourr Breizh ar C'hendalc'h Keltiek, the Breton Branch of the Celtic Congress; papers of other Bretons, including Francois Vallée (1860-1949) and Dr Louis Dujardin (1885-1969); and miscellaneous notes and papers, [1940s]-[1950s], chiefly relating to Breton and Irish, mainly in the hand of Anton Ar Roue, cook and gardener to Roparz Hemon.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
All records donated to the National Library of Wales have been retained.
Accruals
Accruals are not expected.
System of arrangement
Arranged into two groups: papers donated in 1985 and 1986; papers donated in 1989, 1991 and 1992.
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Numbers 1-32, 88-91, 394-396 will not be made available to readers until 2006 except with the written permission of Fanch Kerrein, Prezidant, Envor Roparz Hemon, and his successors (exemption S.40 Freedom of Information Act 2000). Numbers 400-410, 570, 571, 578-583 will not be made available to readers until 2012 except with the written permission of Fanch Kerrein, Prezidant, Envor Roparz Hemon, and his successors (exemption S.40 Freedom of Information Act 2000).
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 laws apply.
Language of material
- Breton
Script of material
Language and script notes
Breton, some French, English, Welsh, Irish, Cornish, Esperanto and Manx.
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Finding aids
Hard copies of the catalogues (Groups I and II) are available at the National Library of Wales.
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related units of description
Notes area
Note
Title based on contents of fonds.
Alternative identifier(s)
Virtua system control number
Project identifier
Access points
Place access points
Name access points
- Skour Breiz ar Chendalch Keltiek (Society) -- Records and correspondence. (Subject)
- Dujardin, Louis -- Archives (Subject)
- Hemon, Roparz -- Archives (Subject)
- Dujardin, Louis. (Subject)
- Roue, Anton Ar. (Subject)
- Vallée, F. (François), 1860-1949 (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
March 2003.
Language(s)
- English
Script(s)
Sources
The following sources were used for the preparation of the description: NLW, Schedule of Roparz Hemon Manuscripts; NLW, Schedule of Roparz Hemon Papers; National Library of Wales Journal, Vol. 32, no. 2 (2001); Sylvia Morgan, "Roparz Hemon and the Breton Cultural Movement in the twentieth century" (D.Phil Thesis, University of Oxford, 1979).
Archivist's note
Compiled by Seri Crawley for the ANW Project.