Iris Gower
Iris Gower was a Welsh author born in 1939 in Mumbles, Swansea, where she spent her entire life. She wrote historical romance novels for thirty years, publishing around forty works that often featured spirited heroines overcoming adversity in richly detailed historical settings. Many of her stories are set in her native Swansea and the Gower region, reflecting the local history and industries, such as the copper mines and pottery. Gower's dedication to meticulous research enriched her storytelling, as seen in her novels like *Copper Kingdom* and *Firebird*, which explore the lives of people in different historical contexts. In addition to her writing, Gower was an engaging public speaker and educator, sharing her insights on romance writing and the creative process at various institutions, including Cardiff Castle. She held a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from Cardiff University and received an honorary fellowship from the University of Wales at Swansea in 1999. Gower's contributions to literature not only entertained readers but also provided informative glimpses into the history and culture of Wales.
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Subject Terms
Iris Gower
Writer
- Born: February 4, 1939
- Birthplace: Mumbles, Swansea, Wales
- Died: July 20, 2010
- Place of death: Swansea, Wales
Biography
Iris Gower was born in Mumbles, a district of Swansea (the gateway to Gower), Wales, in 1939. She remained in Mumbles and chose her Gower as her pseudonym because she spent her entire life in the region. She married Tudor Davies, and they had four children. After forty-eight years of marriage, she was widowed in 2002 when her husband died of a massive stroke. She wrote historical romance novels for thirty years and published about forty novels. In 1999 she received an honorary fellowship from the University of Wales at Swansea. She also held a M.A. in Creative Writing from Cardiff University. In addition to being an author, she was also a public speaker and lectured at Cardiff Castle, at Craig y Nos Castle, and at many colleges and universities.
She gave presentations on such topics as “How to Write a Romance” and “Writing for Pleasure and Profit.” In her talks, she shared her expertise with her audience and encouraged others to enter the writing profession. She also spoke about the process of preparing to write a novel, and she placed particular emphasis on the importance of meticulous research and of the role played by the unconscious. In her novels, Gower recounts the lives of the people of Ireland and Wales in historical settings. Many of her stories take place in Swansea or Gower. The novels center on spirited heroines who face disaster and hardship but who have the tenacity to triumph over their misfortunes.
Gower’s novels deal with a wide range of subjects and depict many local industries, such as the copper mines (portrayed in the 1983 novel Copper Kingdom) and the Swansea pottery industry (portrayed in 1997’s Firebird). In The Rowan Tree, published in 2003, she recounts the lives of the cattle herders of the 1800’s, who drove their cattle on foot from West Wales to the Smithfield Market in London. For this novel—and for all of her novels—Gower did extensive research and often visited the factories, mines, and facilities of the industries she portrayed. Gower’s historically accurate and well-researched settings make her novels entertaining, but they are also informative depictions of the history of the author’s land.