Lewis Jones
Lewis Jones (1897-1939) was a Welsh author and labor activist known for his impactful contributions to the labor movement and his vivid portrayals of life in the South Wales mining communities. Born to a single mother and raised by his grandmother, Jones began working in a coal mine at a young age. His commitment to the labor cause led him to become the chairman of his union lodge and later to study Marxism at the Central Labour College in London. He played a significant role in the general strike of 1926, which ultimately resulted in his lifelong blacklisting from the mines due to his outspoken nature.
Jones is best remembered for his novels *Cwmardy* and *We Live*, which authentically depict the struggles of miners and their families. *Cwmardy*, written during his union activities, illustrates the attempts of miners to unionize while reflecting on the beauty of their surroundings. Its sequel, *We Live*, addresses the harsh realities of the Great Depression and the emotional impact of unemployment. Critics have lauded these works for their sympathetic character portrayals and their examination of social issues, placing Jones alongside notable literary figures such as John Steinbeck. Despite being somewhat overlooked today, his novels remain significant contributions to the labor literature genre.
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Subject Terms
Lewis Jones
Writer
- Born: December 28, 1897
- Birthplace: Clydach Vale, Rhondda Valley, Wales
- Died: January 27, 1939
Biography
Lewis Jones was born out of wedlock on December 28, 1897, to Jane Jones, a domestic servant in the Rhondda Valley in Wales. He was raised by his grandmother until he was twelve years old and then was put to work in a coal mine. At age twenty-one, he married Elizabeth Mary, with whom he had two daughters.
In 1923, impressed by his work ethic and proficiency, Jones’s fellow miners elected him chairman of their union lodge and enrolled him in the Central Labour College in London. There, Jones studied Marxism and developed powerful oratory and organizing skills. After returning to work in the mines, Jones was a key figure in the general strike of 1926 and was jailed for seditious speeches. Although the defeated strikers reluctantly agreed to the demands of their employers, Jones refused to comply; as a result, he was blacklisted from the mines for life.
Jones continued his work on behalf of laborers, joining the Welsh Committee of the Communist Party and organizing for the National Unemployed Workers’ Movement. Elected on the Communist ticket to the Glamorgan County Council, he served there from 1937 to 1939. It was in this period that he wrote the novels for which he is best remembered. Both of these novels, Cwmardy and We Live, are regarded as highly authentic and sympathetic portrayals of life in the mining valleys of South Wales.
Cwmardy, set in 1910, was written at odd moments between Jones’s union activities. The novel tells the story of miners attempting to unionize but also describes the tranquility of the mountains around the little town of its setting, suggesting a lost preindustrial idyll. Early in the book, by showing the protagonist, Len, on a mountaintop overlooking the village, Jones hints at a poetic detachment on the part of this emerging leader who claims to belong to the people. The main story, however, shows Len’s development under the tutelage of his union leader and mentor, Ezra Jones. Len forms a bond with Ezra’s daughter Mary, and eventually assumes leadership of the union when Ezra dies. Conveying restrained anger, Cwmardy also tells the story of Len’s village as its citizens toil in the mines and are sometimes injured and describes their lot as they strike for safer working conditions.
The sequel to Cwmardy, We Live was unfinished at the time of Jones’s death at age forty-one from a heart attack on January 27, 1939. Its closing chapters were edited into final form by Jones’s publishers and a female friend of his. Critics have offered special praise for Jones’s portrayal of the loving relationship between Len’s father and mother. The novel follows Len’s family during the Great Depression, which radicalizes his parents and Ezra Jones’s daughter Mary. In this novel, anger toward the mine owners is far less restrained than in Cwmardy. It also provides an early acknowledgment of the crisis of masculinity created by mass unemployment in tradition-minded Welsh communities.
Though Jones’s memory is somewhat neglected, Cwmardy and We Live are considered outstanding examples of the labor novel. Told in vivid and concrete language, they are clearly sympathetic toward their subjects. Some critics have compared Jones’s novels to John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath (1939).