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Fflur Dafydd (born 1 August 1978) is a Welsh novelist, singer-songwriter and musician. Though mainly publishing inWelsh, she also writes in English. She contributes regularly in Welsh toRadio Cymru.^[1]

Dafydd is the daughter of Welsh poetMenna Elfyn and a cousin of BBC broadcasterBethan Elfyn. She grew up inLlandysul, a Welsh-speaking community, and although she received the majority of her education in Welsh, she chose to study English in higher education. She graduated in English fromAberystwyth University. While she was there she first came to prominence as a student in 1999, by winning the Literature Medal at theUrddNational Eisteddfod atLampeter. This success led to the publication ofY Gwir Am Gelwydd (The Truth About Lies), a collection of 12 poems and five short stories.

After graduating from Aberystwyth, she gained an MA in creative writing from theUniversity of East Anglia in 2000,^[2] followed by a PhD on the poetry ofR. S. Thomas fromBangor University in 2001.

Dafydd has written for stage, screen and radio, and her wide repertoire includes short fiction, journalism, lecturing, songwriting, screenwriting, poetry, novels, plays and films.

She was nominated for a D.M. Davies award at the Cardiff International Film Festival for her short film "Bathtime" (2002).^[3]

In 2005 her first novelLliwiau Liw Nos (Colours by Night) was published and shortlisted for the Prose Medal. It was followed in 2006 by her second novelAtyniad (Attraction), which won the Prose Medal at theNational Eisteddfod inSwansea.^[4]

In 2005 she was selected for theScritture Giovani project for emerging European writers. She has also undertaken literary residencies in Helsinki (2006) and onBardsey Island (2002).^[5]

In 2008 she published her first English-language novel,Twenty Thousand Saints, inspired by six weeks as a writer-in-residence on Bardsey in 2002. On her choice of language, she said, "It started out as a translation of a Welsh-language novel, and after about a year or so, I decided that it really wasn't working – so I decided to start from scratch with a completely different story." This work won for her the Oxfam Hay Award.^[6][7]

In 2009 she won the Daniel Owen Memorial Prize for her novelY Llyfrgell (The Library).^[8] In the same year, she took part in theInternational Writing Program at the University of Iowa. The novel was adapted by Dafydd herself into a 2016 film, directed byEuros Lyn.

She publishes regularly in publications that includeNew Welsh Review,Welsh Writing in English Yearbook,Barn,Golwg andPlanet. For some years Dafydd has edited the periodicalTu Chwith. Dafydd was also a television columnist for theWestern Mail. She taught film theory and scriptwriting at theUniversity of Aberystwyth andTrinity College, Carmarthen. Her scriptwriting has included work on the popular S4Csoap operaPobol y Cwm.

Dafydd described her sound as "a fusion of blues, soul and pop".^[9]

She has released five albums to date:

• Pethau Rhyfedd (Strange Things) (2003) – released when she was part of the girl band Y Panics; she emerged as a solo artist in 2005, although she is supported by her regular band, Y Barf (The Beard), who, along with Dafydd on guitar and piano, comprised core members Rhys 'Y Barf' James (guitar), Iestyn Jones (bass), Jon Bradford Jones (drums) and Iwan 'Llangain' Evans (keyboard & sax).
• Coch am Weddill fy Oes (Red for the Rest of my Days) (2005) – her first release as a solo artist, it was recorded at the Millennium Centre in Cardiff
• Un Ffordd Mas (One Way Out) (2007) – her second solo album, under the name ofFflur Dafydd a'r Barf
• Byd Bach (Small World) (2009) – also released byFflur Dafydd a'r Barf
• Ffydd Gobaith Cariad (Faith Hope Love) (2012) – made no mention ofY Barf, although several of the musicians appearing on the album were members of the band

As a singer-songwriter Dafydd has performed in many countries, and has been performing regularly in literary and music festivals and events throughout Wales, including larger events such as the National Eisteddfod and theFaenol Festival.^[10]

• Official websiteArchived 8 September 2013 at theWayback Machine
• Fflur Dafydd atIMDb

• 1978 births
• Living people
• 20th-century Welsh poets
• 20th-century Welsh women writers
• 21st-century British screenwriters
• 21st-century Welsh women singers
• 21st-century Welsh novelists
• 21st-century Welsh poets
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• People from Ceredigion
• Academics of Aberystwyth University
• Alumni of Aberystwyth University
• Alumni of the University of East Anglia
• Alumni of Bangor University
• Welsh-language writers
• Welsh women novelists
• Welsh women poets
• Welsh-speaking musicians
• International Writing Program alumni
• Welsh magazine editors
• Welsh women editors
• British soap opera writers
• Women soap opera writers
• Welsh television writers
• British women screenwriters
• People associated with Trinity University College
• Welsh singer-songwriters
• British women television writers
• Welsh women academics

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