Description

This work draws inspiration from Alexander Cordell’s novels of Wales: ‘This Sweet and Bitter Earth’, centred on Toby Davies’ journey in the early 1900s, evolving from a young man into a coal worker in the Rhondda Valleys.

He shares the dangers and the underpaid lives of many and joins the bitter fight for their Workers Combination. His narrative intertwines with a love story with Bronwen who, with her young child, struggles alongside him, trying to survive the harsh living conditions, poor pay, poverty, mining strikes and police brutality.

“…Twisting sideways under the roof of coal, I thought of sunlight a thousand feet up, and Bron, her hair shining, pegging out the washing.”

Depicted in the contrasting landscapes, from the birds flying overhead and horses roaming freely – to the gloomy life of pit ponies and caged canaries, exploring the dualities and juxtapositions shaping each character’s environment.