A torrent of dramas, adaptations and screenplays for broadcast have been neglected because of the ephemeral nature of the medium but, put together, they made her the foremost public storyteller from twentieth century Wales to the world. But the book’s deeper value lies in the way, through a fresh and revelatory approach, he foregrounds and champions Elaine as a writer for television of both originality and lasting distinction. “In this scintillating new biographical study, Daryl Leeworthy pays tribute to the life and work of Elaine Morgan as intellectual polymath and feminist icon. This richly detailed biography is essential in understanding the life and work of this important writer. She was an early campaigner for Welsh language education, and became a Western Mail columnist towards the end of her life, a commentator on Welsh affairs, both political and social. These books made her even more famous and more influential, and she spoke about them at conferences around the world.ĭespite her enormous international reputation Morgan was essentially a Valleys person and the book explores the importance of Welsh identity to her. Morgan spent forty years screenwriting before a radical move into anthropology and ethics, with Descent of Woman and The Aquatic Ape.

She is perhaps best known for her adaptation of How Green Was My Valley, and her original screenplay, Lloyd George.

She was truly a pioneer, on whose shoulders today’s female television writers stand. Morgan went from being among the very first women writers for radio and television to one of the pre-eminent screenplay writers in the UK. In this her career ran in parallel with fellow Rhondda author Gwyn Thomas, and Leeworthy traces their rise and the reasons behind it. This brought her to screenwriting and adaptations for tv, and in particular the BBC. The book details Morgan’s early career in (left-wing) adult education, her marriage to an International Brigade veteran, her continuing political engagement and her success as a writer of stories and journalism.

It outlines her early days living only just above the poverty line in the Rhondda in a Labour/Communist steeped family, before reading English Literature at Oxford. Published to celebrate Elaine Morgan’s centenary, this informative biography restores Morgan’s reputation and establishes her significant place in writing from Wales.

The descent of woman by elaine morgan