Many of you would have heard about the exciting project the National Library’s been cooperating with Tŷ Newydd Writers Centre – 26 Treasures.
Basically it was a challenge for writers and poets to compose 62 words to describe or inspired by 26 different collections in the Library’s vast vaults.
In time for St David’s Day on 1 March, there is now also an opportunity to buy a copy of the book of the 26 Treasures in what is the world’s first anthology of sestudes – the new literary form of 62 words devised especially for the projects. It will include contributions from similar projects that took place at the V&A, the Ulster Museum and the National Museum of Scotland and features sestudes from leading poets and writers such as Gillian Clarke, the national poet of Wales; Andrew Motion and Alexander McCall Smith.
Of course, being Welsh we’ve given our selves an extra linguistic challenge! The Wales section of the book features twenty six pieces of writing, 13 in Welsh and 13 in English, each inspired by a piece in the Library’s collection. Each sestude was translated into the other language, while keeping to the rule that the translation must also be exactly 62 words.
The Wales project was organised by writers collective 26, in collaboration with National Library of Wales, and Tŷ Newydd Writers’ Centre. Writers were paired at random with the objects – from a film of Lloyd George meeting Hitler to a self-portrait by Shani Rhys-James – and given six weeks to come up with their response.
The book features striking photographs of the objects and is being published through Unbound the crowd-sourced funding website for books.
If 26 Treasures receives enough funding via Unbound the book will become a reality, and those who pledged towards it will get their names printed in the back with additional perks are available for those who pledge more generously.
An ideal idea for our Patron Saint’s Day!
Nia Lewis