Lewis Davies

Arthur Lewis Davies (26 January 1913 – 9 December 2011), the younger brother of Rhys Davies, was a Welsh librarian and philanthropist who in his later years established a foundation (the Rhys Davies Trust) devoted to the promotion of Welsh writing in English.

For the soldier, geologist, palaeontologist and author, see Lewis Merson Davies. For the Welsh writer and schoolmaster, see Lewis Davies (writer).

Early life

Davies was born in the coalmining village of Blaenclydach, near Tonypandy, to parents who operated a grocery store and were careful to educate all their six children to keep them from having to be employed in the coal mines. Like his more famous brother Rhys, he was a homosexual and for that reason decided against a career in the Anglican priesthood.[1]

Career

He studied at the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth, trained as a librarian and, in 1937, secured a position at the Daily Mirror which he held for ten years. He then went to Odhams Press and was promoted to chief librarian in 1952 — a position he held until his retirement from the succeeding company IPC Books in 1978.[1]

In 1990, he decided to use the proceeds of substantial bequests to help promote the literary reputation of his brother and other Anglo-Welsh writers.[1][2]

References
  1. Meic Stephens Lewis Davies: Philanthropist and librarian whose generosity benefited many Welsh writers Obituary in The Independent, 27 December 2011. Accessed 6 March 2012.
  2. The Rhys Davies Trust Archived 2014-03-02 at the Wayback Machine at Literature Wales


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