Siân Lewis

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Magwyd Siân yn Aberystwyth. Aeth i astudio Ffrangeg yng Nghaerdydd cyn dychwelyd i ardal Aberystwyth. Bu’n gweithio am gyfnod fel llyfrgellydd, ac yna i adran gylchgronau’r Urdd cyn mentro fel awdures ar ei liwt ei hun. Mae wedi ysgrifennu dros 250 o lyfrau i blant a phobl ifanc, yn Gymraeg a Saesneg, ac yn mwynhau cerdded a datrys posau yn ei hamser sbâr.

Dilyniant yw Mwy o Straeon y Mabinogi, ei llyfr diweddaraf, i gyfrol arobryn Gwobr Tir na n-Og 2016, Pedair Cainc y Mabinogi. Cynhwysir tair stori allweddol yn y llyfr hwn:

1. Y Tywysog a Merch y Cawr – Stori Culhwch ac Olwen;
2. Lludd a Llefelys;
3. Breuddwyd yr Ymherawdwr.

“Dyma greadigaeth swynol arall gan y tîm arobryn, yr awdures Siân Lewis a’r arlunydd Valériane Leblond.”

Llongyfarchiadau Siân ar gyhoeddi Mwy o Straeon y Mabinogi gyda Rily, a diolch am ateb rhai cwestiynau inni’n ddiweddar.

Rho ychydig o dy gefndir inni…

Dwi’n enedigol o Aberystwyth, ac yn dal i fyw yn yr ardal. Astudiais Ffrangeg yng Ngholeg Prifysgol Caerdydd, ac yna hyfforddi fel llyfrgellydd. Ar ôl gweithio am gyfnod mewn llyfrgell, a mwynhau, es i weithio i Adran Gylchgronau’r Urdd, pan oedd y plant yn fach. Roedd hynny’n hwyl hefyd. Ers hynny, dwi wedi gweithio’n llawrydd.

Pa ddylanwadau ac atgofion oedd yn sefyll allan yn dy blentyndod?

Roedd fy rhieni’n ddylanwad mawr arna i. Roedd y ddau’n hoffi darllen a sgrifennu, ac, amser gwely, roedden nhw’n creu storïau arbennig ar fy nghyfer. Roedd fy nhad yn creu stori antur lle ro’n i’n teithio’r byd bob nos. Yn storïau Mam roedd gen i enw oedd bron mor hir â’r stori – Siân Elisabeth Mair Yvonne Catherine Ann Jemima Jane Evans. Roedd yr enw’n hir am fy mod i wastad yn cwyno mai dim ond un enw go iawn oedd gen i, yn wahanol i ’mrawd a’m ffrindiau.

Fel person ifanc, pwy neu beth wnaeth ddylanwadu arnat?

Ro’n i’n hoff iawn o ddarllen, pan o’n i’n blentyn. Ro’n i’n byw drws nesa i’r ysgol bentref lle roedd fy nhad yn brifathro, a phob nos, pan oedd yr ysgol yn cael ei glanhau, roedd gen i’r llyfrgell i mi fy hun. Yn ogystal â llyfrau, ro’n i’n dwlu ar gomics ac yn derbyn sawl un, gan gynnwys Hwyl. Diwrnod braf oedd diwrnod casglu comics o’r siop.

Beth yw dy ddylanwadau nawr?

Erbyn hyn fy nheulu a’m cymuned sy’n dylanwadu fwyaf arna i.

Pryd ddest ti’n ymwybodol dy fod eisiau sgwennu, oedd unrhyw ffactorau arbennig wedi cael effaith?

Er ’mod i’n hoffi darllen, do’n i ddim wedi ystyried bod yn awdur. Yn hytrach, ro’n i’n breuddwydio am fod yn balerina, fel Margot Fonteyn, Anna Pavlova neu Alicia Markova, a welais yn dawnsio yn Llundain. Doedd y breuddwyd ddim yn debyg o ddod yn wir, ond fe lowciais lwyth o lyfrau am y bale, ac yn nhudalennau’r llyfrau hynny, fe ddawnsiais sawl gwaith yn Sadler’s Wells. Dechreuais sgrifennu yn y lle cynta, pan o’n i’n gweithio i Adran Gylchgronau’r Urdd. Ro’n i’n mwynhau creu storïau ar gyfer y cylchgronau, ac o fan’ny es i ’mlaen i sgrifennu llyfrau.

Dywed ychydig am Mwy o Straeon y Mabinogi, o ble ddaeth yr ysbrydoliaeth, a beth wyt ti’n gobeithio bydd darllenwyr yn gael o’r stori hon…

Mae’r llyfr dwi am gyflwyno yn cynnwys tair stori o’r Mabinogi. Nid fy storïau gwreiddiol i ydyn nhw, wrth gwrs, ond storïau sy’n perthyn i bob un ohonon ni. Mae’r storïau wedi’u trosglwyddo o un i’r llall dros y canrifoedd, a phawb yn eu hadrodd ac yn eu mwynhau yn eu ffordd eu hun. Roedd stori Culhwch ac Olwen yn ffefryn mawr gen i erioed, gan ei bod yn orlawn o gyffro, her, a chymeriadau hynod, yn bobl ac anifeiliaid. Des ar draws stori Macsen Wledig am y tro cyntaf mewn llyfr mawr glas yn nhŷ fy mam-gu. Roedd e’n orlawn o straeon o wahanol wledydd, yn Saesneg, ac yn eu plith roedd un stori o Gymru. Macsen Wledig! Dwi’n dal i gofio’r wefr.  A’r drydedd stori yw Lludd a Llefelys, gyda’r cymeriadau hynod hynny, sy, fel rhyw sbïwyr modern, yn gallu clywed pob gair sy’n cael ei ddweud. Unwaith eto mae Valériane Leblond wedi creu trysor o luniau lliwgar a chyffrous ar gyfer y gyfrol.

Beth yw dy hoff genres darllen, a pha lyfrau wyt yn darllen ar hyn o bryd?

Dwi’n darllen tipyn o bopeth, yn enwedig nofelau cyfoes. I ymlacio, dwi’n mwynhau  llyfrau ditectif. Y llyfr ditectif cynta ddarllenais i oedd Trysorau Hafod Aur gan Meirion Jones. Chwech oed o’n i ar y pryd, ac fe gododd dipyn o ofn arna i. Dwi’n dal i deimlo rhyw ias fach wrth feddwl amdano. Ond, ofn neu beidio, dwi’n dal i fwynhau.

Pa brofiadau o lyfrgelloedd sydd wedi dylanwadu arnot yn ystod dy fywyd?

Fy atgof cyntaf o lyfrgell yw fan lyfrau â mainc fach gyfforddus yn y cefn. Mae meddwl amdani’n dal i roi teimlad o gysur a phleser a chyffro. Yn naw oed des yn aelod o lyfrgell Aberystwyth. Roedd honno’n groesawgar, yn gyffrous, ac yn gysurus hefyd – ac mae’n dal i fod. Ac wrth gwrs, gan fy mod yn byw ger Aberystwyth, mae’r Llyfrgell Genedlaethol wrth law gyda’i stôr o wybodaeth.

Llyfrgell Aberystwyth / Philip Halling

Pa awgrymiadau sydd gyda ti i annog plant a phobl ifanc i ddarllen mwy er pleser?

Mae cyrlio mewn cadair â llyfr ar eich glin yn brofiad hollol wahanol i wylio stori ar sgrin. Sut un yw Harry Potter? Os ydych chi’n wedi gwylio’r ffilmiau, byddwch yn meddwl yn syth am Daniel Radcliffe. Ond, gyda llyfr ar eich glin, chi sy’n penderfynu sut un yw e. Chi yw’r cyfarwyddwr. Chi sy’n dod i nabod y cymeriadau yn eich ffordd eich hun ac yn creu ffilm yn eich dychymyg. Mae llyfrau’n llawn digwyddiadau a chymeriadau, sy’n disgwyl amdanoch. Dewch i’w nabod a dod â nhw’n fyw.

Diolch yn fawr Siân. Bydd Mwy o Straeon y Mabinogi yn cyhoeddi ym Mehefin gan Rily.

Athrawon a llyfrgellwyr, lawrlwythwch ein Taflen Dod i Adnabod yr Awdur a dysgwch hefyd am ein Hawduron y Mis  eraill yn ‘sgwennu’n y Gymraeg

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Siân grew up in Aberystwyth. She studied French in Cardiff before returning to the Aberystwyth area. She worked for a time as a librarian, and then for the Urdd magazine department before turning freelance. She has written over 250 books for children and young people in Welsh and English. She enjoys walking and solving puzzles in her spare time.

More Tales of the Mabinogi is the follow-up book to the 2016 Tir na n-Og award-winning title, Pedair Cainc y Mabinogi. Three key stories are featured in this book:

1. The Prince and the Giant’s Daughter – The Tale of Culhwch and Olwen;
2. Lludd and Llefelys;
3. The Emperor’s Dream.

“Created by the award-winning team of author Siân Lewis and illustrator Valériane Leblond.”

Many congratulations Siân on the publication of More Tales of the Mabinogi, and thank you for answering some questions for us recently.

Tell us a little about your background…

I was born in Aberystwyth and still live in the area. I studied French in Cardiff, then trained as a librarian. I spent two very enjoyable years as a librarian, before going to work part-time for the Urdd, in the Magazine Department, which was fun too. Since then I have worked freelance.

What influences and memories stand out from your childhood?

My parents were a great influence. They both liked reading and telling stories, in which I, of course, was the heroine. In my father’s stories I was an adventuress, who roamed the world. In my mother’s stories I was a heroine with a very long name – Siân Elisabeth Mair Yvonne Catherine Ann Jemima Jane Evans – chosen because I complained I only had one forename in real life, unlike my brother and friends.

As a young person, who or what influenced you?

I loved reading when I was child. We lived in a schoolhouse, right next to the village school where my father was headmaster. At the end of each day, when the cleaner was hard at work, I would sneak into the school and have a whole library of books for myself. I was also a big fan of comics. Collecting a comic from the shop was always a big thrill. Several used to arrive in our house each week, and my brother and I swapped with friends.

What are your influences now?

At the present time my chief influences are my family and community.

When did you become aware of wanting to write, did any particular factors play a part?

Although I enjoyed reading, I never dreamt of becoming a writer. My dream was to be a ballerina like Margot Fonteyn, Anna Pavlova or Alicia Markova, the only one whom I actually saw on stage. The dream was never likely to come true, but I devoured a whole lot of books on ballet, and in the pages of those books, I danced many a time in Sadler’s Wells. I began to write when I was working for the Urdd. I enjoyed writing the occasional story and article for the magazines and from there, I went on to write books.

Tell us a little about More Tales of the Mabinogi, where did the inspiration come from, and what do you hope readers will take from the story…

The book which I’d like to introduce, is More Tales of the Mabinogi. I grew up on the magic of the Mabinogi. These are tales which have been handed down from generation to generation, and we are all free to make them our own. Culhwch and Olwen is a particular favourite of mine, with its blend of humour, adventure, and its amazing cast of characters, both human and animal. I first came across The Emperor’s Dream in a large blue book, which I’d discovered in my grandmother’s cupboard. It was full of folk tales from around the world, and there in their midst was this one tale from Wales. I still remember the thrill. And then there’s Lludd and Llefelys, with those mysterious creatures, who, long before bugging devices were invented, could hear every word that was said. Valériane Leblond has once again produced vibrant and exciting illustrations that light up the pages.

What are your favourite reading genres, and what books are you reading at the moment?

If I’ve been busy, I like to relax with a detective story. I read my first detective story at the age of six. It was an adult novel, called Trysorau Hafod Aur, and though I found it quite scary at the time, it sparked a love of the genre. I’ll read pretty much anything, but I have a particular liking for novels set in the present day.

What experiences of libraries have influenced you during your lifetime?

My first memory of a library – other than at school – is of a mobile library with a cosy bench at the back. Just thinking about it makes me feel happy and excited. At age nine, I became a member of Aberystwyth town library, which was also welcoming, full of excitement and promise. It still is, to this day. And of course, living near Aberystwyth, I’m spoilt for choice, because the National Library is also at hand with its wealth of books.

Llyfrgell Aberystwyth Library / Philip Halling

What suggestions do you have to encourage children and young people to read more for pleasure?

Curling up in a chair with a book on your lap is a very different experience from watching a film version. What’s Harry Potter like? The film will tell you he’s someone who looks like Daniel Radcliffe. With a book in your hand, you are the film-maker.  You decide. You help to create the characters and events in your head. They are part of you. There are many books out there, ready to engage and excite. Ready for you to bring them to life in your very own way. 

Thank you Siân. More Tales of the Mabinogi will be published in June by Rily Publications.

Teachers and librarians, download our Get to Know the Author flyer and find out more about other featured authors writing in Welsh.