Elin Meek

Ionawr 2, 2024

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Mae Elin Meek yn byw yn Abertawe, lle cafodd ei geni, er iddi gael ei magu yng Nghaerfyrddin. Ar ôl mynychu Ysgol y Dderwen ac Ysgol Ramadeg y Merched, aeth i Brifysgol Cymru, Aberystwyth i astudio Cymraeg ac Almaeneg. Treuliodd ddwy flynedd academiadd ym Mhrifysgol Freiburg. Hyfforddodd fel athrawes Ieithoedd Modern a Chymraeg ym Mhrifysgol Cymru, Caerdydd a bu’n dysgu mewn colegau trydyddol am gyfnod cyn treulio deng mlynedd yn Adran y Gymraeg, Coleg y Drindod, Caerfyrddin. Gadawodd i weithio’n llawrydd fel cyfieithydd ac addasydd yn 2001 ac mae hi’n awdur rhai llyfrau i blant ac i oedolion sy’n dysgu Cymraeg hefyd.

Enillodd y llyfr Cymru ar y Map, ar y cyd â Valériane le Blond yr arlunydd Wobr Tir Na N-og yn 2019.

Byd y Gymraeg yw ei llyfr diweddaraf i’w gyhoeddi gyda Gwasg Rily– byd sy’n llawn geiriau, lliw, bywyd a chalon. Dewch ar daith i ganfod trysorau’r Gymraeg, o ystyr enwau lleoedd, i idiomau a diarhebion. Cewch grwydro maes yr Eisteddfod a dysgu am draddodiadau, taclo treigladau a phobi bara brith! Dyma lyfr godidog i blant ac oedolion i gael dysgu am Gymru a’r Gymraeg, a’i chyfraniad pwysig i’n byd.

Llongyfarchiadau Elin ar gyhoeddi Byd y Gymraeg gyda Rily! Rho ychydig o dy gefndir inni – magwraeth, addysg…

Ces fy magu yn Llangynnwr, ger Caerfyrddin ac es i Ysgol y Dderwen ac Ysgol Ramadeg y Merched (cyn dyddiau Ysgol Bro Myrddin). Symud wedyn i Brifysgol Aberystwyth i astudio Cymraeg ac Almaeneg am saith mlynedd i gyd, gan gynnwys dwy flynedd academaidd ym Mhrifysgol Freiburg. Gwnes gwrs ymarfer dysgu ym Mhrifysgol Caerdydd cyn dechrau fy ngyrfa fel athrawes Almaeneg. Ro’n i’n ddarlithydd yn Adran y Gymraeg yng Ngholeg y Drindod, Caerfyrddin am ddegawd cyn gadael i weithio’n llawrydd.

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

Ro’n i’n edrych ymlaen at dreulio wythnosau ar fferm fy mam-gu a’m tad-cu yng Ngheredigion bob haf er mwyn bod gyda’r cŵn: cŵn defaid a chorgwn. Roedd fy mam-gu arall yn byw yn Aberaeron ac mae atgofion hyfryd o aros gyda hi, mynd i’r traeth a chael hufen iâ mêl.

Fel person ifanc, pwy neu beth wnaeth ddylanwadu arnat? Miwsig, enwogion, rhaglenni teledu, llyfrau, cylchgronau, pobl yn dy fywyd bob dydd…

Ro’n i’n canu tipyn ac yn cael gwersi canu. Roedd Mrs Griff Williams, fy athrawes ganu, yn ddylanwad mawr gan ei bod hi’n gymeriad caredig a chryf. Byddwn i’n cystadlu mewn eisteddfodau lleol bron bob dydd Sadwrn yn ystod y gwanwyn a’r haf, felly, heb yn wybod bron, dysgais lawer o’r caneuon clasurol a gwerin, a’r cerddi yr oedd y cystadleuwyr eraill yn eu perfformio.

Byddwn i’n mwynhau ymgolli mewn llyfrau. Doedd dim cymaint o lyfrau Cymraeg ag sydd nawr; roedd T Llew Jones yn awdur dylanwadol. Yn Saesneg bues i’n darllen llawer o lyfrau Enid Blyton, yna nofelau trosedd Agatha Christie a Dorothy L. Sayers am gyfnod hefyd.

Roedd Arwel John, ein hathro yn Ysgol y Dderwen yn ddylanwad gan iddo ein cyflwyno ni i hanesion a chwedlau Sir Gâr, ac i farddoniaeth wych hefyd. Un o’r ‘gwersi’ cyson oedd dysgu englyn ar y cof.

Daeth pâr ifanc o’r Swistir i aros gyda ni pan o’n i tua saith neu wyth oed, a dechreuais fod â diddordeb mewn ieithoedd eraill o’u clywed yn siarad â’i gilydd yn Almaeneg.

Roedd tipyn o fwrlwm yn y ‘sin roc’ yng Nghymru pan o’n i yn fy arddegau ac ro’n i’n hoffi gwrando ar grwpiau fel Edward H Dafis a Hergest.

Beth yw dy ddylanwadau nawr?

Rwy’n hoff o wrando ar bodlediadau o bob math ar BBC Sounds ac yn ceisio dod i wybod rhagor am wyddoniaeth. Rwy’n mynd i wersi cynganeddu y Prifardd Robat Powell ac yn dysgu rhywbeth bob tro. Dechreuais ddysgu Sbaeneg rai blynyddoedd yn ôl ac rwy’n ceisio darllen Sbaeneg ac Almaeneg a gwylio newyddion Sbaen a’r Almaen yn gyson. Mae mor hawdd gwneud hynny nawr gyda’r Rhyngrwyd.

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

Ro’n i bob amser yn mwynhau ysgrifennu yn yr ysgol. Ces gyfle i addasu rhai o nofelau Jean Ure i’r Gymraeg pan o’n i’n fyfyriwr ac yna, tua ugain mlynedd yn ôl, dechreuais addasu llyfrau plant i Wasg Gomer, a chael cynnig i wneud gwaith gwreiddiol hefyd.

Dwi wedi ysgrifennu llyfrau i ddysgwyr dros y blynyddoedd ac mae Gwasg y Lolfa wedi bod yn gefnogol iawn o ran hynny.

Gofynnwyd i mi a fyddwn i’n hoffi cyfieithu Charlie and the Chocolate Factory i wasg Rily ac yn wedyn cyfieithais holl nofelau Roald Dahl i blant dros y blynyddoedd nesaf. Dwi wedi ysgrifennu rhai llyfrau gwreiddiol iddyn nhw, gan gynnwys Cymru ar y Map, ar y cyd â Valériane Leblond, yr arlunydd.

Dywed ychydig am Byd y Gymraeg, o ble ddaeth yr ysbrydoliaeth?

Syniad Lynda Tunniclife o Rily oedd Byd y Gymraeg yn wreiddiol, er mwyn cyflwyno cyfoeth y Gymraeg a’r diwylliant i blant a dysgwyr y Gymraeg. Es i a Catrin Wyn Lewis, y golygydd, ati i drafod syniadau a chydweithio wedyn â Valériane Leblond yr arlunydd a fu’n creu lluniau rhyfeddol. Mae gwaith gwych Tanwen Haf, y dylunydd, wedi bod yn allweddol i lwyddiant y llyfr. Felly gwaith tîm yw’r llyfr, fel pob llyfr arall.

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

Dwi’n aelod o glwb darllen yn Nhŷ Tawe, Abertawe, felly dwi’n darllen amrywiaeth o lyfrau Cymraeg o fis i fis. Darllen hamdden yn Saesneg ac Almaeneg – nofelau trosedd, yn enwedig cyfresi ditectifs penodol ac ambell un sy’n cyrraedd rhestri byr gwobrau mawr. Dwi’n hoffi nofelau hanesyddol yn Sbaeneg er mwyn dod i wybod rhagor am hanes Sbaen.

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

Mae llyfrgelloedd wedi bod yn ddylanwad enfawr. Dwi’n cofio mynd i lyfrgell Caerfyrddin, benthyg pentwr o lyfrau a mwynhau eu darllen. Yn fy arddegau ro’n i’n benthyg tapiau o gerddoriaeth glasurol o’r llyfrgell.

Wrth astudio, ro’n i’n mwynhau treulio amser yn y llyfrgell, er nad o’n i’n gweithio drwy’r amser, o bell ffordd!

Llyfrgell Sgeti yw fy llyfrgell leol nawr a dwi’n benthyg llyfrau ffeithiol fel arfer. Mae grŵp bach ohonon ni’n cwrdd yno i sgwrsio a gwau bob wythnos.

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

Does dim angen deall pob gair, yn enwedig os wyt ti’n darllen yn dy ail neu drydedd iaith.

Os nad wyt ti’n hoffi darllen storïau, cofia am lyfrau ffeithiol hefyd. Chwilia am lyfrau am bynciau rwyt ti’n eu hoffi.

Os wyt ti wedi mwynhau gwaith un awdur, chwilia am ragor o lyfrau ganddo/ganddi.

Defnyddia dy lyfrgell leol a phaid ag ofni gofyn i lyfrgellydd am gyngor.

Rho ddyfyniad sydd wrth wraidd dy fywyd di …

Mae pethau gorau bywyd am ddim, gan gynnwys llyfrgelloedd!

Cyhoeddwyd Byd y Gymraeg ym Medi 2023 gan Rily.

Darllenwch ein Taflen Dod i Adnabod yr Awdur ac am ein Hawduron y Mis eraill yn ‘sgwennu’n y Gymraeg

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Elin Meek lives in Swansea, where she was born, although she was brought up in Carmarthen. After attending Ysgol y Derwen and Queen Elizabeth Grammar School for Girls, she went to the University of Wales, Aberystwyth where she studied German and Welsh, spending two academic years in Freiburg. She trained as a Modern Languages and Welsh teacher at the University of Wales, Cardiff and taught in tertiary colleges for a while before spending ten years in the Department of Welsh, Trinity College, Carmarthen. She left to work freelance as a translator and adapter in 2001 and she has authored some books for children and adult Welsh learners as well.

The book Cymru ar y Map, which is also available in English, Wales on the Map, in collaboration with the artist Valériane le Blond, won the Tir Na N-og Prize for best children’s book in Welsh in 2019.

Her latest publication with Rily is World of Welsh – a world full of words, colour, vibrancy and heart. Come on a journey to discover the treasures of the Welsh language, from the meaning of place names to idioms and proverbs. Explore the Eisteddfod field, learn about traditions, tackle mutations, and bake bara brith! A magnificent book for children and adults to learn about Wales and the Welsh language.

Congratulations Elin on publishing World of Welsh with Rily! Tell us a little about your background – upbringing, education…

I was brought up in Llangynnwr, near Carmarthen, and I went to Ysgol y Dderwen and the Girls’ Grammar (before the days of Ysgol Bro Myrddin). Then I moved to Aberystwyth University to study Welsh and German for seven years, including two academic years at Freiburg University. I trained as a teacher at Cardiff University before starting my career as a German teacher. I was a lecturer in the Department of Welsh at Trinity College, Carmarthen for a decade before leaving to do freelance work.

What influences and memories stand out from your childhood?

I used to look forward to spending weeks on my grandparents’ farm in Ceredigion every summer so I could be with the dogs: sheepdogs and corgis. My other grandmother lived in Aberaeron and I have lovely memories of staying with her, going to the beach and having honey ice cream.

As a young person, who or what influenced you? Music, celebrities, TV programmes, books, magazines, people in your everyday life…

I sang quite a bit and had singing lessons. Mrs Griff Williams, my singing teacher, was a great influence as she was a kind and strong character. I used to compete in local eisteddfodau nearly every Saturday during spring and summer, so almost unbeknownst to me, I also learnt many of the classical and songs, and the poems that the other competitors performed.

I used to lose myself in books. There weren’t as many Welsh books as there are now, but T. Llew Jones was an influential author. In English I read a lot of Enid Blyton’s books, then crime novels by Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers for a while as well.

Arwel John, our teacher in Ysgol y Dderwen, introduced us to the history and legends of Carmarthenshire, and to great poetry as well. One of the regular ‘lessons’ was learning an englyn (a poem in cynghanedd) by heart.

A young couple from Switzerland came to stay with us when I was about seven or eight years old and hearing them speaking together in German made me interested in other languages.

The Welsh rock scene was vibrant when I was in my teens and I liked listening to groups such as Edward H Dafis and Hergest.

What are your influences now?

I like listening to podcasts of all kinds on BBC Sounds and am trying to get to know more about science. I attend Robat Powell’s classes on cynghanedd (he’s a chair-winning poet) and I learn something every time. I started learning Spanish some years ago and I regularly try to read Spanish and German and watch the news from Spain and Germany. It’s so easy to do so now with the Internet.

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

I always enjoyed writing in school. I was given an opportunity to adapt a few novels by Jean Ure into Welsh when I was a student and then, about twenty years ago, I started adapting children’s books into Welsh for Gomer Press and was then offered original work as well.

I have written books for learners of Welsh over the years, and Gwasg y Lolfa has been very supportive in that respect.

I was asked whether I would like to translate Charlie and the Chocolate Factory for Rily press and I subsequently translated all of Roald Dahl’s novels for children over the next few years. I have authored some books for them, including Wales on the Map, along with the artist, Valériane Leblond.

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

World of Welsh was Lynda Tunniclife from Rily’s idea originally, to introduce the wealth of Welsh language and culture to the children of Wales and learners of Welsh. I set about discussing ideas with the editor Catrin Wyn Lewis and then we worked with the artist, Valériane Leblond, who created wonderful pictures. The excellent work of the designer Tanwen Haf has been crucial to the success of the book. It’s been teamwork, like all other books.

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

I’m a member of a Welsh reading club in Tŷ Tawe, Swansea, so I read a variety of Welsh books from month to month. My leisure reading in English and German usually involves crime novels, especially specific detective series and a few that are on short lists for important prizes. I like historical novels in Spanish so I can learn more about Spanish history.

What experiences of libraries have influenced you during your lifetime?

Libraries have been a huge influence. I remember going to Carmarthen library, borrowing a pile of books and enjoying reading them. During my teens, I used to borrow classical music tapes from the library.

When I studied, I always enjoyed spending time in the library, although I wasn’t working all the time, far from it!

Sketty Library is my local library now and I usually borrow non-fiction books. A small group of us meet up there weekly to chat and knit.

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

You don’t have to understand every word, especially if you’re reading in your second or third language.

If you don’t want to read stories, remember that there are non-fiction books as well, so look out for books on subjects you like.

If you have enjoyed reading one author’s work, look for more books by him or her.

Use your local library and don’t be afraid to ask a librarian for advice on books.

Give us a quote that is at the heart of your life…

The best things in life are free, including libraries!

World of Welsh was published in September by Rily.

Read our Get to Know the Author flyer and take a look at our previous Authors of the Month writing in English.