Alison Bielski

Alison Bielski
Born	Alison Joy Prosser Template:Birth date Newport, Monmouthshire, Wales
Died	July 9, 2014(2014-07-09) (aged 88)
Occupation(s)	Poet, author
Known for	Poetry collections inspired by Welsh folklore; Flower Legends of Wales; Tales and Traditions of Tenby

Alison Joy Bielski (born Prosser, formerly Treverton-Jones; 24 November 1925 – 9 July 2014) was a distinguished Welsh poet and author. Her literary contributions include notable works such as Flower Legends of Wales and Tales and Traditions of Tenby. In addition to these, she authored several booklets focused on local history, including the 1974 publication Flower Legends of Wales, Tales and Traditions of Tenby released in 1981, and The Story of St Mellons from 1985. Between 1969 and 1974, Bielski served as the honorary joint secretary for the English-language division of Yr Academi Gymreig, the national writers’ association in Wales.

Early life and education

Romola House, Tenby

Romola House, Cob Lane

Blue plaque marking Bielski’s residence at Romola House

Born on 24 November 1925 in Newport, Monmouthshire, Wales, Bielski hailed from the Morris Prosser family, which had resided near Tintern Abbey, Monmouthshire since the 11th century.

She completed her education at Newport High School up to age sixteen. Following this, she pursued secretarial studies before taking on the role of private secretary to the press officer at the Bristol Aeroplane Company in 1945. Subsequently, she was employed within her family’s engineering enterprise. In 1948, she married Dennis Treverton-Jones; their union ended with his passing in 1950. They had one son named Ronald. Afterwards, Bielski accepted a position as welfare secretary with the British Red Cross in Cardiff. In 1955, she wed Anthony Bielski and embraced life as a "writer-housewife." The couple had one daughter, Helen.

Career

Alison Bielski's initial poetry publications appeared through small-scale presses. Her literary debut was marked by the release of Twentieth-Century Flood in 1964, published by Howard Sergeant under the Outposts imprint. Four years later, in 1968, she published Shapes and Colours with the Triskel Press based in Wales. Her first hardcover volume, Across the Burning Sand, was issued in 1970.

Throughout her career, Bielski’s style was often viewed as excessively "modern," "experimental," and "challenging," largely due to her deliberate limitation of punctuation and the exclusive use of lowercase letters in her compositions.

Her body of work encompasses numerous poetry collections, and she was a frequent contributor to literary magazines. Much of her inspiration stemmed from Welsh folklore and mythological themes. Bielski's poetry found audiences across India, the United Kingdom, the United States, and various European nations. Notably, her book The Story of the Welsh Dragon was selected by a committee led by Lord Snowdon to serve as an official commemorative item for the Investiture of the Prince of Wales in 1969.

Death

Alison Bielski passed away on 9 July 2014. Her cremation took place at Thornhill Crematorium in Cardiff on 24 July of the same year. She is survived by one son, one daughter, six grandchildren, and a great-grandson.

Bibliography

• Twentieth Century Flood (1964)
• Story of the Welsh Dragon (co-authored with Claude Page) (1969)
• Across the Burning Sand (1970)
• 20 Monogrampoems (1971)
• Flower Legends of Wales (1972)
• Zodiacpoems (with Peter Barnfield and Ginny Barnfield) (1973)
• Shapes and Colours (1973)
• Eve (1973)
• Mermaid Poems (1974)
• Flower Legends of the Wye Valley (1974)
• The Lovetree (1974)
• Mobiles (1979)
• Discovering Islands (1979)
• Seth: A Poem Sequence (1980)
• Tales and Traditions of Old Tenby (1981)
• Night Sequence (1981)
• Sacramental Sonnets: a Poem Cycle, 1982 (2003)
• Eagles (1983)
• Story of St. Mellons (1985)
• That Crimson Flame (1996)
• The Green-eyed Pool (1998)
• One of Our Skylarks (2010)