A Welsh edition of J.R.R Tolkien’s The Hobbit has been unveiled. The new classic fantasy novel, titled Yr Hobyd, includes the author’s original illustrations and new Welsh versions of the two maps feature in the original novel.
The Hobbit was published back in 1937 and became one of the most popular and most translated books in the twentieth century. The prelude for the Lord of the Rings franchise has been translated in dozens of languages, including in Irish and Scottish Gaelic. This year will be the first time it has been translated into Welsh. You can find out more about the book here.
The novel has been translated into the Welsh language by Adam Pearce, the owner of the publishing company Melin Bapur. The book has been prepared in accordance with J.R.R. Tolkien’s own instructions for translators of his work and officially licenced by the Tolkien Estate.
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Although the novel follows the exact same tale as the one in the original books, some names have been changed. According to the translator, Pearce followed J.R.R. Tolkien’s guide, the Guide to the Names in the Lord of the Rings, which give explicit instructions on how to translate different terms from the Lord of the Rings world.
There is now a Welsh version of J.R.R Tolkien’s famous book The Hobbit -Credit:2022 Bill Tompkins/Getty
Yr Hobyd follows the story of Bilbo Baglan, who is a hobyd that enjoys a comfortable, unambitious life. He rarely travels further than the pantry of his hobyd-hole in Pen-y-Bag. But his life quickly changes when a wizard called Gandalff, alongside 13 dwarves, come knocking on his door.
Bilbo is whisked away on a journey ‘there and back again’. They have a plot to raid the treasure hoard of Smawg, which is a large and very dangerous dragon. As many Lord of the Rings fan will know, Tolkien was heavily influenced by the Welsh language and culture in his work, for example, the Elvish language Sindarin is based on Welsh phonology and grammar, while The Shire is a nostalgic depiction of rural Wales.
The front cover of the new edition of the Hobbit in Welsh -Credit:Melin Bapur
Speaking with Nation.Cymru, translator Adam Pearce said: “I started working on this translation back during the Covid-19 Pandemic, and it’s fantastic to be able to finally bring this project to the public! Not much for adults is translated into Welsh because our native publishing industry is so strong and active, but translations of books they already know can be a great way to encourage people who wouldn’t otherwise read in Welsh to give it a go, as well as being absolutely invaluable to those learning the language. I actually began this translation long before establishing Melin Bapur, but this is exactly the sort of thing we wanted to do when establishing ourselves as a publisher.”