"Letters from Georg Julius Justus Sauerwein ('Girénas', 1831-1904)"

Name of traveller

Georg Julius Justus Sauerwein, pseud. "Girénas" (1832-1904)

Reason for travel

• cultural tourism; attendance of the Abergavenny Eisteddfod
• convalescence

Date of travel

1853-56, various visits until 1895

Now, I happened, in these days, to be so vividly transported to “Sir Fynwy” to the fair valley of the Usk and to the blue mountains of Monmouthshire. My pleasantest stays there, it is true, were always in the autumns. (Sauerwein L9391)

Content

• customs:
  • attends the Abergavenny Eisteddfod in 1853
  • compares the Abergavenny Eisteddfod with the "round table"
• language:
  • champions the Welsh language and recognises dominance of English-language culture
  • writes englyn in memory of Ab Ithel
• people:
  • some letters presumably addressed to Betha Hills-Jones (b. 1834)
  • memories of Augusta Hall (1802-1896), and their increasingly difficult relation in later years, particularly their last meeting in 1895
  • fond memories of meeting Ab Ithel (John Williams) (1811-1862)
• recreation: 1895 visit to Wales based on reccommendation by his physician
• landscape: romanticised descriptions of rural Monmouthshire landscapes

Nationality of traveller

German

Language of publication

English; Welsh

Gender of traveller

Male

Type of publication

letter

Citation

Sauerwein, Georg. "Letters from Georg Julius Justus Sauerwein ('Girénas', 1831-1904)." Sauerwein, 1858-1904. 1894-1903. L 9354-9398. 1858-1904. Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru / National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth. MS.