Summary of All Things Betray Thee
Set in 1831 in South Wales, “All Things Betray Thee” tells the story of Alan Hugh Leigh, a travelling harpist who becomes embroiled in an industrial dispute between local ironworkers and the capitalist owners of the foundries and coalmines.
Reasons to read All Things Betray Thee
Written by the celebrated Welsh author Gwyn Thomas, “All Things Betray Thee” is a fictionalised retelling of the ‘Merthyr Rising’, a historic event in 1831 when industrial workers in Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales, rebelled against wage cuts. The British Army was eventually called in to restore order. This historical novel offers a good introduction to the social struggles of the Welsh working classes during the Industrial Revolution. Other notable works by Gwyn Thomas include “The Dark Philosophers” and “The Alone to the Alone”.
Setting: Merthyr Tydfil (Wales, UK)
The fictional town of Moonlea in the novel is inspired by the real-life Merthyr Tydfil.
Original title: All Things Betray Thee
Year of publication: 1949
Nr of pages: 350
