Fonds GB 0210 RICLYN - Richard Llewellyn papers

Richard Dafydd Vivian Llewellyn Lloyd (Richard Llewellyn, 1906-1983), novelist, was born in London, England, although he claimed throughout his life that he was born in St David's, Pembrokeshire. His parents were William Llewellyn Lloyd (d. 1942) of Tongwynlais, a restaurant manager, and Sarah Anne Lloyd (née Thomas) of St David's. He worked as a dishwasher at Claridges in London and as a waiter in Italy, before joining the army in 1924, serving in India and Hong Kong for six years. On his return to Britain, he held various jobs, including work as a director, playwright, and miner in South Wales. In 1939 his first novel, How Green Was My Valley, was published, and later made into a film. The novel was a huge success and made Llewellyn world-famous. During the Second World War he served as a captain with the Welsh Guards in Italy. He subsequently returned to writing, including work as a reporter during the Nuremberg Trials, and as a screenwriter for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in the United States. He spent much of his time thereafter travelling abroad, living in various places including Patagonia, Buenos Aires, Brazil, Kenya and Israel, which he used as inspiration for his work. He wrote over twenty novels between 1939 and 1982, as well as children's books, short stories and plays, though none was as successful as his first novel.
He married Nona Theresa Sonsteby in 1952, divorcing in 1968. On 29 March 1974 he married Susan Heimann (1940-2021) of New York. The couple settled in Dublin, where he died of a heart attack on 30 November 1983.