WILLIAMS IN 1985. PHOTO: MARK GERSON/NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY, LONDON

Williams addressing a crowd

photo: Raymond Williams Society

Williams in front of house

Western Mail and Echo copyright.

WILLIAMS IN 1985. PHOTO: MARK GERSON/NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY, LONDON

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Celebrating 100 Years

To mark the 2021 Centenary of Williams’ birth the Raymond Williams Foundation is proud to support a special programme of activities with the aim of reintroducing some of Williams’ key ideas to contemporary publics.

Through the development of a set of new, freely accessible, resources and by supporting collective dialogue about the contemporary relevance of Williams’ work the Centenary programme aims to foster a renewed public understanding of the ‘long revolution’ today.

The Raymond Williams Foundation supports what Williams termed the ‘Long Revolution’ towards ‘an educated and participating democracy’ through its involvement in adult education and collective community-based learning.

Raymond Williams Centenary ‘explainers’

Produced in a variety of formats the ‘explainers’ are a new, freely accessible, set of resources that introduce a variety of key concepts from Raymond Williams’ work to contemporary publics.

The explainers have been created by a range of people, from Wales, England, USA, Canada and Argentina, who share an interest in Raymond Williams and who responded to an open call for an RWF grant to take this work on. Working against the backdrop of Williams’ Centenary, the aim of the new explainers is to help renew interest in Williams’ work and promote and renew public discussion about its contemporary relevance.

Resources of Hope from the Archive

An Introduction to Raymond Williams

A podcast documentary by Phil O'Brien of the Raymond Williams Society, featuring archive material from the Williams family archive. Those interviewed include Stuart Hall, Richard Hoggart, Terry Eagleton, Raymond Williams, and Joy Williams.

Phil O'Brien

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One Immediate Huge Voice

Raymond Williams & Community

Sarah Lowndes reflects on the continued significance and relevance of Raymond Williams' idea of community.

Sarah Lowndes

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Politics of Modernism

Against the New Conformists

A discussion of Raymond Williams' posthumous work Politics of Modernism, investigating the relationship between the cultural traditions and cultural foundations of modernism, as well as the current possibilities for new, confrontational ways of life.

Radical Thoughts Podcast

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“To be truly radical is to make hope possible rather than despair convincing”

Raymond Williams

'What Raymond Williams means to me' series

This series of reflections captured on video and in writing, document recent interviews and exchanges with a variety of people who have been touched in different ways by Williams’ life and work. Produced as part of the Raymond Williams Foundation’s 2021 programme to mark Williams’ Centenary.

Terry Eagleton

Personal Memoir

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Celebrated for his creative writing as well as his theoretical and critical work, Professor Eagleton has kindly provided this heartfelt personal memoir as a contribution to the Raymond Williams centenary commemorations.

Professor Terry Eagleton is Distinguished Professor of English Literature within the Department of English and Creative Writing at Lancaster University. He obtained his PhD at Cambridge where he was a student of Raymond Williams, and went on to become the youngest Fellow of Jesus College since the eighteenth century, before moving to Wadham College, Oxford in 1968.

The Williams Family

Interview PARTS 1-9

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In this interview with Dr Sharon Clancy, the Williams Family share memories of their father Raymond Williams and their mother Joy, covering a range of subjects including, class, war, education, religion, Marx and the Lady Chatterley Trial.

This interview has been split into 9 parts for quick and easy access to specific areas of interest. Click the links below to access the different parts.

PART 1 - On their father Raymond Williams and their mother Joy click to watch

PART 2 - On his views on Marx click to watch

PART 3 - Lady Chatterly Trial and being a Fellow click to watch

PART 4 - Language skills & foreign students click to watch

PART 5 - War, Wales, education and religion click to watch

PART 6 - Their mother's family, the Korean war click to watch

PART 7 - His novels and his writings click to watch

PART 8 - Politics, Adult education, Miner's strike click to watch

PART 9 - Views on class click to watch

The Williams Family are Merryn, Ederyn and Madawc. (Ross - Merryn's daughter is there for information)