News Archive

Triumphant evening at the Pontardawe Arts Centre 

Academi joined Pontardawe Arts Centre and friends to celebrate the 80th birthday of Stan Barstow last Saturday evening. A reception for guests was held in the lofty art gallery of the arts centre. Attendees such as the new National Poet of Wales Gillian Clarke and iconic 60s folk singer Mary Hopkin joined Stan for drinks and a lavish buffet spread. 

Proceedings then moved to the beautiful arts centre auditorium where Ifor Thomas spoke on behalf of the Academi Members Committee about the recent decision to invite Stan Barstow into Academi Fellowship. Ifor acknowledged the significant contribution Stan’s work has made to the generation of writers who followed him. Academi Chief Executive Peter Finch presented Stan with a bottle of Scotch single malt whiskey to mark his milestone birthday.  

Guests and members of the public were then treated to a fifteen minute address by Stan, in which he described the context of the 1962 motion picture adaptation of his groundbreaking novel A Kind of Loving (Michael Joseph, 1960). Directed by John Schlesinger, this film featured early performances from Alan Bates, Thora Hird and Leonard Rossiter and went on to be nominated for four BAFTAs in 1963. It won the Golden Berlin Bear award and has since been credited as archetypical of the ’New Wave’ of British films.

Following the screening, Stan held an informal question and answers session, after which he and his guests continued their celebration into the evening.

For more information on Stan Barstow and his literature, please visit his Writers of Wales entry by clicking on his name. For further information on Pontardawe Arts Centre and their future programme of events, please visit their website at www.npt.gov.uk/theatres.

To see more photographs from the occasion visit the Academi gallery by clicking here.