J. O. Francis

Alyce von Rothkirch (Swansea University)

Ed. by Kirsti Bohata, Swansea University
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.2: Welsh Writing and Culture, 400-present.
Vol. editors: Kirsti Bohata (Swansea University), Nicholas Seager (University of Keele), Rita Singer (Aberystwyth University)

Dates

Born 7 Sep 1882
Died 1 Oct 1956
Activity 1910-1956

Places

Born in Wales
Active in Wales

Activities

Primary

Playwright / Dramatist

Resources

John Oswald Francis, usually known as J.O., was born in Merthyr Tydfil in 1882. His father David Francis was a blacksmith from Merthyr and his mother Dorothy had moved to Merthyr from West Wales. She spoke Welsh and J.O. may have spoken Welsh as a child, but, like so many of his generation, he lost whatever Welsh he might have had when he grew up, although he learnt Welsh in middle age. He was one of the first pupils at the new Intermediate School in Merthyr, which enabled him to go to the University of Wales College, Aberystwyth. During his time there he joined the Fabian Society, but then became a lifelong member of the Liberal Party. Francis graduated with a First in English in 1903, spent some time in France and then returned to …

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759 words

Citation: von Rothkirch, Alyce. "J. O. Francis". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 20 May 2011 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=12953, accessed 22 November 2024.]

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