Raymond Williams

Welsh scholar, author, and Marxist literary critic

Raymond Henry Williams (31 August 1921 – 26 January 1988) was a Welsh academic, novelist and critic.

Raymond Williams
Raymond Williams at Saffron Walden
Born
Raymond Henry Williams

31 August 1921
Died26 January 1988(1988-01-26) (aged 66)
Era20th-century philosophy
RegionWestern philosophy
SchoolWestern Marxism
Notable ideas
Cultural materialism

He was an important person in the New Left movement and in wider culture. His writings on politics, culture, the mass media and literature are a significant contribution to the Marxist critique of culture and the arts.

Some 750,000 copies of his books have sold in UK editions alone[1] and there are many translations available. His work laid the foundations for the field of cultural studies and the cultural materialist approach.

References

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  1. Politics and Letters: Interviews with New Left Review

Further reading

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  • Pinkney, Tony, editor. Raymond Williams. Bridgend, Mid Glamorgan, England: Seren Books, 1991.
  • Politics and Letters (London, New Left Books, 1979) gives the author's own account of his life and work
  • Smith, Dai. Raymond Williams: A Warrior's Tale. Cardigan: Parthian, 2008.
  • Stevenson, Nick. Culture, Ideology, and Socialism: Raymond Williams and E.P. Thompson. Aldershot, England: Avebury, 1995.
  • Tredell, Nicolas. Uncancelled Challenge: the work of Raymond Williams. Nottingham: Paupers' Press, 1990. ISBN 0-946650-16-0
  • Ward, J. P. Raymond Williams in the Writers of Wales series. University of Wales Press, 1981.
  • Williams, Daniel, editor. Who Speaks for Wales?: Nation, Culture, Identity, Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 2003.

Other websites

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