
First published in 1972, and now republished – and translated from Welsh to English – by the always excellent Parthian, The Last Day is a Welsh classic by Owain Owain that has only grown more pertinent with time. It’s a powerful piece of speculative and philosophical fiction, with shades of Orwell, Philip K. Dick and the superb Olga Ravn; all transmitted through an authentic Welsh lens, and dealing with themes such as free will, the powerlessness of the people versus the state, and the dangers of radicalisation.
Owain handles these heavy topics with a light touch, ensuring that The Last Day isn’t simply a polemic, but a story rooted in the reality of its working-class characters and their world. If the book has a weakness, it’s in the constraints of its epistolary form. While Owain handles the form skilfully, and the narrative momentum is nicely sustained, it does require moments of blatant exposition: the reader is kept in the loop by characters recapping events to each other in a way that feels decidedly unnatural.
That, though, is a minor quibble. As a whole, Owain Owain’s The Last Day transcends the confines of its form and should captivate a fresh generation of readers with this English translation.
The Last Day, Owain Owain (Parthian)
Price: £9. Info: here
words JOSHUA REES