Welsh-language novels 'enjoying golden age' despite reported sales decline

Despite news this week that sales had fallen dramatically, the Welsh Books Council’s chief says that the sector is showing real growth

The head of the Welsh Books Council (WBC) has hailed a “golden age for the Welsh-language novel” despite reports of a dramatic decline in sales.

BBC Cymru Fyw reported earlier this week that sales of Welsh-language children’s books through the WBC’s distribution centre had fallen by 16% to 196,000 in the six years to 2017, while sales of Welsh-language books for adults were also down, by 18% to 118,000. These figures come a year after the Welsh government backed down over proposed cuts to the WBC after hundreds of authors, including Philip Pullman and Sarah Waters, said it would have a “significant and deleterious impact” on Welsh literature.

I live in England, and often people ask me, ‘Are books published in Welsh?’ I doubt they’d ask the same of Norwegian

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