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Dwy ferch ar ddau gyfandir. Un lord ag awch am elw.
Two girls, two continents. One Lord, with a thirst for profit.
Rhybudd! Cynnwys aeddfed. Awgrym oed 15+
Warning! Mature content. Suggested aged 15+
ADOLYGIAD GAN
REVIEW BY
DR. GARETH EVANS-JONES
Haf 2018 oedd y tro cyntaf imi ymweld â Chastell Penrhyn. Am flynyddoedd, bues i braidd yn anfoddog mynd yno, oherwydd yr hanes a’r agwedd negyddol a oedd gan sawl un roeddwn yn eu nabod tuag at y lle. Ond ym mis Mehefin 2018, euthum yno er mwyn gweld yr arddangosfa ‘12 Stori’ gan Manon Steffan Ros. Fe’m swynwyd a’m hysgwyd i’r byw gan y llenyddiaeth a’r celf a grëwyd mewn ymateb i hanes y castell a’i berchnogion. Yn sicr, fe ddaeth â’r hanes yn fyw. A nodwedd arbennig arall am yr arddangosfa oedd iddi ysbrydoli un o nofelwyr pwysicaf Cymru heddiw i dyrchu ymhellach yn nhir annymunol hanes teulu Arglwydd Penrhyn, ymateb yn greadigol i’r hanes hwnnw, a chynhyrchu nofel newydd, sef Y Castell Siwgr. Heb os, dyma un o nofelau pwysicaf y Gymru gyfoes.
Dilyn straeon dwy ferch yn eu harddegau a wnawn, sef Dorcas ac Eboni, ond adroddir hanesion y ddwy ar wahân. Yn rhan gyntaf y nofel, dilynir bywyd Dorcas, merch o Ddolgellau, sy’n cael ei gorfodi gan amgylchiadau cymdeithasol i fynd i weini yng Nghastell Penrhyn. O gyrraedd yno, profa Dorcas amryw heriau, yn cynnwys gweithio oriau diddiwedd, gorfod cyfathrebu drwy gyfrwng y Saesneg, a bodoli mewn cyflwr isel iawn, ‘yn faw isa’r domen’. Llwydda Angharad Tomos i ddelweddu hanes Dorcas mewn modd cwbl gredadwy a chelfydd, sy’n ennyn cydymdeimlad y darllenydd o’r dechrau hyd at y frawddeg olaf. Cryfder mawr arall yw’r modd y delweddir natur ‘gaethiwus’ bod yn gyflogedig gan y teulu Penrhyn. Yn wir, mae’r agwedd hon ar ran gyntaf y nofel yn hynod ingol, a dwyseir hynny drwy symud at ail ran y gwaith, sef stori Eboni, caethferch ar blanhigfa teulu’r Penrhyn yn Jamaica.
Mae stori Eboni yn un ddirdynnol a theimladwy iawn. Mae’r byd y mae’n perthyn iddo, y profiadau annymunol a gaiff, a’r tro trawiadol yn ei hanes yn sicrhau bod ei stori yn un sy’n cydio’n llwyr yn y darllenydd, sy’n ei ysgwyd yn ddidrugaredd, ac sy’n ei orfodi i wir gydnabod yr agwedd afiach ar hanes dynoliaeth nad yw’n cael ei thrafod mor eang ag y dylai: hanes caethwasiaeth.
O gofio am y gwir anffodus fod hiliaeth yn fyw ac yn iach yn 2020, ac o gofio ein bod ni’n byw yn oes ymgyrchoedd #BywydauDuoBwys (#BlackLivesMatter), mae Y Castell Siwgr yn nofel eithriadol amserol. Yn ddiau, credaf y bydd y nofel hon yn lladmerydd arbennig a chwbl deilwng i hyrwyddo addysg ‘newydd’ am hiliaeth, caethwasiaeth, a chysylltiad y ddeubeth â’r Cymry. Dylai’r nofel gael ei darllen yn ofalus ac yn fanwl, a’i rhannu ymysg cynulleidfa eang iawn.
Heb os, dyma nofel gignoeth o gredadwy, sy’n llwyddo i adrodd stori hanesyddol sydd mor amserol ag erioed.
Summer 2018 was the first time I ever visited Penrhyn Castle. For years, I was reluctant to go there, because of its history and the fact that several people I knew did not like the place. However, in June 2018, I went there to see the '12 Stories' exhibition by Manon Steffan Ros. I was fascinated and shaken to the core by the art and literature created in response to the castle and its owner’s history. It certainly brought it alive. Another special thing about the exhibition was that it inspired one of Wales's most important novelists to dig further into the unpleasant family history of Lord Penrhyn, respond creatively to what she’d discovered, and produce a new novel, Y Castell Siwgr. This is undoubtedly one of contemporary Wales's most important novels.
We follow the stories of two teenage girls, Dorcas and Eboni, but the stories of the two are told separately. In the first part of the novel, the life of Dorcas, a girl from Dolgellau, is forced by social pressures to go and serve at Penrhyn Castle. On arrival there, Dorcas experiences various challenges, including working endless hours, having to communicate in English, and living in very poor conditions. Angharad Tomos succeeds in imaging the history of Dorcas in a completely credible and skilful manner, which engenders the reader's sympathy from beginning to end. Another great strength is the way in which the 'oppressive' nature of being employed by the Penrhyn family is portrayed. Indeed, this aspect of the first part of the novel is extremely poignant, and this continues into the second half of the novel which tells the story of Eboni, a slave on the Penrhyn family plantation in Jamaica.
Eboni's story is very emotional and moving. The world to which she belongs, the unpleasant experiences, and the striking turn in her story ensures this story completely captivates the reader. It shakes us and forces one to recognize humanity’s unpleasant past that is not as widely discussed as it should be: the history of slavery.
Given the unfortunate truth that racism is still with us in 2020, and that we live in the age of campaigns such as #BywydauDuoBwys (#BlackLivesMatter), Y Castell Siwgr is an extremely timely novel. Undoubtedly, I believe this novel will be a worthy champion to educate about racism, slavery, and their connection with the Welsh. The novel should be read carefully and in great detail, and shared among a very wide audience.
Undoubtedly, this is a credible and powerful novel, which succeeds in telling a historical story that’s as important as ever.