This book explores the representation of Wales and 'Welshness' in texts by French- (including Breton) and German-speaking travellers from 1780 to the present day. Since the emergence of the travel narrative as a popular source of information and entertainment in the mid-18th century, writing about Wales has often been embedded and hidden in accounts of travel to 'England'. This book locates and presents these largely forgotten texts and broadens perspectives to encompass European perceptions. Works uncovered for the first time include travelogues, private correspondences, travel diaries, articles and blogs which have Wales or Welsh culture as their focus. The 'travellers' analysed in this volume include those travelling for the purpose of leisure, scholarship or commerce as well as exiles and refugees. By focusing on Wales, a minoritized nation at the geographical periphery of Europe, the authors are able to problematize notions of hegemony and identity, relating to both the places encountered (the 'travellee' culture) and the places of origin (the travellers' cultures). This book thereby makes an original contribution to studies in travel writing and provides an important case study of a culture often minoritized in the field, but that nevertheless provides a telling illustration of the dynamics of intercultural relations and representation.

About the Author
Kathryn Jones is an Associate Professor of French at Swansea University. Carol Tully is a Professor of German and the Pro-Vice Chancellor at Bangor University. Heather Williams is a Research Fellow at the University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies.

Reviews
'This rich, readable book surveys almost 250 years of writing by European travellers to Wales, from private letters to conventionally published works to contemporary digital forms. It broaches a remarkable, original field of research, encompasses a wide historical, linguistic, and critical range, and presents an impressive array of materials previously invisible to scholarship.'
Mererid Puw Davies, Modern Language Review

'This is an innovative book that combines cross-cultural dialogue with the "tourist gaze" in order to explain the gap between fabricated expectations and real destinations. Drawing on a wide literature and on neglected - sometimes anonymous - texts in French, German and Breton that the authors took great effort to uncover and recover, Hidden Texts, Hidden Nation is a substantial book that should be enjoyed not only by cultural historians of the period in question, but also by students, university teaching staff, translators, specialists in travel literature as well as anyone interested in the topic.' Elena Butoescu, CompLit

Book Information
ISBN 9781789621433
Author Kathryn N Jones
Format Hardback
Page Count 304
Imprint Liverpool University Press
Publisher Liverpool University Press