Archive > Elizabeth Morgan at the National Eisteddfod of Wales

Elizabeth Morgan was at the National Eisteddfod of Wales recently. ‘Being there was a great experience even though the weather was not at its best,’ recalls Liz. ‘The Eisteddfod is a fantastic piece of organisation, steeped in history and ritual, with artistic events and competitions for every possible taste and all to a high level of achievement, academic as well as performance. After just two days of hearing little else but Welsh, the language of my own childhood started to emerge from memory’s dusty recesses.’

‘A wonderfully vivid evocation’ – Nigel Jones, Daily Mail

Elizabeth was there to promote her book Ticket To Paradise, a historical novel based on the emigration of oppressed Welsh villagers to Patagonia, South America, 150 years ago. The novel, which was recently described by the Daily Mail as a ‘wonderfully vivid evocation of a massive movement of her compatriots to the other end of the world’, is a compelling read that is quickly gaining enthusiastic fans. Elizabeth has been giving talks all over Wales and further afield, describing the novel, performing excerpts, and explaining the extensive historical research she undertook in order to write it and bring this little-known story alive 150 years later.

‘An epic tale of a little-known episode in Welsh history . . . compellingly told, and excellently written.’  – Sir Derek Jacobi

The project has its genesis in Elizabeth’s own childhood. ‘It all started when a girl from Patagonia arrived at my grammar school in Rhyl when I was a first year student,’ she remembers. ‘Speaking only Welsh and Spanish, this new girl instantly became rather exotic, especially when she took all her O-levels in Welsh! Even so, no one mentioned the emigration, not even in sixth form Welsh History, and this omission was apparently not confined to my school. I’m a history freak so this subject had been bugging me for years. I had read as many historical accounts as I could find, mostly in translation. But it was a friend and master of the television documentary, Selwyn Roderick, who really focused my interest, and it slowly dawned that there wasn’t a full historical fiction about the emigration to South America.’

‘Elizabeth Morgan has unveiled a hidden epic of Welsh nationalism and human survival that – in a world once more filled with desperate people crossing the world in search of a safe haven – has more than a passing topical relevance.’ – Nigel Jones

At the Eisteddfod Elizabeth signed copies of the novel for established fans and curious newcomers. The trip was especially moving for her, she says. ‘The family has a long association with the Welsh Eisteddfodau so it was personally very poignant. My father was an Eisteddfod winner at age eleven and later became a concert violinist, his two brothers were also musical Wunderkind winners, and my grandfather was created a Druid for his work for the nation. It really was a proud moment to be signing books there.’ To purchase a copy of the book via AmazonUK, follow this link: Ticket To Paradise.