Remarkable life of Jan Morris explored through the eyes of her son

Mark Mansfield

The remarkable life of Welsh writer and journalist Jan Morris is to be explored through the eyes of her youngest son in a new two-part television series.

Poet and author Twm Morys retraces his mother’s life from the family home on the banks of the River Dwyfor to Venice and Trieste for S4C’s Chwedl Jan Morris.

The programmes explore the many different sides of Morris, from the journalist who reported the first successful ascent of Everest to the internationally renowned travel writer whose gender transition made headlines around the world.

They also examine the more private Jan Morris – as a parent, friend and neighbour – through Morys’s memories and those of people who knew her.

Reflecting on what it was like growing up with Morris as a parent, he said: “What is it like to be the son of someone like Jan? In my experience, it was like being the son of some legendary character.”

He added: “When my father was a boy, his name was Jim. Then when Jim became a man and went into the army, James. Then after becoming a woman, Jan.

“But how many Jans are there? Jan of the British Empire; Jan of LGBT history; Jan of Wales.”

Born in Somerset in 1926 to a Welsh father and English mother, Morris began her career as a journalist and served in the British Army during the closing stages of the Second World War.

As a correspondent for The Times, she accompanied the 1953 British expedition to Mount Everest and broke the news that Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay had reached its summit.

Morris went on to become one of the most celebrated travel writers of her generation, producing dozens of books during a career spanning more than seven decades.

Her gender transition became public with the publication of her memoir Conundrum in 1974.

Deep connection

Although born and raised in England, Morris developed a deep connection with Wales and made her home near Llanystumdwy in Gwynedd with her lifelong partner Elizabeth.

That relationship with Wales is at the heart of the new series, which explores how the country became increasingly central to Morris’s identity, writing and outlook.

Morris died in 2020 at the age of 94.

The programmes feature contributions from friends, writers, academics and others who knew her, examining both her international reputation and her life at home.

Poet and writer Gwyneth Glyn, Morys’s partner, recalled the experience of spending time in Morris’s company.

She said: “The conversation was like this place [their home]. You have a picture of Garndolbenmaen and Manhattan side by side, and the conversation itself was just as entertaining.

“Many people talk about how remarkable Jan was, but for me the extraordinary thing was that Jan herself was full of wonder at the world.

“She could find wonder in the most ordinary things, and that was what made her such a prolific writer and such wonderful company.”

Chwedl Jan Morris will be broadcast on S4C on Sunday at 8pm.

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