Perfect Blemish / Perffaith Nam

Menna Elfyn is one of the foremost Welsh-language writers. As well as being an award-winning poet, she has published plays, libretti and children's novels, and co-edited The Bloodaxe Book of Modern Welsh Poetry (2003) with John Rowlands. Her books include two bilingual selections, Eucalyptus: Detholiad o Gerddi / Selected Poems 1978-1994 (Gomer Press, 1995), and Perfect Blemish: New & Selected Poems / Perffaith Nam: Dau Ddetholiad & Cherddi Newydd 1995-2007 (Bloodaxe Books, 2007), a Welsh-only selection Merch Perygl: Cerddi 1976-2011 (Gomer Press, 2011), and her latest bilingual collections, Murmur (Bloodaxe Books, 2012), a Poetry Book Society Recommended Translation, and Bondo (Bloodaxe Books, 2017). Optimist Absoliwt: Cofiant Eluned Phillips, her biography of the poet Eluned Phillips, was published (in Welsh) by Gomer Press in 2016. When not travelling the world for readings and residencies, she lives in Carmarthen. She was Wales's National Children's Laureate in 2002, and was made President of Wales PEN Cyrmru in 2014. She was Creative Director in the School of Cultural Studies at the University of Wales, Trinity Saint David, until 2016.

Menna Elfyn is the best-known, most travelled and most translated of all Welsh-language poets. This bilingual edition of her later poetry includes work from Cell Angel (1996) and Blind Man's Kiss/Cusan Dyn Dall (2001), as well as the first English translations of Perffaith Nam (2005) and a selection of new poems.