Raymond Williams (1921-1988) was an academic and English-language novelist. The son of a railway worker, he lived in Y Pandy, Monmouthshire. During his childhood, radical changes spread through Europe with the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936 and the rise of fascism. He was a member of the Left Book Club, who were dedicated to the dissemination of political and socialist texts. In 1940, while studying at Trinity College, Cambridge, Williams joined the army.

Following the war, Williams continued his academic career, with an emphasis upon culture, the interaction between language, literature and society. Some of his most significant works are ‘The Country and the City’ (1973) and ‘Marxism and Literature’ (1977).

He wrote six novels, including Border Country, three plays and many short stories.

Having retired, Williams moved to Saffron Walden, where he worked on his last novel: an experimental historical novel entitled People of the Black Mountains. 

The Raymond Williams Society was established in 1989 to develop and discuss his work.