Wales

Wales: Epic Views of a Small Country by Jan Morris, 458 pages

Owen Glendower is a mere historical footnote, an upstart who, despite a few early successes, was ultimately defeated by the overwhelming power of England and hounded to an obscure death.  Owain Glyndwr, by contrast, is the last of the great Welsh rebels, a sacred king with a mystical, even magical, connection to the land itself, a national hero who, like Arthur before him, may not be dead at all, merely sleeping, awaiting the appropriate hour for his return.  They are, of course, the same person, and although such things are never so simple, it is mostly correct to say that Owen is that person as viewed through English eyes and Owain through Welsh, especially after the rise of 19th century Romantic nationalism.  It is the latter who is the Muse of Jan Morris' exploration of the past, present, and future of Wales, and that prism through which the whole is viewed.

This is both fitting and invigorating.  Fitting, because so much of Welsh history is as obscure as the exact circumstances of Glyndwr's death.  Invigorating, because the reenchantment thus effected brings to life the history, land, and people of Wales in a way a more dispassionate, sober analysis never could.  Of course, in the process the fantasy sometimes becomes difficult to disentangle from reality, but this, too, is true to life.