Parry-Williams' scepticism brought comparisons with the likes of Kafka

A festival in honour of the distinguished poet, essaysist and scholar Sir TH Parry-Williams runs from Friday to Sunday.

A series of events at the Macsen caf�, Caernarfon, has been organised by Arwel Jones, from Aberystwyth, and Glyn Roberts, from Ysbyty Ifan, near Llanrwst.

Mr Jones said: "The idea came to us when we chatting over a pint at the beginning of the year.

"We thought it would be a good idea to have a weekend to enjoy his work, a weekend that wasn't too academic and heavy."

On Friday Welsh actors Maureen Rhys and John Ogwen will perform some of Parry-Williams' best-known poems.

On Saturday crowned bards Emyr Lewis and Llion Jones will talk about the poet's influence on their work.

A musical evening will take place later in the bar.

On Sunday, to mark the poet's birthday, there will be a walk in nearby Rhyd Ddu - his birthplace and the inspiration for much of his work.

His contribution to Welsh literature was both unique and of great importance. Olwen Dafydd, Welsh Academi

TH Parry-Williams was born in 1887 and was educated at the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth, Jesus College, Oxford, the University of Freiburg , Germany, and the Sorbonne.

He twice won the chair and crown in the same year at the National Eisteddfod, in 1912 and 1915.

He is often described as the first Welsh-language modernist, not on account of his technique, but because of his sense of dichotomy and the absurd.

He died at his Aberystwyth home at the age of 87 in 1975.