George Alexander Graber first came to Wales when he was sent to Anglesey to convalesce after being wounded in World War II. Under his pen name of Alexander Cordell he would become perhaps the most famous adoptive Welshman of his time.

Set at Blaenavon in the heart of the old south Wales coalfield, Rape of the Fair Country tells the story of the Mortymer family and its struggles against poverty and injustice.

Along with The Hosts of Rebecca and Song of the Earth it is part of a series of Cordell novels that portray the turbulent history of early industrial Wales as vividly as any writer has achieved. Faithful to historical fact, he presents events like the birth of trade unionism and rise of the Chartists in a highly readable and frequently entertaining style. .

Cordell had the gifts of a true storyteller and all his best works possess that elusive ‘unputdownable’ quality. He knew how to keep the action moving - balancing moments of high drama and tragedy with passages of levity and wit where required.

While some of his prolific output is set in other countries, it is the Welsh books that have best stood the test of time and most enthralled his many fans.

Something of a nomad at heart, he left Wales for spells in Hong Kong and the Isle of Man. Yet something kept him coming back. He settled at various times in Abergavenny, Chepstow, Milford Haven and Wrexham.

It was while walking near the Horseshoe Pass in Denbighshire that he collapsed and died, surrounded by just the kind of dramatic Welsh landscape which had provided so much inspiration during his life.

Rape of the Fair Country has been translated into 30 languages. Its success has also helped to put Blaenavon on the cultural map. Its fascinating collection of period industrial buildings was awarded UNESCO World Heritage status in 2000. It is now also home to the Cordell Museum.