Dylan Marlais Thomas (27 October 1914 - 9 November 1953) was a Welsh poet.^[1][2] He is regarded by many as one of the 20th century's most influential poets. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... is the 300th day of the year (301st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1914 (MCMXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... For other places with the same name, see Swansea (disambiguation). ... This article is about the country. ... is the 313th day of the year (314th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... January 7 - President Harry S. Truman announces the United States has developed a hydrogen bomb. ... The Washington Square Arch Greenwich Village (IPA pronunciation: ), also called simply the Village, is a largely residential area on the west side of downtown (southern) Manhattan in New York City named after Greenwich, London. ... This article is about work. ... Sappho and Alcaeus of Mytilene, by Lawrence Alma-Tadema (1881). ... ... For Christian theological modernism, see Liberal Christianity and Modernism (Roman Catholicism). ... Romantics redirects here. ... Caitlin MacNamara (December 8, 1913 - July 31, 1994) was the wife of Welsh poet and writer Dylan Thomas. ... Rimbaud redirects here. ... D. H. Lawrence David Herbert Lawrence (11 September 1885 - 2 March 1930) was one of the most important, certainly one of the most controversial, English writers of the 20th century, who wrote novels, short stories, poems, plays, essays, travel books, and letters. ... Welsh mythology, the remnants of the mythology of the pre-Christian Britons, has come down to us in much altered form in medieval Welsh manuscripts such as the Red Book of Hergest, the White Book of Rhydderch, the Book of Aneirin and the Book of Taliesin. ... This article is about the writer and poet. ... For the Welsh courtier and diplomat, see Sir John Donne. ... John Winston Ono Lennon, MBE (October 9, 1940 – December 8, 1980), (born John Winston Lennon, known as John Ono Lennon) was an iconic English 20th century rock and roll songwriter and singer, best known as the founding member of The Beatles. ... This article is about the recording artist. ... is the 300th day of the year (301st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1914 (MCMXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... is the 313th day of the year (314th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... January 7 - President Harry S. Truman announces the United States has developed a hydrogen bomb. ... This article is about the country. ... Sappho and Alcaeus of Mytilene, by Lawrence Alma-Tadema (1881). ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the... Sappho and Alcaeus of Mytilene, by Lawrence Alma-Tadema (1881). ...

In addition to poetry, Thomas also wrote short stories and scripts for film and radio, with the latter frequently performed by Thomas himself. His public readings, particularly in America, won him great acclaim; his booming, at times ostentatious, voice with a subtle Welsh lilt, became almost as famous as his works. His best known works include "Under Milk Wood" and "Do not go gentle into that good night", a poem written in 1951 about his dying father. We are not wholly bad or good, who live our lives under Milk Wood - prayer of the Rev Eli Jenkins from Under Milk Wood Statue of Dylans fictional Captain Cat, in Swanseas Maritime Quarter Under Milk Wood was originally a radio play and later a stage play and... Do not go gentle into that good night, a villanelle composed in 1951, is considered to be among the finest works by Welsh poet Dylan Thomas (1914–1953). ...

Early Life

Dylan Thomas was born in the front upstairs bedroom at 5 Cwmdonkin Drive, situated in the Uplands area of Swansea, on 27 October 1914. Uplands today, as it was then, is considered one of the more affluent areas of the city, which kept him away from the more industrial side of the city. His father, David John Thomas, was an English master who taught English literature at the local grammar school. His mother, Florence Hannah Thomas ( née Williams), was a seamstress born in Swansea. Thomas also had a sister, Nancy, eight years his senior. Thomas's father brought up both children to speak English only, even though both parents spoke Welsh. This article needs to be wikified. ... For other places with the same name, see Swansea (disambiguation). ... is the 300th day of the year (301st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1914 (MCMXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... This article needs to be wikified. ... Née redirects here. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Welsh redirects here, and this article describes the Welsh language. ...

His first name is pronounced 'Dul-an' in Welsh, and in the early part of his career some announcers introduced him using this pronunciation. However, Dylan preferred the more well-known pronunciation that is used today, 'Dill-an'. Thomas' middle name, Marlais, was given to him in honour of his great uncle, the Unitarian minister William Thomas, who was better known by his bardic name of Gwilym Marles, hence the connection with the name Marlais. Thomas was known to be a sickly child and he was considered too frail to fight in World War II. He suffered from conditions such as bronchitis and asthma, but he also liked to play upon his sickliness. It was because of this sickliness that he served the war effort by writing scripts for the government. Historic Unitarianism believed in the oneness of God as opposed to traditional Christian belief in the Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). ... A bardic name is a pseudonym used, in Wales, by poets and other artists, especially those involved in the eisteddfod movement. ... William Thomas (1834 – 1878), better known by his bardic name of Gwilym Marles, was a Welsh minister and poet, and the great-uncle of Dylan Thomas. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Bronchitis is an inflammation of the bronchi (medium-size airways) in the lungs. ...

His childhood was spent largely in Swansea, with regular summer trips to visit his aunt's (his mother's sister) Carmarthenshire dairy farm. These rural sojourns and the contrast with the town life of Swansea provided inspiration for much of his work, notably many short stories, radio essays and the poem Fern Hill. Carmarthenshire (Welsh: ) is a one of thirteen historic counties and a principal area in Wales. ... This article is in need of attention. ... Fern Hill (1946), pivotal poem in the career of Dylan Thomas, was the last poem included in his Deaths And Entrances. ...

Thomas's formal education began at Mrs. Hole's 'Dame School', a private school, which was situated a few streets away on Mirador Crescent. He described his experience there in [citation needed]:

"Never was there such a dame school as ours, so firm and kind and smelling of galoshes, with the sweet and fumbled music of the piano lessons drifting down from upstairs to the lonely schoolroom, where only the sometimes tearful wicked sat over undone sums, or to repent a little crime - the pulling of a girl's hair during geography, the sly shin kick under the table during English literature."

In October 1925, Thomas attended the boys-only, Swansea Grammar School, in the Mount Pleasant district of the city. Thomas's first poem was published in the school's magazine, of which he later became the editor. He left school at 16 to become a reporter for the local newspaper, the South Wales Daily Post, now the South Wales Evening Post, only to leave the job under pressure 18 months later in 1932. He then joined an amateur dramatic group in Mumbles, but still continued to work as a freelance journalist for a few more years. University of Wales, Swansea Institute of Higher Education (Welsh: Prifysgol Cymru, Athrofa Abertawe) is an institution of higher education which resides on mainly two campuses in Swansea, south Wales. ... Townhill is the name of an electoral ward, a community and a suburban district in the City and County of Swansea, South Wales. ... The South Wales Evening Post is a newspaper that serves the south of Wales. ... Mumbles village, Wales Mumbles (otherwise The Mumbles – Welsh Y Mwmbwls) is an extremely large village and adjacent headland stretching into Swansea Bay. ...

Thomas's days would consist of visiting the cinema in the Uplands, walking along Swansea Bay and frequenting the various public houses in Swansea, especially ones found in the Mumbles area. Pubs such as the 'Antelope Hotel' and 'The Mermaid Hotel'; a theatre he used to perform at, could be found in between them. In the city centre of Swansea itself, Thomas was also a regular patron of the 'Kardomah Café' situated on High Street, a short walk from the local newspaper for which he worked. The 'Kardomah Café', visited by Thomas, was where he mingled with his various contemporaries, such as his good friend and poet Vernon Watkins. Most of these poets, musicians and artists became known as 'The Kardomah Gang', even though these people were not necessarily at the café the same time. Vernon Watkins (1906 – 1967) was a Welsh poet, and a painter. ... The Kardomah Gang was the name given to the various artists, musicians, poets and other writers, which frequented the Kardomah Café on Swanseas High Street, Wales, c. ...

During February 1941, Swansea was heavily bombed by the Luftwaffe, known as 'The Three Nights Blitz'. High Street was just one of the many streets in Swansea that suffered badly, the rows of shops on High Street, including the 'Kardomah Café', were destroyed. Thomas later wrote about this in his radio play, entitled, 'Return Journey Home', in which he describes the Café as being, 'Razed to the snow' . 'Return Journey Home' was first broadcast on the June 15, 1947 and was written shortly after Thomas' came back to visit Swansea, not long after the bombing raids took place. Thomas walked the bombed-out shells, which was once his home town centre, with his friend Bert Trick. Upset at the sight before him, he concluded, "Our Swansea is dead." The Deutsche Luftwaffe or   (German: air force, IPA: ) is the commonly used term for the German air force. ... is the 166th day of the year (167th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The Kardomah Café reopened and can still be found today, on the city's Portland street, a short walk from where the original was.

In 1932, Thomas embarked on what would be one of his various visits to London.

Early Works

Thomas wrote half of his poems and many short stories whilst living at his Cwmdonkin home, And death shall have no dominion is one of his best known works written at this address. His highly acclaimed^[3] first poetry volume, 18 Poems, was published on December 18, 1934, the same year he moved to London. The publication of 18 Poems won him many new admirers from the world of poetry, including Edith Sitwell; although it was also at this time he began to build his reputation for being a drunk. The publication of Deaths and Entrances in 1946 was a major turning point^[4][5][6] in his career. Thomas was well known for being a versatile and dynamic speaker, best known for his poetry readings.^[7] His powerful voice would captivate American audiences during his speaking tours of the early 1950s. He made over 200 broadcasts for the BBC. Often considered his greatest single work is Under Milk Wood, a radio play featuring the characters of Llareggub, a fictional Welsh fishing village. Richard Burton starred in the first broadcast; he was joined by Elizabeth Taylor in a subsequent film. And death shall have no dominion is a poem written by Welsh poet Dylan Thomas (1914-1953). ... is the 352nd day of the year (353rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display full 1934 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Dame Edith Louisa Sitwell DBE (7 September 1887 – 9 December 1964) was a British poet and critic. ... Deaths and Entrances is a volume of poetry by Dylan Thomas, first published in 1946. ... For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ... We are not wholly bad or good, who live our lives under Milk Wood - prayer of the Rev Eli Jenkins from Under Milk Wood Statue of Dylans fictional Captain Cat, in Swanseas Maritime Quarter Under Milk Wood was originally a radio play and later a stage play and... Llareggub is a fictional town that features in Under Milk Wood by Dylan Thomas. ... For other persons named Richard Burton, see Richard Burton (disambiguation). ... For other persons named Elizabeth Taylor, see Elizabeth Taylor (disambiguation). ...

Marriage and Children

In the spring of 1936, Dylan Thomas met his wife Caitlin MacNamara; they met in the Wheatsheaf public house, in the Fitzrovia area of West London. A drunken Thomas proposed marriage on the spot, to the dancer Caitlin, and the two began a courtship. ^[8] Caitlin MacNamara (December 8, 1913 - July 31, 1994) was the wife of Welsh poet and writer Dylan Thomas. ... Fitzrovia is an area of central London. ... Satellite image of the inner part of West London Ayad Dibis is the best in West London. ...

On July 11, 1937, Thomas married MacNamara at Penzance registry office, in Cornwall. In 1938, the couple rented a cottage in the place Thomas was to help make famous, the village of Laugharne, in Carmarthenshire, South West Wales. Their first child was born on January 30, 1939, a boy whom they named Llewelyn Edouard (died in 2000). He was followed on March 3, 1943 by a daughter, Aeronwy. A second son, Colm Garan Hart, was born on July 24, 1949. is the 192nd day of the year (193rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1937 (MCMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Penzance Harbour and surrounding area as seen from the air Penzance (Cornish: Pensans) is a civil parish and port town in the Penwith district of Cornwall, England, UK. Granted various Royal Charters from 1512 onwards and incorporated in 1614,[2] it has a population of 21,168[1] people and... For other uses, see Cornwall (disambiguation). ... Dylan Thomass boathouse and the Heron-Priested Shore Laugharne (Welsh: Talacharn) is a town in Carmarthenshire, Wales, lying on the estuary of the River Tâf. ... Carmarthenshire (Welsh: ) is a one of thirteen historic counties and a principal area in Wales. ... is the 30th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 62nd day of the year (63rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Aeronwy Bryn Thomas (born March 3, 1943) is the second child and only daughter of the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas and his wife, Caitlin. ... is the 205th day of the year (206th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The marriage was tempestuous, with rumours of affairs on both sides; Caitlin had an affair with Augustus John before, and quite possibly after, she married Thomas. It is widely suspected that Thomas' tumultuous personal life was a direct result of his frequent and heavy drinking. Artist John, on a 1928 Time cover Augustus Edwin John OM, RA, (January 4, 1878 – October 31, 1961) was a Welsh painter, draughtsman, and etcher. ...

Alcoholism

Dylan's image on the pub sign of his Laugharne 'local', Browns Hotel

Thomas liked to boast about his drinking, saying; Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 398 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (1063 × 1599 pixel, file size: 394 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 398 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (1063 × 1599 pixel, file size: 394 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Laugharne (Welsh: Talacharn) is a town in Carmarthenshire, Wales, lying on the estuary of the River Taf. ...

"An alcoholic is someone you don't like, who drinks as much as you do."^[9] King Alcohol and his Prime Minister circa 1820 Alcoholism is the consumption of or preoccupation with alcoholic beverages to the extent that this behavior interferes with the alcoholics normal personal, family, social, or work life. ...

Though Thomas "Liked the taste of beer," and he did quite his fair share of drinking, the amount he drank may have been an exaggeration. For example, during an incident on November 3, 1953, Thomas returned to the Chelsea Hotel in New York, from the White Horse Tavern and exclaimed, "I've had eighteen straight whiskies, I think that is a record." However, the barman and the owner of the pub who served Thomas at the time, later told Ruthven Todd, that Thomas couldn't have drunk more than half that amount, after Todd decided to find out. Ruthven Todd, a Scottish poet, introduced Thomas to the the White Horse Tavern, which quickly became a firm favourite of the Welshman. is the 307th day of the year (308th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... January 7 - President Harry S. Truman announces the United States has developed a hydrogen bomb. ... The Hotel Chelsea is a well-known residence for artists, musicians, and writers in the neighborhood of Chelsea in Manhattan, New York City. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... The White Horse Tavern, located in New York Citys borough of Manhattan at Hudson Street and 11th Street, is famous for its 1950s and 60s Bohemian culture. ... Whisky (or whiskey) is an alcoholic beverage distilled from grain, often including malt, which has then been aged in wooden barrels. ... Ruthven Campbell Todd (14 June 1914 –1978) was a Scottish poet and novelist, known also as an editor of William Blake, and as an artist. ... This article is about the Scottish as an ethnic group. ... The White Horse Tavern, located in New York Citys borough of Manhattan at Hudson Street and 11th Street, is famous for its 1950s and 60s Bohemian culture. ... National motto: Cymru am byth (Welsh: Wales for ever) Waless location within the UK Official languages English and Welsh Capital Cardiff Largest city Cardiff First Minister Rhodri Morgan Area  - Total Ranked 3rd UK 20,779 km² Population  - Total (2001)  - Density Ranked 3rd UK 2,903,085 140/km² NUTS...

Here are just some of the Public Houses that Thomas liked to frequent:

The Uplands Hotel - The Uplands, Swansea. (Now known as The Uplands Tavern)
The Mermaid Hotel - The Mumbles, Swansea. (Destroyed by fire then rebuilt)
The Antelope Hotel - The Mumbles, Swansea. (Still remains as The Antelope).
The No Sign Wine Bar - Wind Street, Swansea. (One of the oldest public houses in Swansea)
Browns Hotel - Laugharne, Carmarthenshire. (Still remains, and is much the same)
The White Horse Tavern - Greenwich Village, Manhattan, New York.
This article needs to be wikified. ... Mumbles village, Wales Mumbles (otherwise The Mumbles – Welsh Y Mwmbwls) is an extremely large village and adjacent headland stretching into Swansea Bay. ... An editor has expressed a concern that the subject of the article does not satisfy one of the following guidelines for inclusion on Wikipedia: If you are familiar with the subject matter, please expand the article to establish its notability, citing reliable sources, so as to avoid it being considered... Dylan Thomass boathouse and the Heron-Priested Shore Laugharne (Welsh: Talacharn) is a town in Carmarthenshire, Wales, lying on the estuary of the River Tâf. ...

Before Thomas left for New York in 1953, he stayed at The Bush Hotel in Swansea, which was later known as The Bush Inn.

New York & Death

May 1953 saw the World Premiere of Thomas' play Under Milk Wood, with Thomas himself playing the part of the narrator. The Assistant Director of the play was one Liz Reitell; it was Reitell's task to help put the play on the stage, also finding a suitable cast in the process. It was also around this time that Thomas was to engage in a love affair with Reitell, even though their initial meeting was, to her, a disappointment. The play itself was a great triumph, even though the final draft for the ending of Under Milk Wood was only completed just before the actors went on stage, with the help of Reitell herself. It was because of this performance that Thomas was asked to work on the libretto of an opera for the composer, Igor Stravinsky. It was also around this time that Thomas' health rapidly began to deteriorate as a result of his drinking; he was warned by his doctor to give up alcohol but he carried on regardless. We are not wholly bad or good, who live our lives under Milk Wood - prayer of the Rev Eli Jenkins from Under Milk Wood Statue of Dylans fictional Captain Cat, in Swanseas Maritime Quarter Under Milk Wood was originally a radio play and later a stage play and... We are not wholly bad or good, who live our lives under Milk Wood - prayer of the Rev Eli Jenkins from Under Milk Wood Statue of Dylans fictional Captain Cat, in Swanseas Maritime Quarter Under Milk Wood was originally a radio play and later a stage play and... Igor Stravinsky. ...

On 3 November 1953, Dylan Thomas and Liz Reitell, celebrated his 39th birthday and the success of 18 Poems. On November 5, Dylan Thomas was quaffing a few beers with Liz Reitell at the White Horse Tavern, Greenwich Village, Manhattan, when he started to feel ill. He decided go back to his room at the Hotel Chelsea, where he later collapsed and slipped into a coma; an ambulance was called, which took him to St Vincent's Hospital. Dylan Thomas died 4 days later on Monday, November 9, 1953 at around 1pm. is the 307th day of the year (308th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... January 7 - President Harry S. Truman announces the United States has developed a hydrogen bomb. ... is the 309th day of the year (310th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The White Horse Tavern, located in New York Citys borough of Manhattan at Hudson Street and 11th Street, is famous for its 1950s and 60s Bohemian culture. ... The Washington Square Arch Greenwich Village (pronounced Grennich Village; also called simply the Village) is a largely residential area on the west side of downtown (southern) Manhattan in New York City. ... The Hotel Chelsea is a well-known residence for artists, musicians, and writers in the neighborhood of Chelsea in Manhattan, New York City. ... Hospital: St. ... is the 313th day of the year (314th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... January 7 - President Harry S. Truman announces the United States has developed a hydrogen bomb. ...

It has been noted that Thomas died at the Hotel Chelsea; however, the aforementioned details of his death show this to be untrue. The Hotel Chelsea is a well-known residence for artists, musicians, and writers in the neighborhood of Chelsea in Manhattan, New York City. ...

Attributing factors towards the cause of death are recorded as pneumonia, a result of the coma, with pressure upon the brain. Emphysema was also noted, due to Thomas' smoking habit and possibly his intake of morphine. His liver, according to the patholgist, was surprisingly healthier than one would have imagined. 'Chronic alcohol poisoning' was eventually ruled as the official cause of death. This article is about human pneumonia. ... Human brain In animals, the brain (enkephale) (Greek for in the skull), is the control center of the central nervous system, responsible for behavior. ...

His last words, according to Jack Heliker, were: "After 39 years, this is all I've done." However, various sources state that Thomas' last words were to Liz Reitell, a woman he was having a love affair with, "Yes, I believe you", after she tried to reassure him about his sudden illness. Others say his last words were, "I love you, but I am alone.", again said to Liz Reitell. The most popular myth is that Thomas' last words were, "I've had eighteen straight whiskies, I think that is a record." Whisky (or whiskey) is an alcoholic beverage distilled from grain, often including malt, which has then been aged in wooden barrels. ...

It has also been said that the only person to be in the room with Dylan Thomas when he died was the poet John Berryman. John Allyn Berryman (originally John Allyn Smith) (October 25, 1914 – January 7, 1972) was an American poet, born in McAlester, Oklahoma. ...

Following his death, his body was brought back to Wales for his burial in the village churchyard at Laugharne on November 25. One of the last people to stay at his graveside after the funeral was his mother, Florence. His wife, Caitlin, died in 1994 and was buried alongside him. Laugharne (Welsh: Talacharn) is a town in Carmarthenshire, Wales, lying on the estuary of the River Taf. ... is the 329th day of the year (330th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Poetry

"In My Craft Or Sullen Art:"^[10]

Not for the proud man apart
From the raging moon I write
On these spindrift pages
Nor for the towering dead
With their nightingales and psalms
But for the lovers, their arms
Round the griefs of the ages
Who pay no praise or wages
Nor heed my craft or art.

From "In the White Giant's Thigh:"

Who once were a bloom of wayside brides in the hawed house and heard the lewd wooed field flow to the coming frost the scurrying furred small friars squeal in the dowse of day in the thistle aisle till the white owl crossed..."^[11]

Thomas' poem And Death Shall Have no Dominion, is noted for its metaphysical sentiment and the notion that death shall never triumph over life.^[12]

And death shall have no dominion
Dead men naked they shall be one
With the man in the wind and the west moon
When their bones are picked clean and the clean bones gone
They shall have stars at elbow and foot
Though they go mad they shall be sane
Though they sink through the sea they shall rise again
Though lovers be lost love shall not
And death shall have no dominion.

Thomas' poetry often appears in anthologies - usually "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night". Do not go gentle into that good night, a villanelle composed in 1951, is considered to be among the finest works by Welsh poet Dylan Thomas (1914–1953). ...

Thomas memorials

See also: Cultural depictions of Dylan Thomas

Statue of Dylan Thomas in Swansea's Maritime Quarter, unveiled by Lady Mary Wilson

As it may be expected of a famous poet, whose best known line is "Do not go gentle into that good night", many memorials have been inaugurated to honour Thomas, most of which can be found in his home of Swansea. Dylan Marlais Thomas, (1914 – 1953) was a Welsh poet and writer who has — along with his work — been remembered and referred to in various media. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 398 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (1181 × 1778 pixel, file size: 639 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Please see the file description page for further information. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 398 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (1181 × 1778 pixel, file size: 639 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Please see the file description page for further information. ... Do not go gentle into that good night, a villanelle composed in 1951, is considered to be among the finest works by Welsh poet Dylan Thomas (1914–1953). ...

Tourists in his home town of Swansea can visit a statue in the city's Maritime Quarter, the Dylan Thomas (Little) Theatre, and the Dylan Thomas Centre, formerly the town's guildhall. The latter is now a literature centre, where exhibitions and lectures are held, and is the setting for the city's annual 'Dylan Thomas Festival'. Another monument to Thomas stands in Cwmdonkin Park, one of his favourite childhood haunts, close to his birthplace at 5 Cwmdonkin Drive. The memorial is a small rock in a closed-off garden, set within the park. The rock is inscribed with the closing lines from one of his best-loved poems, 'Fern Hill' The Dylan Thomas Centre is an arts centre located in Swansea, Wales. ... Cwmdonkin Park is an urban park situated in the Uplands area of Swansea, south Wales. ...

"Oh as I was young and easy in the mercy of his means/Time held me green and dying/Though I sang in my chains like the sea."^[13]

Dylan's £5 writing shed overlooking the Afon Taf, near the Boat House, Laugharne. It cost £75 to erect on its cliff-ledge platform in the 1920s, when it was used to garage a Wolsey car

Thomas's home in Laugharne, the Boathouse, has been made a memorial. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 532 pixelsFull resolution (1181 × 785 pixel, file size: 737 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 532 pixelsFull resolution (1181 × 785 pixel, file size: 737 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Dylan Thomass boathouse and the Heron-Priested Shore Laugharne (Welsh: Talacharn) is a town in Carmarthenshire, Wales, lying on the estuary of the River Tâf. ... Poet Dylan Thomas lived in the Boathouse in Laugharne, Wales with his family between 1949 and 1953, the last four years of his life. ...

Several of the pubs in Swansea also have associations with the poet. One of Swansea's oldest pubs, the No Sign Bar, was a regular haunt of Thomas'. It is mentioned in his story, The Followers but renamed, the 'Wine Vaults'.

Thomas' obituary was written by his long-term friend Vernon Watkins. A class 153 locomotive was named Dylan Thomas 1914 - 1953. In 2004 a new literary prize, the Dylan Thomas Prize,^[14] was created in honour of the poet. It is awarded to the best published writer in English under the age of 30. Vernon Watkins (1906 – 1967) was a Welsh poet, and a painter. ... The British Rail Class 153 Super-Sprinter is a diesel multiple unit. ... ÈLink title This page meets Wikipedias criteria for speedy deletion. ...

In 1982, a plaque was unveiled in honour of Dylan Thomas, in Poets’ Corner, Westminster Abbey. Poets corner Poets’ Corner is the name traditionally given to a section of the South Transept of Westminster Abbey due to the number of poets, playwrights, and writers now buried and commemorated there. ... The Collegiate Church of St Peter, Westminster, which is almost always referred to by its original name of Westminster Abbey, is a mainly Gothic church, on the scale of a cathedral (and indeed often mistaken for one), in Westminster, London, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. ...

References in pop culture

Various artists have acknowledged Thomas' influence with tributes:

• John Waite's song "NYC Girl" includes the line "Dylan Thomas rides a white horse drunk, at the counter next to me". Obviously a reference to Thomas, and one of his favorite establishments The White Horse Tavern. Thomas became ill at the Tavern 4 days before his death.

• Igor Stravinsky wrote In memoriam Dylan Thomas: Dirge canons and song (1954) for tenor voice, string quartet, and four trombones, based on "Do not go gentle".

• The cover of the Beatles album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band contains a photograph of Dylan Thomas.

• “Under Milk Wood”)1965 by Stan Tracey an album (its full title is Jazz Suite inspired by Dylan Thomas’ is one of the most celebrated jazz recordings made in the United Kingdom. Tracey was inspired to compose the suite by hearing the original 1953 BBC broadcast on an LP his wife Jackie had acquired

• In the Simon & Garfunkel song "A Simple Desultory Philippic" (1965) Paul Simon sings ironically: "He doesn't dig poetry. He's so unhip that / When you say "Dylan", he thinks you're talking about Dylan Thomas, / Whoever he was".

• Italian popular comic character Dylan Dog, created by Tiziano Sclavi in 1986, is named after Dylan Thomas

• John Cale set a number of Thomas' poems to music: There was a saviour, Do not go gentle into that good night, On a Wedding Anniversary and Lie still, sleep becalmed, recording them on his 1989 album Words for the Dying and (except for the first one) in on his 1992 solo live album Fragments of a Rainy Season.

• An episode of the Beauty and the Beast Tv Series is titled after Thomas' poem "And Death Shall Have No Dominion" and the poem is repeated several times during at least two episodes of the show in the 2nd and 3rd seasons.

• The film Dangerous Minds mentions Thomas' "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night" in comparison to Bob Dylan's "I Will Not Go Down".

• Musician Ben Taylor named his 2003 album Famous Among the Barns as tribute to Dylan Thomas.

• In Solaris (2002), Chris Kelvin (George Clooney) reads the first stanza of "And Death Shall Have no Dominion".

• The musician Momus named his 2006 album Ocky Milk, partly named after a character in 'Under Milk Wood'

• Dylan Thomas is mentioned in the song "Airplane/Primitive" by The Slip off of their 2006 release "Eisenhower"

• Bob Dylan (Robert Allen Zimmerman) allegedly named himself after him.

• Pittsburgh based band The Gathering Field wrote a song entitled "Dylan Thomas Days" with many references to Dylan and his drinking.

John Waite (born John Charles Waite, 4 July 1952, Lancaster, Lancashire, England) is a rock singer. ... The White Horse Tavern, located in New York Citys borough of Manhattan at Hudson Street and 11th Street, is famous for its 1950s and 60s Bohemian culture. ... Igor Stravinsky. ... The resident string quartet of the Library of Congress in 1963 A string quartet is a musical ensemble of four string instruments—usually two violins, a viola and cello—or a piece written to be performed by such a group. ... The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. ... The Beatles appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964 as part of their first tour of the United States, promoting their first hit single there, I Want To Hold Your Hand. ... For other uses, see Sgt. ... Bridge Over Troubled Water was Simon and Garfunkels last album; the title track was their only number one hit in the United Kingdom. ... A Simple Desultory Philippic (Or How I Was Robert McNamarad Into Submission) is a song written by Paul Simon. ... Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist, half of the folk-singing duo Simon and Garfunkel who continues a successful solo career. ... A Dylan Dog cover. ... Tiziano Sclavi (born in Broni on April 3, 1953) is an Italian comic book author, journalist and writer of several novels. ... Year 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar). ... Not to be confused with J.J. Cale. ... Do not go gentle into that good night, a villanelle composed in 1951, is considered to be among the finest works by Welsh poet Dylan Thomas (1914–1953). ... Words For The Dying is an 1989 album by John Cale. ... Fragments of a Rainy Season is a 1992 live album by John Cale, performed at the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, Belgium. ... For other uses, see Beauty and the Beast (disambiguation). ... Dangerous Minds is a 1995 drama film based on a biography written by, and about the life of, LouAnne Johnson that tells the true story of a retired Marine who leaves her career to become an English teacher at a well-off high school attended by bused-in students from... This article is about the recording artist. ... Ben Taylor (born Benjamin Simon Taylor on January 22, 1977) is a musician and actor. ...

Bibliography

Poetry

• Collected Poems 1934 – 1953 (London: Phoenix, 2003)
• Selected Poems (London: Phoenix, 2001)
• 18 Poems (1934)[OOP]
• 25 Poems (1936) [OOP]
• The Map of Love (1939) [OOP]
• The World I Breathe (1939) [OOP]
• Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog (1940)
• New Poems (1943) [OOP]
• Deaths and Entrances (1946) [OOP]
• Selected Writings of Dylan Thomas (1946) [OOP]
• Twenty-Six Poems (1950) [OOP]
• In Country Sleep (1952) [OOP]
• Collected Poems, 1934-1952 (1952)
• The Doctor and the Devils and Other Scripts (1953)
• Under Milk Wood: A Play For Voices (1954)
• Quite Early One Morning (1954)
• Adventures in the Skin Trade and Other Stories (1955)
• A Prospect of the Sea (1955) [OOP]
• A Child's Christmas in Wales (1955)
• Letters to Vernon Watkins (1957)
• The Doctor and the Devils and Other Scripts
• The Beach of Falesa (1964) [OOP]
• Dylan Thomas - a Collection of Critical Essays: Charles B. Cox (ed.) (1966) [OOP]
• The Poems of Dylan Thomas (1979)
• The Collected Stories of Dylan Thomas (1984)
• On the Air With Dylan Thomas: The Broadcasts
• Eight Stories (1993)
• Dylan Thomas: The Complete Screenplays (1995)
• Rebecca's Daughters: A Film Scenario
• Fern Hill: An Illustrated edition of the Dylan Thomas poem. [1998]

We are not wholly bad or good, who live our lives under Milk Wood - prayer of the Rev Eli Jenkins from Under Milk Wood Statue of Dylans fictional Captain Cat, in Swanseas Maritime Quarter Under Milk Wood was originally a radio play and later a stage play and...

Prose

• Collected Letters
• Collected Stories
• Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog (1940 Dent)
• Under Milk Wood
• Quite Early One Morning (posthumous)
• Adventures In The Skin Trade And Other Stories (1955, posthumous)
• Rebecca's Daughters (1965)
• After the Fair
• The Tree
• The Dress
• The Visitor
• The Vest

We are not wholly bad or good, who live our lives under Milk Wood - prayer of the Rev Eli Jenkins from Under Milk Wood Statue of Dylans fictional Captain Cat, in Swanseas Maritime Quarter Under Milk Wood was originally a radio play and later a stage play and...

Drama

• The Doctor and the Devils (1964)

Discography

• Dylan Thomas: Volume I - A Child's Christmas in Wales and Five Poems (Caedmon TC 1002 - 1952)
• Under Milk Wood (Caedmon TC 2005 - 1953)
• Dylan Thomas: Volume II - Selections from the Writings of Dylan Thomas (Caedmon TC 1018 - 1954)
• Dylan Thomas: Volume III - Selections from the Writings of Dylan Thomas (Caedmon TC 1043)
• Dylan Thomas: Volume IV - Selections from the Writings of Dylan Thomas (Caedmon TC 1061)
• Dylan Thomas: Quite early one morning and other memories (Caedmon TC 1132 - 1960)

Filmography

• Dylan Thomas: A War Films Anthology (DDHE/IWM D23702 - 2006 (DVD Region 0))

Impact on other cultural figures

• It is rumored the young American folk singer born Robert Zimmerman, took the stage name Bob Dylan in 1960 - partly in homage to Dylan Thomas - and partly to evoke the image of a bohemian poet that the name Dylan conveyed to the college-educated baby boomer generation - because of Dylan Thomas's iconic status. In August 1962 Zimmerman changed his name legally to Robert Dylan.
• Welsh musician John Cale has been highly influenced by the work of Dylan Thomas, even setting several of his poems (There Was a Saviour, On a Wedding Anniversary, Lie Still, Sleep Becalmed and Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night) to orchestral music on his 1989 album Words for the Dying, as well as a musical setting of "A Child's Christmas in wales" on his album Paris 1919.
• American author Shirley Jackson met Thomas once briefly in her family home and, while accounts of their meeting vary, Shirley was allegedly deeply affected by the encounter. She wrote several short stories dedicated to and loosely based around Thomas. Only one of these short stories, "The Lovely House", was published during Jackson's lifetime; it appears in the posthumous collection Come Along With Me. Another story, "A Great Voice Stilled", is based on the academics that analysed Thomas after his death; this story appears in another posthumous collection of Jackson's work, Just An Ordinary Day.
• Leeds-based Anarcho-punkband Chumbawumba have used the words to the poem "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night" as the basis for the lyrics of the songs "Rage" from the album Anarchy and "Song for Derek Jarman" from the Homophobia EP. Both feature the same lyrical fragment, although it is re-written slightly to fit the music more easily:

  Don't go gently into the night,

  Rage against the dying of the light"

• The poet Rehan Qayoom wrote a parody of 'If I were tickled by the rub of love' called 'If I were pickled by the nub of love' in Thomas' style.

Portrait photograph of Bob Dylan taken by Daniel Kramer Bob Dylan (born Robert Allen Zimmerman May 24, 1941) is widely regarded as one of Americas greatest popular songwriters. ... This article is about the recording artist. ... Not to be confused with J.J. Cale. ... Words For The Dying is an 1989 album by John Cale. ... The Paris Peace Conference was an international conference, organized by the victors of the World War I for negotiating the peace treaties between the Allied and Associated Powers and their former enemies. ... Shirley Jackson (December 14, 1916 [1] – August 8, 1965) was an influential American author. ... Posthumous means after death. ... For other uses, see Leeds (disambiguation) and Leeds City (disambiguation). ... The anarchy symbol commonly used by anarcho-punks Anarcho-punk (sometimes known as peace-punk) is a subgenre of the punk rock movement consisting of groups and bands promoting specifically anarchist ideas. ... Chumbawamba are a band from the UK who use their music to promote anarchist ideas. ... Poetry (ancient Greek: poieo = create) is an art form in which human language is used for its aesthetic qualities in addition to, or instead of, its notional and semantic content. ... Do not go gentle into that good night, a villanelle composed in 1951, is considered to be among the finest works by Welsh poet Dylan Thomas (1914–1953). ... Headline text this album was released in 2000 ...

Notes