Dylan Thomas was born on October 27, 1914 in Swansea, Wales

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Dylan Thomas was born on October 27, 1914 in Swansea, Wales. His father was a teacher and his mother was a housewife. Thomas was a sickly child who had a slightly introverted personality and shied away from school. He didn’t do well in math or science, but excelled in Reading and English. He left school at age 17 to become a journalist. In November of 1934, at age 20, he moved to London to continue to pursue a career in writing. His first collection of poems called 18 Poems was released in 1934. Many people loved his work, and he gained instant recognition. His second collection released in 1936, 25 Poems, was also popular. The year he released his second collaboration of poems was also the year that he met his future wife, Caitlin MacNamera. They decided to get married in July of 1937, and moved to Laugharne, Wales in 1938. One year later, they had their first child, Llewelyn. He was followed by Aeronwyn in 1943 and Colm in 1949.


Thomas’ poetry reflected much about his life style and outlandish way of thinking. He was particularly interested in writing about death, and most of his poems have hidden messages relating to death and his fascination with it. Thomas went back and forth with religion, the meaning of life, and what happens in the after life. His fickle beliefs went from joyous faith in God to extreme religious doubt.  Thomas’ vacillating religious beliefs had a lot to do with his reckless lifestyle and love for the drink. He would often go out to the bars and be gone for hours at a time, leaving his worried wife and children oblivious to what he was doing. His wife soon found out about his problem, and became concerned. His drinking began to get out of control when he would get engaged in huge disputes and fights in public places. His drinking is what led to his eventual death in 1953 at age 39. He died of alcohol poisoning in his hotel room in New York City after an all night drinking binge.


Thomas was a very creative and talented writer. He not only wrote poetry, but wrote prose and drama as well. He was an individualistic writer, and was often referred to as the “classic Welsh writer.” He used many different narrative elements, mostly metaphors, imagery, meter and comic wit. His themes were consistent, he mostly wrote about life, death and mutability. Thomas’ favorite writer, D.H. Lawrence, inspired his intense lyricism and love for fantasy. The literary period that Thomas lived in was staid Puritanism, but he wrote mostly with a Romantic style. Most of Thomas’ imagery was based on Welsh legend, Christian symbolism, witchcraft, astronomy and Freudian Psychology.


His most important works were of all different styles. The two collaborations that gained him the most recognition were of poetry, 18 Poems and 25 Poems. These poems were commonly read and entertaining to people of his time period. Although his poetry was recognized while he was living, he became most famous after he died. His prose writing was mainly sketches and stories. Most of his stories were altered autobiographical with fantasy. Two of his most renowned prose writings are: Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog (published in 1940) and Adventures in the Skin Trade (published in 1955). He also wrote radio shows later in his career. His most popular one was “A Child’s Christmas in Wales.” He read it himself, due to the fact that he was so flamboyant and theatrical. His most celebrated dramatic work was Undermilkwood (published in 1954.)

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FERN HILL

Now as I was young and easy under the apple boughs

About the lilting house and happy as the grass was green,

The night above the dingle starry,

Time let me hail and climb

Golden in the heydays of his eyes,

And honoured among wagons I was prince of the apple towns

And once below a time I lordly had the trees and leaves

Trail with daisies and barley

Down the rivers of the windfall light.

And as I was green and carefree, famous among the barns

About the happy yard and singing as the farm ...

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