Dylan Thomas was a poet and writer who was born in Wales. He was known for his profound work, which he wrote from a young age. By the age of 21, he was considered to be the leading Anglo-Welsh poet in his time. One of his most famous works is “Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night.”
Background
Dylan Marlais Thomas was born at 5 Cwmdonkin Drive in
Swansea, Wales, on October 27, 1914. His birthplace was also the home he grew
up in. The house was called Glanrhyd after a family farm located in Carmarthenshire.
His dad chose the name Dylan after the Welsh story called “The
Mabignon.” Dylan means “sea” or “ocean.” Marlais came from Dylan’s uncle Gwilym,
whose bardic name Gwilym Marles. This name was taken from the River Marlais.
He spent 23 years of his life in the house he grew up in
before moving elsewhere, but he wrote a huge portion of the poetry he published
while living there.
Education
In September of 1925, Thomas was enrolled at Swansea Grammar School. This school was
established by Hugh Gore Bishop of Wexford in 1632. His father taught English
at the school, so Thomas did not have to pay fees or tuition to study there.
The school was located on Mount Pleasant Hill, but was destroyed in World War
II.
Thomas attended school from 1925 to 1931. During his time in
school, he published several poems, stories, and edits in the school’s magazine.
His first poems he contributed include “The Song of the Mischievous Dog” and
“His Repertoire”.
Towards the end of his school career, he began to skip
school to pursue his own interests. His dad turned a blind eye to this, despite
being a teacher at the school.
Poetry
Thomas started writing poetry and short stories at a young
age. In 1927, at the age of 12, Thos published his poem, “His Requiem,” in Wales’
Western Mail newspaper on January 14th, 1927. This was his first published
poem, but it was later found out that it was plagiarized from Boy’s Own Paper.
In 1929, when Thomas was around 15 years old, one of his
couplets was quoted in “Everyman” magazine in London. The magazine was a huge
part of the city’s literary community, though it was not popular among regular,
everyday people. In December of 1929, Thomas’s essay, “Modern Poetry,” was
published in his school’s magazine.
Beginning in 1930, Thomas started writing in documented
notebooks filled with his poetry. There are five of these notebooks that have
been documented and have survived, but it is believe that there were possibly
10 notebooks. He wrote the poems initially and worked on them until the 1940s.
In 1933, his poem “And Death Shall Have No Dominion” was
published in the New English Weekly. It talks about resurrection after death. Although
he lived a hedonistic lifestyle, this poem and other similar poems by Thomas
led some to believe he was a religious poet.
He published his first collection of poetry, “18 Poems,” in
1934. The poems in this book deal with death and birth, sin and redemption. The
poems in the collection highlight word sound. From there, he continued to write
poetry and got his poems published in the United States.
Personal life
Thomas began working as a journalist in 1931 at the South
Wales Daily Post. After six months, he moved to weekly Herald of Wale, where he
wrote a diary column as well as articles about the Poets of Swansea. He left
this job in December of 1932, but he remained a freelance journalist. During
his time as a journalist, he was always late and distracted.
In 1936, Thomas moved to Cornwall. On a trip to London, he
met Caitlin Macnamara, a dancer from Ireland. She ran away from boarding school
to become a dancer and model for artists. She was seduced by Augustus John. The
couple got married in Cornwall in 1937. Together, they have two sons named Llewelyn
and Colm and a daughter named Aeronwy.
Legacy
Thomas died at St Vincent’s Hospital, New York at age 39 on November
9th, 1953 after a battle with illness. Today, 5 Cwmdonkin Drive is a place
that people can visit to learn more about Thomas’s life. His poems are still
beloved worldwide and studied in schools across the globe.
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