In The Beginning: A Biography of Dylan Thomas
By
Dylan Thomas was a Welsh poet who wrote some of the most stirring,
passionate, and eloquent verse in modern literature” (World Book
Encyclopedia). During Dylan Thomas’ life and after he died, many people
agreed with this statement because he wrote about what he knew. When reading
through his poems, most of them are memories he had when he was a child.
These poems are descriptive, and try to put the reader in the poem.
Dylan Thomas was born on October 27, 1914, in Swansea, in the southern part
of Whales, to the parents of Florence Williams and David Thomas. His father,
a schoolteacher, was very strict and thought education was imperative.
Because of this, Thomas was introduced to poetry at the young age of two,
and started reciting the poetry at age three. When Dylan Thomas was eight,
he began to write his own poetry, trying to be like his idol, William
Shakespeare. Later on, another poet who influenced Dylan Thomas was D. H.
Lawrence, because of how he wrote. Dylan Thomas liked English and only
wanted to spend his time writing. Thomas did not like school; he pretended
to be sick when he did not want to go. He never excelled in school, only
doing well in English. He finally dropped out of school at the age of
sixteen, and started working for a newspaper.
Dylan Thomas’s first publication of a poem was in 1933. Although it was only in a small newspaper, many people still read it, and enjoyed it. Later, his work appeared in many more newspapers, across Europe. His work finally reached the United States of America, and become very popular there.
Thomas’ marriage to Caitlin Macnamara influenced his many poems about his wife and his marriage. After the death of his father, Thomas started writing about what his father meant to him, and how he and his father were connected. During a war, Thomas wrote pieces that talked about aspects from the war.
In 1950, Dylan Thomas started taking numerous trips to the United States. During these trips, he took many tours around the states so people could see him and so he could encourage people to buy his books. While on these trips, Thomas and his wife had disagreements. Thomas started drinking and doing drugs. His wife did not agree with this lifestyle, so Thomas had affairs with other women he met while in the United States. Since his wife did not accompany him on these trips, it was easy for him to get away with it.
Thomas’ alcoholism eventually killed him. Dylan Thomas died on November 9th, 1953, of Pneumonia Aggression, in America. The world lost a great poet. Many people loved Dylan Thomas’s works. He used imagery and wording that made his poetry magical. Even though many people loved Thomas’s work, he did not win many awards for it. In 1953, Thomas won the William Foyle Poetry Prize. People still read Dylan Thomas’s poetry today, and enjoy it just as much as they did when he was alive.
