Dylan Thomas — Wales's Greatest Poet

Dylan Thomas — key facts

1. 1 Dylan Thomas (1914–1953) Born in Swansea, south Wales. One of the greatest Welsh-language writers... who wrote in English. His father was an English-medium teacher who deliberately did not teach Dylan Welsh. He wrote extraordinary poetry and prose in English.
2. 2 Swansea and Laugharne Thomas's two key places. Swansea: his childhood ('an ugly, lovely town'), where he grew up in the Uplands. Laugharne (Talacharn), Carmarthenshire: where he lived his last years, wrote Under Milk Wood, and is buried.
3. 3 Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night A villanelle (19-line poem with a strict repeating structure) written as his father was dying. 'Rage, rage against the dying of the light.' One of the most anthologised poems in the English language.
4. 4 A Child's Christmas in Wales A prose poem describing a Welsh boy's Christmas in Swansea — full of humour, warmth, and precise sensory detail. Broadcast by the BBC and still read at Christmas.
5. 5 Under Milk Wood A radio drama (1953 — first broadcast the year of his death) set in a fictional Welsh coastal village, Llareggub (read backwards). Voices of the village through a single spring day. A masterpiece of the spoken English language.
6. 6 Legacy The Boathouse in Laugharne is preserved as a museum. The Dylan Thomas Centre is in Swansea. He inspired countless writers — including Bob Dylan (who took his name from Dylan Thomas). A global icon of Welsh writing in English.