- Dylan Thomas drinking at the White Horse
Tavern in New York City.
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- Dylan Thomas in New York City on his poetry
tour.
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- DYLAN THOMAS BIOGRAPHY
- DYLAN THOMAS, Famous Welsh Poet, known as the
"DOOMED POET", who wrote about his dying father in the famous "Do
Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night"
and died drunk and poor in New
York City at the age of 39.
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- DYLAN THOMAS
was born
on Oct. 27, 1914 in Swansea, Wales. His father was an
English teacher. Dylan was severely asthmatic as a child, which
lasted throughout his life. After graduating from school, Dylan
Thomas became an actor, journalist, scriptwriter, reporter and
took other various jobs.
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- In 1933, Thomas'
"And death shall have no dominion"
was published in the New English Weekly.
In 1934, he published his first set of poems
"Eighteen Poems".
Thomas' works speak about death, fantasy with autobiographical
content and were influenced by many geniuses, including
Sigmund Freud.
Thomas married in 1937, had children and served as an
antiaircraft gunner in World War II. After the war, Thomas
became a commentator on BBC
speaking about poetry.
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- In 1950, Dylan Thomas began
doing lectures throughout the U.S. reading poetry to bring in
income. He became famous for his flamboyant readings, speaking
and half-singing his poems in his Welsh singing voice. Thomas
did not write a huge volume of work, instead lecturing to bring
the works to people.
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- In 1952, Thomas wrote his
most famous poem "In Country Sleep",
which contained "Do Not Go Gentle Into That
Good Night", which was
written about his dying father. It is powerful and famous for
the refrain "Rage, rage against the dying of
the light."
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- Thomas was a heavy drinker
and during his tours in the U.S., his alcohol problem worsen.
His reputation as the drunken, "doomed poet"
is allegedly something that Thomas encouraged. One of Dylan
Thomas' last and one of his most famous works,
"Under Milk Wood"
(published in 1954) was about a town of eccentric Welsh
villagers in the fictitious town of Llareggub. The composer,
Igor Stravinsky
invited Dylan Thomas to write a libretto for one of Stravinsky's
operas.
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- In 1953, Dylan Thomas was
in New York City for a poetry tour. After a drinking binge at
the White Horse Tavern in NY City,
Thomas became ill and fell into a coma. At the age of 39, Dylan
Thomas died on Nov. 9, 1953 at St. Vincent's Hospital in New
York City, allegedly from pneumonia, swelling of the brain and a
fatty liver.
