Dylan Marlais Thomas was born in the Welsh seaport of Swansea on October 27, 1914. One of the best-known British poets of the mid-20th century, he is remembered for his highly original, obscure poems, his amusing prose tales and plays, and his turbulent, well-publicized personal life.
His most popular works include the radio play UNDER MILK WOOD (posthumously published, 1954) and the sketch "A Child's Christmas in Wales" (1955), but his more ambitious work consists of the complex poems in which he expressed a deeply romantic vision. Thomas's first book of verse, 18 Poems (1934), was praised by a few discriminating critics in spite of its obscurity, and in 1936 a second volume, Twenty-Five Poems, followed.
Thomas married in 1937 and lived with his wife, Caitlin, in poverty in England and Wales. During this period he began to write short stories. His main prose works include Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog (1940), a collection of autobiographical short stories; Adventures in the Skin Trade (1955); and Quite Early One Morning (1954), a collection of essays first given as radio talks.
Rejected for military service during World War II, Thomas became relatively prosperous as a writer of radio scripts and films. He also published The Map of Love (1939), a volume of poems and fantastic short stories, and Deaths and Entrances (1946), another book of verse.
Beginning in 1949, Thomas visited the United States several times, touring college campuses to read his poetry. Widely known for his powerful poetry readings over BBC radio, he became a popular, if controversial, figure. He died at the age of 39 on November 9, 1953 in New York City after a period of depression and heavy drinking.
Production/Credit | Where | Opening Night |
A Child's Christmas in Wales | Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey | 12/2/2003 |
A Child's Christmas in Wales | Brundage Park Playhouse | 11/30/2001 |
A Child's Christmas in Wales | Cape May Stage | 11/29/2001 |
A Child's Christmas in Wales | Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey | 11/30/1999 |
A Child's Christmas in Wales | 12 Miles West Theatre Company | 12/19/1997 |