RP194 Dylan Thomas

 RP194 Dylan Thomas

Dylan Thomas is a beloved poet and writer from Wales. He is most famous for his poetry, but he also wrote short stories and scripts for radio and television. He was very talented though he had a difficult life.

Dylan Thomas was born in Swansea, South Wales, on October 27, 1914. He was not a very healthy child. He had asthma and bronchitis, so he usually preferred to read than to play. Thomas dropped out of school when he was 16 and went to work as a journalist for the local newspaper. He wrote some famous poems when he was a teenager, including "The Force That Through the Green Fuse Drives the Flower" and "And Death Shall Have No Dominion." His first volume of poetry was published in 1934 when he had just turned 21. However, while he was having great success with his writing, he also began to develop a drinking habit. This would be a problem all his life.

In 1937, Thomas married Caitlin Macnamara. They had three children together. It was difficult for him to support his family. He wrote for movies for years, but the family stayed poor. Then, in 1946, he published Deaths and Entrance. It changed their lives. After this, Thomas gave several successful speaking tours.

In 1953, Thomas went to New York for a conference. As usual, he drank very much. People worried about whether he would behave well or cause problems. But it wasn't drinking that he should have worried about. Unluckily for him, the air quality in New York dropped suddenly. Smog filled the city. Thomas became very sick. By the time anyone noticed, it was too late. Dylan Thomas died of pneumonia and bronchitis in a New York hospital on November 9, 1953.