Author Details
Author Details
Thomas, Dylan
"Thomas was born in Swansea, in south Wales: his father David, who was a writer and possessed a degree in English, brought his son up to speak English rather than Dylan's mother's native Welsh. Dylan Thomas' middle name, ""Marlais"", came from the bardic name of his uncle, the Unitarian minister, Gwilym Marles (whose real name was William Thomas).
Thomas' childhood was spent largely in Swansea, with regular summer trips to visit his mother's family on their Carmarthen farm. These rural sojourns, and their contrast with the town life of Swansea, would inform much of his work, notably many short stories and radio essays and the poem ""Fern Hill"".
Dylan wrote half his poems - ?And death shall have no dominion? is one of the best known - and many short stories when he lived at no 5 Cwmdonkin Drive. By the time he left the family home in 1934 he was one of the most exciting young poets writing in the English language.
He collapsed at the Hotel Chelsea after drinking heavily while in New York City on a promotional tour and later died at St Vincent's hospital. He was a diabetic and, it is said, not very careful about managing it; in particular, heavy drinking is dangerous for diabetics. Following his death, his body was brought back to Wales for burial in the village churchyard at Laugharne, where he had enjoyed his happiest days. In 1994, his widow, Caitlin, was buried alongside him. Their former home, the Boat House, Laugharne, is now a memorial to Dylan."
