Dylan Marlais Thomas

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“I’ve had eighteen straight whiskies. I think that’s the record.”(Quoted by John Malcolm Brinnin, Dylan Thomas in America). One of the most renowned authors of the twentieth century, Dylan Thomas is as well known for his philosophical poetry, critical writings, and essays. Often focusing on themes as birth, death, love, and religion, Thomas's works remain distinctly personal through a blend of rich language, detailed imagery, and psychological issues. Thomas is a poet known greatly for his indulgence in his love for poetry and literature. Parallel to this is the unique way Thomas was able to write his works about ideas and themes outside the environment he was contained to live within. His strict childhood and middle age life, which was largely filled with drinking, and wondering slums played some part in shaping his work, but can be overlooked if studied correctly.
Dylan Marlais Thomas was born on October 27, 1914, in the Welsh seaport of Swansea. Both his parents held respectable jobs and he lived under a middleclass household. His mother, in particular lead Dylan from an early age to be a serious reader and writer of poetry. Dylan’s interest in poetry and literature was sparked at an early age, and by high school Dylan was editing for his school newspaper. Aside from editing, Dylan also published his own works which frequently appeared in other publications.
“It is particularly clear from his early poems, where Marc Alyn has observed, all of his originality is already on view, that he was occupied with introspections that lie outside of time and place, and that his style owes comparatively little to tradition and experience.”(Dylan Thomas) Unlike many writers, Dylan was able to explore with ideas that he frequently could not compare his own life with. Dylan’s early poetry was greatly influenced by his friend Daniel Jones. The two friends often wrote plays, and developed poems by drawing lines out of a hat and piecing them together. These were the beginnings of Dylan’s career as a writer and poet.
Before long he was reporting and writing feature articles for the paper and its weekly supplement, The Herald of Wales. Thomas began to spend much of his time exploring the streets, pubs, and alleys of the depression-ridden seaport town in which he lived. Even though, well off himself, Thomas found it much more interesting to study and write about these areas (The Life of Dylan Thomas, Constantine Fitzgibbion).

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