Dylan Thomas

Dylan Marlais Thomas, (Swansea, October 27 1914 – November 9 1953 in New York City) was a Welsh poet and writer. He is widely considered to be among the greatest poets of the 20th century; his most famous poems include "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night" and "And Death Shall Have No Dominion."

Legacy

There are many memorials to Thomas in his home town of Swansea, including a statue in the maritime quarter, the Dylan Thomas Theatre, and the Dylan Thomas Centre. The latter building, formerly the Guildhall, was opened by ex-President of the United States Jimmy Carter, one of Thomas's most famous fans, following its conversion. It is now a literature centre, where exhibitions and lectures are held, and is the setting for the city's annual Dylan Thomas Festival.

Related Topics:
Swansea - Dylan Thomas Centre - President - United States - Jimmy Carter

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Another monument to Thomas stands in Cwmdonkin Park, close to his birthplace at no 5 Cwmdonkin Drive; this was one of his favourite childhood haunts. The memorial is inscribed with lines from one of his best-loved poems, "Fern Hill." Several of the pubs in Swansea also have associations with the poet. Swansea's oldest pub, the No Sign Bar, was a regular haunt, renamed the Wine Vaults in his story The Followers.

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The young Dylan "mucked about as chirpy as a sparrow after the sips and titbits and small change of the town" as a reporter on the local paper, turning many a working day into a pub crawl. Much of the central Swansea he knew was flattened in the war, but many Dylan locations from stories such as 'Old Garbo' survive. The BBC studios, with their ornate and distinguished fascia, where he broadcast in a voice like warm treacle, is still there. The bombed Kardomah Cafe, where he plotted artistic revolution with his friends, is reincarnated in Portland Street.

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He appears along with Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley and Albert Einstein all on probably the best known of all record sleeves, the Beatles' Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band. John Lennon asked that he be included, recognising a great influence on his work.

Related Topics:
Marilyn Monroe - Elvis Presley - Albert Einstein - Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band - John Lennon

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It has been suggested that Bob Dylan, who was born Robert Allen Zimmerman, changed his name in tribute to Dylan Thomas. Bob Dylan has often denied this, claiming in 1965 that he took the name from an uncle named Dillon. He added "I've read some of Dylan Thomas' stuff, and it's not the same as mine." In his 2004 biography, "Chronicles Vol.1", however, Dylan admits that Dylan Thomas was relevant to his choice of alias (although he still acknowledges no influence or tribute, saying only that "Dylan" sounds like "Allen," his middle name and original choice for a surname de plume).

Related Topics:
Bob Dylan - 2004

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