Dylan Thomas

Dylan Thomas

Dylan Thomas was born in Wales during the First World War. Raised in Swansea, "the smug darkness of a provincial town"(Treece 37), Thomas was educated as an Englishman. At the age of seventeen, Thomas left school and opted to forgo the university and became a writer immediately. He published his first book, 18 Poems, in 1934. His skill and artistic ability astounded critics. This "slim, black covered, gilt-lettered bardic bombshell"(Treece ix) put Thomas on the literary map. Unfortunately, this poetic genius succumbed to alcoholism at the age of thirty-nine. In his short lifetime, Thomas published some of the most disturbing and touching literature of the century. The poetry of Dylan Thomas is his way of expressing and confronting the good and evil aspects of the world that troubled him to the grave.

In his youth, the poetry and folklore of his native Wales fascinated Thomas. He mimicked their styles and composed stories of his own. Although his father insisted that Thomas attend a university, he "adduced the example of Bernard Shaw"(Ellmann 510) and decided to pursue his dream of becoming a professional writer. He felt that continuing his education would only stand in the way of his dreams. Thomas’ first attempt at becoming a poet, 18 Poems, fulfilled this ambition.

Packed "with enough poetic dynamite in it to shake young writers and critics for a decade"(Treece ix), 18 Poems supplies an excellent exhibition of Thomas’ struggle with reality. Its works are full of twisting and turning images that present the conflicts of the world. In "The Force That through the Green Fuse Drives the Flower," Thomas comments on the role of nature as both the creator and the assassin. As the creator, nature is "The force ...

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...my individual struggle from darkness towards some measure of light"(Treece 39). It is poetry full of graphic, detailed images of nature and the duality of the world. Thomas saw the world in terms of good and evil. This belief forced Thomas to "stride on two levels"(Treece ix). It was not possible for him to discuss the beauty of nature without discussing its ugliness as well. As a result of this view of reality and the world around him, Thomas’ poetry is "an unconducted tour of Bedlam"(Treece ix).

Works Cited

Ellmann, Richard and Robert O’Clair. Modern Poems. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, Inc., 1989.

Emory, Clark. The World of Dylan Thomas. Coral Gables: University of Miami Press, 1962.

Thomas, Dylan. Quite one Early Morning. New York: New Directions Publishers, 1960.

Treece, Henry. Day Among the Fairies. Los Angeles: Norwood Publications, 1978.