A Reference Companion to Dylan Thomas

Although the Welsh author Dylan Thomas attained some measure of fame before he died in 1953, he never enjoyed financial prosperity. His life was plagued with difficulties of all kinds and he was only 41 years old at the time of his death. Some of his works, such as Fern Hill and Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night are frequently included in anthologies, and Thomas is now often considered as one of the most important and original poets of the 20th century. During his trips to the United States, he read his works to large audiences on college campuses. He also made a number of radio broadcasts and recordings, and his voice made some listeners respond emotionally to his poems. However, readers often find Thomas’s poems difficult to understand. This reference book provides a guide to his life and work. Because his writings are often a product of his troubled life, the volume begins with an insightful biography that provides a context for understanding Thomas’s works. The second section then systematically overviews his work, and while his poems receive much attention, it also discusses his prose, his film scripts and his broadcasts. A third section then surveys the critical and scholarly response to his writings, with separate chapters detailing his reception in Wales, England and North America. A selected bibliography lists editions of Thomas’s works, along with the most important general studies of his writings.